menachem

Or even better, take your bike on the train to Overveen and cycle through the beautiful Kennemer Duinen nature reserve to the shore.

Pal, Bloemendaal is up from Zandvoort and yes cycling to Scheveningen takes you through classy Noordwijk aan Zee, Katwijk and Wassenaar. The coastal bike path there is great, but there are hills (yes, really) so be prepared for some climbing.

PalenQ

Wassenaar. On the other side of Scheveningen I think - but could continue but it will be a long enough ride to Scheveningen! I camped with groups in Wassenaar for years - yes a wealthy upscale seaside place but not much there to see for the casual tourist - Dunirell Water Park is a family thing however that kids would love!

menachem

The route is: Zandvoort - Noordwijk - Katwijk - Wassenaar - Scheveningen, all on the coast. Easy if you follow the LF1 signs, but basically, just keep the sea on your right and you'll get there. I'd think that Scheveningen is the destination, and the rest just for passing through and the occasional stop for coffee and appeltaart

JoeTro

No bikes or cars here, but thanks. Not sure it matters, but as a gay male, is one beach of the above I have mentioned more "gay friendly" than the other?

PalenQ

What do you mean by gay friendly - what do you want to do at the beach that would make homophones uncomfy? Holland is fairly tolerant in this regard it seems.

Anyways check out this gay beach in Zandvoort perhaps?

http://www.nighttours.com/zandvoort/...gay-beach.html

menachem

Homophones. LOL

And no! We're less tolerant than many people, including PalenQ, think.

PalenQ

Homophobes of course and yes the ballyhooed tolerance of The Netherlands is or was a myth I think - well back in the 80s when things were out of control in say Amsterdam there was a tolerance but one that went to far - it was more a neglect i think.

JoeTro

I guess I meant more gay-popular or gay-visited beaches.

Am now thinking the following:

Day 1: Schipol to Zaans Museum and windmills; then to Rotterdam to see Boijmans Van Beuningen, Spido Harbor Tour at 4:15 or 5, then Euromast and dinner before heading back.

[This seems like a huge trek, but I'm not sure how else to work it out, given what I want to see the other days, unless I just drop the whole idea of Zaans]

Day 2: Delft for Vermeer Museum and Prinshof; the Hague for Prins Williiam/Mauritshuis and Bredius, walk along the Passage; then to Scheveningen for a walk and dinner.

[this again feels like WAY too much, but I'm not sure how to cut, unless I cut Zaans and spend two days somehow between Delft/Hague/Scheveningen]

Day 3: Kroller-Muller and the park.

Maybe I just drop the idea of Zaans at all and head for two days between Rotterdam/Hague/Delft/beach - how to organize part of this on a Monday - and Day 3 at Kroller-Muller.

JoeTro

Ok I think I have got it:

Drop Zaanse

Monday: schipol to delft. All delft museums open Monday so can totally accomplish my list there. Train to Hague for Maurithuis which is open till 6 Monday. Schevenigen beach for evening walk and dinner and head home.

Tuesday: schipol direct to Hague for rest of museums on my list. Rotterdam to first do the big museum, then boat at 5 and tower and dinner. Head home.

Wednesday. Kroller-Muller and park. Maybe if back earlyish can do a little of Amsterdam like canal cruise.

menachem

For Scheveningen, take the 9 tram to Zwarte Pad (beach stop)

it's a nice beach, not like the tatty built up strip around Kurhaus and Palace.

For instance http://www.scheveningenlive.nl/buiten/

Woosah is my son's favorite, mainly because of the great Techno acts they have going

http://www.scheveningenlive.nl/whoosah/

PalenQ

You can walk along the beach from one tram on the north to one on the south.

menachem

Yes, but it's not a particularly nice walk, IMO. North of Zwarte Pad is great because it's almost Meyendel, a nature reserve. And because there are real dunes there. There's another such area, at the terminus of the #12 tram in Duindorp. From there you could walk towards Kijkduin and hop on the bus back to town from there. I quite like Kijkduin and while there you might want to visit James Turrell's "Dome of Heaven/Hemels Gewelf". It's been restored and again offers an overwhelming view of the heavens. Particularly nice at night.

http://www.stroom.nl/gfx/uploads/541...lNacht_web.jpg

Really, really better than the real estate disaster that is the Scheveningen strip.

PalenQ

Really, really better than the real estate disaster that is the Scheveningen strip>

we agree on that - seems too blah modern for a neat seaside area.

menachem

the biggest shame of which are Seinpostduin and the ugly lean-to's they've added to the Kurhaus Hotel. Oh, and the entire Palace mall. So basically the whole stretch from Pier to the #11 tram terminus.

Zwarte Pad and Duindorp are where the locals go and with good reason.

here are all the options

http://strand-denhaag.nl/

PalenQ

Is Scheveningen even worth the time it takes to get there and walk around - in light of so many better things in The Hague, like Madurodma, "Holland in Miniature" which to me is a great site - you can literally walk all around Holland in miniature and see this small country in one fell swoop - actually one of the trams to Scheveningen I think goes by Madurodam.

Curious as to what Dutch folk think of Madurodam - seems mainly Dutch folk there when I've been there.

http://www.madurodam.nl/en/

menachem

You go there when you are a child, with your parents or on a school trip. Once.

Scheveningen is not worth it, but the good spots are Zwarte Pad and Duindorp, Kijkduin...

I think Madurodam is incredibly cheesy. But did you know it's really a war commemoration site?

PalenQ

https://www.google.com/search?q=Madu...=1600&bih=1075

Yes does indeed seems more like a place for younger kids and families - nevertheless our bike groups always seemed to like it - was an optional thing to do.

PalenQ

I visited the Peace Palace in the Hague, the International Court where tryants are tried - guided tours only but rather interesting:

http://www.vredespaleis.nl/?tl=1

menachem

The International Court of Justice is near Voorburg in the former KPN Building. Not in the Peace Palace.

PalenQ

The Peace Palace (Dutch: Vredespaleis) is an administrative building in The Hague, the Netherlands. It is often called the seat of international law because it houses the International Court of Justice (which is the principal judicial body of the United Nations), the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the extensive Peace Palace Library.

That is what wiki says anyway and where I got that from? Is it outdated?