The Hague
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1. Binnenhof and the Ridderzaal
The governmental heart of the Netherlands, the Binnenhof (or Inner Court) complex is in the very center of town yet tranquilly set apart, thanks to the charming Hofvijver (court lake). The setting creates a poetic contrast to the endlessly dull debates that go on within its walls—the basis of everyday Dutch politics. Pomp and decorum are in full fig every third Tuesday of September, when Queen Beatrix arrives at the 13th-century Ridderzaal, or Knights' Hall, in a golden coach to open the new session of Parliament. For many centuries the Binnenhof was the court for the Counts of Holland; it is now a complex of buildings from several eras. As you enter, the twin-turreted former castle of the Earls of Holland dominates the scene. The castle was originally built by Count Floris V and became a meeting hall for the Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece (one of the most regal societies of the Middle Ages). Their Great Hall simply drips with history: there are vast wooden beams, flags of the Dutch provinces, and a massive rose window bearing coats of arms. In 1900 the hall was restored to its original 13th-century glory. It is still called Knights' Hall, and you can almost feel the feasts and revelries that took place here. The room still plays a key role in Dutch legislative life. The Binnenhof also incorporates the halls used by the First and Second Chambers of Parliament (equivalent to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives). You can wander freely around the open outer courtyard, but entrance to the Knights' Hall and other interior rooms is by guided tour only. The vaulted reception area below the Knights' Hall contains a free exhibition detailing the political history of the Low Countries. Buy tickets for guided visits at the ProDemos visitor center at Hofweg 1, across the road from the west entrance to the Binnenhof.
Binnenhof 8a, The Hague, South Holland, 2513 AA, Netherlands070-757–0200Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9.50 Ridderzaal plus Dutch House of Representatives, Closed Sun. Some areas may be closed when government meetings are taking place., Mon.–Sat. 10–4; some areas may be closed when government meetings are taking place -
2. Escher in Het Paleis Museum
First known as the Lange Voorhout Palace, this lovely building was originally the residence of Caroline of Nassau, daughter of Prince Willem IV; in 1765 Mozart performed for her here. In 2001 the palace was transformed into a museum devoted to Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher (1892–1972), whose prints and engravings of unforgettable imagery—roofs becoming floors, water flowing upward, fish transforming into birds—became world famous in the 1960s and '70s. Replete with ever-repeating Baroque pillars, Palladian portals, and parallel horizons, Maurits Cornelis Escher's visual trickery presages the "virtual reality" worlds of today. Fittingly, the museum features an Escher Experience where you don a helmet and take a 360-degree digital trip through his unique world. Concave and convex, radical metamorphoses, and dazzling optical illusions are on view in the impressive selection of his prints (including the famed Day and Night and Ascending and Descending); distorted rooms and video cameras make children big and adults small; and there are rooms that are Escher prints blown up to the nth degree. Don't forget to look up as you walk around—dangling glitteringly from the ceiling is a series of custom-designed chandeliers by Dutch sculptor Hans van Bentem that are inspired by Escher's work. These delightfully playful creations include umbrellas, sea horses, birds, and even a giant skull and crossbones. The €26.50 family ticket makes a visit with the kids even more attractive.
Lange Voorhout 74, The Hague, South Holland, 2514 EH, Netherlands070-427–7730Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, Closed Mon., Tues.–Sun. 11–5 -
3. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
One of the finest examples of 20th-century museum architecture was designed by H. P. Berlage (the grand Old Master of modern Dutch architecture) and completed in 1935. Although the collection ranges from A to Z—Golden Age silver, Greek and Chinese pottery, historic musical instruments, and paintings by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh—the museum is best known for the world's largest collection of works by Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), the greatest exponent of Dutch artistic movement De Stijl. The crowning masterpiece, and widely considered one of the landmarks of modern art, is Mondrian's Victory Boogie Woogie, an iconic work begun in 1942 but left unfinished at the artist's death. The painting's signature black-and-white grid interspersed with blocks of primary color arrived only in 1998, when the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage controversially paid 80 million guilders for the (then American-owned) work. Also be sure to see the dollhouse with real doll-size Delft Blue chinaware. Elsewhere, the museum's Costume Gallery contains no fewer than 55,000 items (not all are on display at one time), providing endless inspiration for dedicated students of fashion.
View Tours and ActivitiesStadhouderslaan 41, The Hague, South Holland, 2517 HV, Netherlands070-338–1111Sight Details
Rate Includes: €16, Closed Mon., Tues.–Sun. 11–5 -
4. Madurodam
Statistically, the Dutch are the tallest people in Europe, and never must they be more aware of their size than when they visit this miniature version of their own land. Set in a sprawling "village" with pathways, tram tracks, and a railway station, every important building of the Netherlands is reproduced here on a scale of 1:25. Many aspects of Dutch life, ancient and modern, are also on view: medieval knights joust in the courtyard of Gouda's magnificent Town Hall; windmills turn; the famous cheese-weighing ritual is carried out in Alkmaar; and a harbor fire is extinguished. Thirty interactive points enable visitors to operate the awe-inspiring Delta Works storm surge barrier (constructed after the disastrous flooding of 1953), closing it to hold the ocean at bay and save villages from drowning. Or you can make a plane take off at Schiphol Airport, or load and unload container ships in the Port of Rotterdam. Madurodam has two restaurants, a picnic area, and a playground, and the entire exhibit is surrounded by gardens. It is located in the woods that separate The Hague from the port of Scheveningen to the north. To get here, take Tram No. 9 from either railway station in the city center.
View Tours and ActivitiesGeorge Maduroplein, The Hague, South Holland, 12584 RZ, NetherlandsSight Details
Rate Includes: €17.50, Mid--end-Dec., daily 10–7; Nov.–mid-Dec. and Jan.–mid-Mar., daily 9–5; mid-Mar.–Aug., daily 9–8; Sept. and Oct., daily 9–7 -
5. Mauritshuis
One of Europe's greatest museums, the Mauritshuis offers an incomparable feast of art, including no fewer than 14 Rembrandts, 10 Jan Steens, and 3 Vermeers. The latter's remarkable View of Delft takes pride of place; its rediscovery in the late 19th century assured the artist's eternal fame. In the same room is Vermeer's (1632--75) most haunting work, Girl with a Pearl Earring, which inspired Tracy Chevalier's 1999 best-selling novel as well as its 2003 film adaptation. For something completely different, look to Jan Steen (1626--79), who portrayed the daily life of ordinary people in 17th-century Netherlands. His painting The Way You Hear It Is the Way You Sing It is particularly telling. Don't miss local boy Paulus Potter's vast canvas The Bull, complete with steaming cow dung; the 7-foot-by-11-foot painting leaves nothing to be said on the subject of beef on the hoof. As an added treat, the original building itself is worthy of a 17th-century master's brush: a cream-color mansion tucked into a corner behind the Parliament complex and overlooking the Hofvijver River. It was built around 1640 for one Johan Maurits, Count of Nassau-Siegen and governor-general of Dutch Brazil. The pair behind its creation, Jacob van Campen and Pieter Post, were the two most important Dutch architects of their era. This truly is one of the finest museums in Europe.
View Tours and ActivitiesKorte Vijverberg 8, The Hague, South Holland, 2513 AB, Netherlands070-302–3456Sight Details
Rate Includes: €15.50 (includes entry to Galerie Prins Willem V), Mon. 1–6, Tues., Wed., and Fri.–Sun. 10-6, Thurs. 10–8 -
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