Den Haag (or The Hague) is a magnificent and attractive city of The Netherlands in many aspects. It's a hub of Indian shops, restaurants and embassy too. I stay a two hours ride to the Hague, and we frequently visit there for restocking our groceries or enjoying the authentic south Indian food in the biggest restaurant chain, Saravana Bhavan. So generally, this would be a day trip for us clubbed with window shopping in the busy shopping centres. This time my husband had some official work in the city, and we stay there for a weekend.
We were booked in the Hilton hotel located at Zeestraat. It is in a central location to most of the sightseeing places I was going to visit while my husband would be busy working! I had thoroughly planned out my visits as everything closes almost by six and Sundays are public holidays, so it was a busy schedule. Therefore, I would suggest staying nearby the Zeestraat area as you can cover maximum places just by walk. The tram and bus stations are nearby for better mobility.
In my short stay, I visited nearly ten different historical and memorable places. The best way to cover more areas at a reasonable price is to have a museum card. I am going to share some necessary elements of my visit that will help you to navigate the city quickly and visit these Monumental places.
1.Peace palace: This monument is proof of dreams or wishes coming true. The building is a stature mark for the court where people worked for peace to avail worldwide. It not only hosts Courts of Justice but also one of the renowned libraries and consultancies from world scientists, lawyers and students. The building contains unique decorations donated by different countries then. The beautiful garden where you can take beautiful pictures to frame a memory!
2.KunstMuseum Den Haag: This is by far the most beautiful Gemeentemuseum I have ever visited. It is heaven for people in love with arts, history and culture. The temporary exhibitions are also worth seeing. As the museum's website advocates that "A visit to the Kunstmuseum is always a meaningful and unforgettable experience." And I couldn't agree more!
Being one of Europe's largest museum of Arts, it houses incredible pieces of varied fields of art that you may feel transported to an artist's mind. The museum has to be a must-visit place.
3.Foto Museum: Just next to the KunstMuseum is the adorable FotoMuseum. This museum is a treat for photography admirers. A lot of photographs of different eras, varied perspective and styles is displayed here. It has both permanent and temporary exhibitions which gives a lot of option to explore.
4.Prison gate museum: Also known as Gevangenpoort Museum, is a real prison of the medieval period. The correct way to see the history of the museum is to take a guided tour that explains every utility of the rooms and what was the punishment system back in those times. The stories really will give you goosebumps. It is an integral part of history that needs to be known by everyone. Visitors can combine the tour with the Prince William V gallery as they are on the same campus.
5.Prince William V gallery: It is a building full of artworks which is a recreation of the original gallery founded by Prince William V in 1774. These paintings he had collected through the years of his life from the buildings of his late father. Some of the drawings are made by very well-known artists like Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens and many more.
6.Panorama Mesdag: Sometimes, just one artwork can elevate the importance of the whole place, and the live proof is this gallery. The centre of attraction is the 14 m high and 40 m diameter cylindrical painting of a beach landscape that gives the illusion to the viewer as he is standing on a deck and enjoying the serene view. It has other paintings and photographs of the same painter telling his story throughout. The museum emits a rich artistic, cultural part of The Hague.
7.Madurodam: What and how would you feel if you could experience the world from the eyes of a giant living being. Madurodam gives you that hysterical vibe. It is a small theme park houses lots of Dutch landmarks, various large constructional developments and famous historical town as well as cities. You can find specific storytelling rooms where history is either explained through videos or enacted electronically. By far I find this a beautiful place to visit with your kids in Den Haag.
8.De Passage: Shopping is an essential part of a trip. And if you are in Den Haag and have not visited the busiest shopping centre, then it's unfair. This old monumental building is more like a shopping complex that doubles up as a passage connecting both sides of the shopping area. You can comfortably spend a day here without running out of places to visit. The location is in a busy junction surrounded by other monumental attractions such as Prince William V Gallery, Prison gate museum, Mauritshuis within walkable distance.
Various fast-food centres like KFC, BurgerKing, McDonald's are also nearby to refresh and refuel before visiting different sites. The bridge nearby is also a beautiful spot to take beautiful pictures of the city corner.
All in all, this city speaks loudly about the Netherlands' rich cultural heritage. There are other beautiful places too like Palace Noordeinde, Mauritshuis, which we didn't get time to visit but if you ever are in this city then do not forget to check out these places too. Feel free to share your views of these places mentioned above. It will be too much fun to know other people's findings also.
