The Hague, Netherlands is most well known as the center of the Human Rights institutions. The International Criminal Court, The International Tribunal for the Formal Yugoslavia, The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and The Hague Institute for Global Justice are located here as well as others. However, The Hague is a provincial little town on the Netherland's coast with much more to it than international institutions.
Situated on the coast on the Netherlands, The Hague is the largest Dutch city on the North Sea. While I wouldn't recommend going for a swim in the North Sea, a visit to the Dutch seaside is still fun. Stroll along the beach or sit in a beach chair and enjoy the fresh breeze and the crashing of the waves onto the shore. There is also a little Dutch pancake house at the seaside, which serves delicious and authentic Dutch pancakes including the dessert pancakes known as poffertjes. They are served with several different toppings such as bananas, strawberries, and chocolate.
The Hague is home to one of the most famous Dutch paintings, Girl with Pearl Earing. The Mauritshuis Museum holds primarily paintings from the Dutch Golden Age by artists such as Vermeer, Rubens, and Holbein the Younger. There are also other exhibitions that museum holds. Currently the museum is hosting artwork by Titian, a Venetian painter from the sixteenth century. Future artworks include those by Rembrandt. Not to mention there are 44 other museums to check out as well! (Whether you go to all of them or not is another thing!!)
As the international city of peace, it is only right to visit the Peace Palace. A small palace with planned gardens, this is where the peace project in the early twentieth century began. While visitors are not allowed to go inside the palace they can admire it from afar and visit the museum. The museum outside the palace gives an in depth and interesting narrative on how this project came to be as well as how the peace project continues today.
Walking around the town is a beautiful way to become familiar with it. The Dutch architecture is very unique with its rooftops. Canals also run through the city, a typical Dutch sight. The Hague is actually where the king, King Willem Alexander, lives and conducts his work. Through out the city visitors can see palaces, each built in a different style, that are still in use today.
The city itself is very easy to navigate. There is a tramline that runs through the middle of the city and will take you to where ever you need to go. You can buy tickets from the tram driver, the train station, or the main tram/bus station. The system is very easy to navigate as it is a small town. Once in a certain area it is rather easy to walk, and I find that is the best way to enjoy the city!
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