General tourist information, The Hague

Favorite thing: be there around the end of april and go to the Koninginnenach wich is the night when we celebrate our queens birthday all across the city centre. Every year about 300.000 people come and visit this event.
In summer you should absolutely go to Scheveningen, beach resort...

Fondest memory: The humour of the people from The Hague and the very easy lifestyle of these people.

Fondest memory: Two things made me go up to the Hague for a weekend, one, that I have a friend there and two, I was very impressed with the line-up for the North Sea Jazz Festival.

In fact, not being strictly a Jazz fan, I hadn't heard of the Festival before. The more's the pity! as is said in Ireland, because there were simply no tickets available. The ticketing system is far from obvious and does not seem very efficient, there being one ticket for all 10 or so simultaneous concerts, but anyway, I didn't book a month in advance which means I didn't get a ticket.

Anyhow I went to see my friend, and in fact I had a good time anyway.

Part of the Hague's attractions is that you're told there are no attractions. Sound self-contradictory? Maybe, but on closer inspection, it isn't. What I mean is, your expectations can be set really low before you visit and then you discover some pleasant surprises.

First of all, it provides access to such famous Golden Age Dutch cities such as Delft, and to a lesser extent, Leiden. Public transport is extremely good.

The weather when I went was overcast and generally very disappointing for a July, but having come from sun-bleached Madrid, I really appreciated the abundant greenery and well respected nature of the place.

Night life seemed quite poor indeed and again it would seem one had to leave the city and go to Leiden, Delft or Rotterdam in order to drink and be raucous with a bunch of other people interested in acting similarly.

Culturally though, it is more interesting and I wa able to visit the Maurithuis, a compact gallery with a string of Dutch & Flemish Masters such as Ter Borch, de Hooch, van der Weyden, Memling, van Ostade and Metsys. Artists apart in style such as Hals and Vermeer are also represented, especially Vermeer with the Girl with the Pearl Earring and his View of Delft ('frighteningly good'). All in all, it's a small but extremely good Gallery. Highly recommended.

Favorite thing: Take a walking tour of The Hague. I bought my map at the tourist office and off I went. Here's the map I followed, follow the red lines and arrows. I did deviate a bit as I had no interest in some of the places.

Favorite thing: Visit the Omniversum. Itis a kind of cinema, but the screen is vast and extends from one side of the theatre to the other and up over your head. The films are varied and are usually of the documentary kind. The sound system is awesome and you feel as though you are in the places depicted. Nice cafeteria there too.

Fondest memory: I enjoyed cycling through the Hague because the facilities for cyclists are excellent in Holland, I was able to tak eme grandson cycling there when he was only 6 years of age.

Favorite thing: FONDEST memory: going to SCHEVENINGEN to enjoy the beach, lying in the soft white sand, shopping at the boulevard boutiques, and afterwards having drinks somewhere on the boulevard, with a nice view of the sea, our North sea and.........walk the pier......

Fondest memory: Having a day off on 'PRINSJESDAG' to go see the queen passing by in the GOUDEN KOETS (GOLDEN COACH)on her way to the Binnenhof, the opening of the Parliamentary Year, always on the 3rd Tuesday of September.

Fondest memory: Enjoying a coffee at this square near Binnenhof. we had already been walking for a few hours that day so it was nice to stop briefly and have a rest.