The Hague

The city center is pretty, with quite a few nice government buildings , stately mansions (many owned by ambassadors and or embassies) good museums (Mauritshuis, Panorama Mesdag) and a nice square to sit and have a drink (Plein). Though, The Hague is not the capital of the Netherlands, but it is the seat of the government and is also the place where Queen Beatrix lives. The Hague is a nice place to go despite not having the big city atmosphere of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, nor the cosy little canals of smaller Dutch towns. On a beautiful day it is especially worthwhile, because the beach resort of Scheveningen (hard to pronounce) is actually part of the city. With its Pier and Casino it is one of the most fancy beach resorts of the Netherlands.