The Hague to the English speakers.
Amsterdam may be the most touristic city in the Netherlands-, but den Haag (The Hague) has its own share of things to do. The canals though not as ubiquitous as in Amsterdam are present here too. Its a large city and with three train stations is amazingly well connected to every part of the Netherlands and Europe in general.
After our stomachs were full we decided to walk around the city towards the centre in lieu of cycling as walking allows us more time to just experience the city. We headed to the Mauritshuis which not as large some other famous museums, houses some great pieces especially of the Dutch masters like Vermeer’s- “the girl with the pearl earring” and Rembrandt’s - “the Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholas Tulp.”. For 14,50 Euros its a little pricey. Nevertheless I loved it.
Outside the museum you will also finds a statue of Willem the second duke of orange- Nassau; founder of modern day Netherlands.
Right next door to the mauritshuis is the Binnenhof, a 13th century Gothic castle which houses the Dutch parliament. though not the most beautiful or the grandest castle your ill ever see it still is worth a visit, I means its right next door to the museum. I would just skip the parliament tour- it was boring and quite lackluster honestly( compared to the parliament in India).
Outside the castle is the hof canal and its a nice spot to walk around, lie in the sun while getting a great view of the castle.
A few minutes walk away is the center of the city. Bustling with stores, offices, bars and restaurants its a fun place to visit. Especially the Grote Markt which is filled with bars and since the weather was good we grabbed some cocktail sitting outsides. (It helps that the cocktails are cheaper than in Belgium). But if beer is more your thing try the Fiddler just a few meters further. Though honestly if you really loved beer, you would just visit Belgium.
Now probably the only good thing to actually come out of the Dutch colonization of Indonesia is the influx of Asian food in the Netherlands. Another hidden gem of den Haag is the china town. marked with the gorgeous unmistakably Chinese gates which define its realm/ area. this is great place to grab some budget Asian food, especially Indonesian and bubble tea (I’m sorry but I’m obsessed with bubble tea).
The center of the city is also a good place to stroll around in the evenings n if you feel like it just hop into one of the many cafes/ pubs there./ the Dutch are amazingly friendly people and its easy to start up a conversation with them.
Den Haag is like Amsterdam’s less touristy but equally enthralling cousin. And I would definitely put in on my to visit list!!!