Visitors to the Netherlands rarely miss Amsterdam but often overlook The Hague, the country's royal city. True, The Hague is not as large, notorious, and well-known as Amsterdam, but it's just as rich in culture and a lot more civilized. Its museums are packed with art and historical riches, and enormous parks and green spaces make it a verdant paradise-- "den haag" means "the hedge" in Dutch.

Located near the coast, The Hague boasts at its edge a vibrant beach resort known as Scheveningen as well as a dignified downtown. Both neighborhoods contrast dizzyingly with each other and allow the city to please, no matter a visitor's mood.

With a population of just 445,000, The Hague is a relatively small city. But it contains the seat of the government and the crown, all the foreign embassies, and many international courts such as the International Criminal Court, the War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Office for the Prevention of Chemical Warfare, and Europol (the European police system). Hundreds of international companies also have bases there. The result is an international city also rich with its own history.

We asked Contributing Editor Melanie Walker, who lives in The Hague, to map out three perfect days in the city and environs.

Day one

Melanie recommends that history buffs begin in the historic center of the city by visiting the stately Binnenhof (http://www.binnenhof.nl/; most of the websites are in Dutch, but the photos are universal), which is also the center of Dutch political life. Knight's Hall, built in the 13th century, stands in the central courtyard. Guided tours take you through the hall and the first and second chambers of parliament. Bordered by a large canal along one side, the towers of the huge, square building rise out of the water like a medieval castle. Gerrit Berckheide replicates a view of the Binnenhof in a painting at the nearby Prince Willem V Gallery. Part of an exquisite collection of old masters, the 15th century work is located on the second floor and mirrors the turreted façade you see today. Admission fees to the Binnenhof vary depending on the exhibit, but the exhibition area below Knight's Hall is free.

The venerated Mauritshuis Museum anchors the complex. Housed in an original royal residence at Kleine Veyverberg 8, Mauritshuis is one of the finest small museums in Europe. Admission is about $7.75 (www.mauritshuis.nl/).

Across the street from Mauritshuis is the Prison Gate Museum. Built in the 15th century, it was the early home of the Court of Holland, and the tour covers a macabre collection of instruments of torture. Guides often give excellent histories of Dutch martyrs and historical figures. Tours run every hour, and admission is about $4 (www.gevangenpoort.nl/). Next door to the Prison Gate is the small but lovely Prince Willem V Gallery. Admission is $1.65 if accompanied by a ticket to the Mauritshuis.

The Hague Historical Museum near the Binnenhof at Korte Vijverberg 7 is located in St. Sebastiaansdoelen, a historic building and shooting range dating from 1636. This museum showcases the House of Orange and contains sketches and paintings of the historic city, portraits, and a vast collection of historical objects from The Hague. Admission: $4 (www.haagshistorischmuseum.nl/).

The line between history and art blurs at the Meermanno Museum, a treasure of medieval handwritten books as well as Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities. Located near downtown at Prinsessegracht 30, admission is $4.40 (www.meermanno.nl/).

One of Melanie's favorite sites is the fantastic "Panorama Mesdag" (www.panorama-mesdag.nl/). Painted by H.W. Mesdag in 1881, it's the only surviving "painting in the round" in Europe. When entering the "Panorama" in the rotunda of a building downtown (admission, $4.40), visitors climb a narrow, wooden, spiral staircase and emerge onto the top of a large, sandy dune at the edge of the sea. It's an odd feeling, Melanie says, knowing you're standing in the middle of the city while feeling as though you're at the edge of the sea. The 1881 painting depicts Scheveningen, just a fishing village at the time. Take a good look and try to memorize the buildings in the painting.

Day two

It's easy to head out to Scheveningen to see the scene live. Take the #8 tram to the Seinpostduin stop. When you get to Scheveningen, climb up the steep hill to the west to a sprawling, white, apartment-building complex. Walk around its north side to the sea front. There you'll find the exact spot where Mesdag painted his "Panorama." To your right along the seafront is the Historical Society; behind you is the Church at the Keizerstraat, and farther to the north is the rotunda of the grand hotel Kurhaus.

Also in Scheveningen is the Beelden Aan Zee Museum, (which translates to "Sculptures by the Sea Museum") just down the seaside promenade about 100 yards to the north of the Seinpost building. This museum, housed in a renovated World War II bunker, is filled with gorgeous sculptures displayed with innovative lighting and, in some cases, in open-air rooms. The entrance is a bit concealed: Look for a large bronze mask of a woman's face mounted on top of the bunker in a sea of dune grass. Entrance fee is $5.50 (www.beeldenaanzee.nl/).

Another 100 yards farther down the promenade is the Sea Life Museum Scheveningen, stocked with North Sea marine life, including manta rays and sharks, and a large collection of crabs from around the world. Animals are fed at 2 p.m., and admission is about $10.50 (www.sealife.nl/).

Next door to the Sea Life Museum is the luxurious Kuur Thermen Vitalizee, a resort spa with hot mineral baths, steam and dry saunas, massage, and other beauty treatments. Visitors don robes and sip cool fruit juice on the teakwood deck overlooking the North Sea. For a price list, click on www.vitalizee.nl/.

From the promenade in front of Vitalizee, you can see the famous Kurhaus (www.kurhaus.nl/servlet/go), to the north. The hotel is one of the venues for the yearly North Sea Jazz Festival (event calendar: www.northseajazz.nl/). Rooms are small but luxurious, and the hotel serves one of the only buffet brunches in Holland, Melanie says. Available only on Sundays, it costs about $50 a person and includes food in abundance and a musical serenade on a classic black, baby grand piano. The setting, under the baroque gilded two-story dome, is exquisite.

Don't leave Scheveningen without taking a peek inside the old, red lighthouse that still wails its foghorn on banked-in mornings and whose light still pierces the darkness at night. Arrange a tour by calling the Scheveningen Museum at 31 (0)70-350-0830, or through www.museumscheveningen.nl/. The museum is housed in an old prison (the one where Otto ten Boom, who hid Jews from the Nazis and was immortalized in the book The Hiding Place, died) and showcases the early life of Scheveningen as a fishing village.

Try your hand at a game of chance at the glitzy Holland Casino (www.hollandcasino.nl/) across from the Kurhaus Hotel. There's also a multiplex cinema that shows current US releases along the seaside promenade as well as plenty of excellent restaurants. Try the poefertjes, tiny little pancakes served slathered in butter and topped with powdered sugar and syrup. It's a Dutch staple.

You can return directly to The Hague on the #8 tram. But a better idea--especially if you're traveling with children--is to take the #1 tram and stop at Madurodam. You'll walk paved paths through this small, landscaped amusement park made entirely of miniature buildings important to Holland. Like a colossus, you'll stand above precisely scaled down models of Noordeinde Palace (Queen Beatrix's working palace), the Binnenhof, Schipol International Airport, and Rotterdam's huge seaport. Slip a euro dime into the slot on many of the scenes and watch them move in intricate sequences. Madurodam is especially charming at night, Melanie says, when almost 50,000 tiny lights turn it into a fairyland. Admission is about $12.20 (www.madurodam.nl/).

If you choose to return via the #8 line, you can stop at the grand Peace Palace. Built with money donated by Andrew Carnegie, this soaring building, reminiscent of the old parliaments of the Continent, holds the International Court of Justice and can be toured most days. Guided tour admission is $3.90 and must be booked in advance, 31(0)70-302-4242. For information on schedules, e-mail guidetours@planet.nl.

Day three

Back in town, art enthusiasts won't want to miss the Gemeentemuseum, renowned for its collection of paintings and drawings by Piet Mondrian. The artist's ultra-modern geometric works draw lovers of the contemporary from around the globe. The museum also has notable exhibits of the Dutch masters, Delft porcelain ware, a fabulous collection of antique clothing and musical instruments, as well as changing exhibits of import. Admission is $7.75. For a calendar of upcoming exhibits, visit www.gemeentemuseum.nl/.

Next door to the Gemeentemuseum is the Museon, a science museum where visitors interact with history and technology through audio and film. The most popular science museum in the Netherlands, it covers the spectrum from ancient history to modern computers. Admission is $11 (www.museon.nl/eindex.html).

Mesdag Museum on Laan van Meerdervoort 7f and Escher Museum at Het Paleis on the Lange Voorhout 74 near the American Embassy are also worth a visit. The Mesdag Museum (www.museummesdag.nl/) showcases many works by the great masters of Europe collected by painter H.W. Mesdag. A century later, his home is now the museum. Admission is $2.50. The Escher Museum at Het Paleis (www.escherinhetpaleis.nl/) is dedicated solely to the intricate linear works of Maurits Cornelis Escher. Admission is $8.30.

Sports enthusiasts should make a dash for De Uithof, an indoor and outdoor sporting facility. It offers go-carting, skating, climbing, skiing, and a health club. Details: deuithof.nl. And, finally, if you have enough energy, you'll find a horse race track called Duindigt just outside The Hague that holds races on summer afternoons (www.renbaanduindigt.nl/).

THE HAGUE: JUST THE FACTS

For general information: Visit www.denhaag.com before you go or, while in town, pick up The Hague or Guide for Visitors--The Hague in One, available at most local hotels.

Keeping in touch: Internet café 02 on the Grote Marktstraat 51, downtown near the Bijenkorf department store (www.o2.nl/ --that's the letter "o," not a zero).

For Melanie's pick of a great place to stay, see Secret Places.

Getting There

If you fly into the Netherlands via Schipol International Airport, the easiest way to get into The Hague is to take the 40- minute train ride. Purchase tickets inside the main hall of the airport. If you know your return dates, it's cheaper to buy a round-trip ticket. Most trains south to The Hague depart from track 4. When you board, make sure you're in the correct class. Your ticket will say first or second class. The cars of the train are clearly labeled on the outside with a 1 or 2 and a smoking or nonsmoking logo.

It's easy to catch a tram in front of The Hague's central station to just about any hotel in the city. Hotel Sofitel is actually connected to the train station. But do watch your wallet and purse--The Hague's train station can have just as many pickpockets as downtown Amsterdam.

April 2003