The Netherlands / The Hague (best, places, train, people)

[fjtee]

I'm going to be in The Hague for a week starting on September 17. I have a guide book that I'm reading, but thought I'd solicit some opinions from real people. Given I only have a week and want to take advantage of the free hotel I have in The Hague, what should I do and where should I go other than my host city? I have a day trip planned to Amsterdam. I have thoughts of shooting down into Belgium, but that might be too much. Really want to see Bruges, but perhaps that should be best left for another trip. Thanks!

[sumisu]

Hi - I lived in The Netherlands for several years and know the area well. A trip into Amsterdam by train is very quick and easy. Other cool Dutch cities you may consider are Arnhem and Nijmegen. It's also very easy to travel by train to Belgium so you could easily travel there too. Antwerp is a very fun city too. It's a 4 hour train ride from Amsterdam to Paris, so much quicker to Belgium. Have fun!

[Nighthawk85]

Hi, I lived in The Netherlands for 23 years and for the past 4 years until moving to the US I lived in The Hague.

Some remarkable city's to visit are Amsterdam, Delft, Nijmegen, Maastricht and Utrecht (old city centers, great architecture and history).
Or if you are more into shopping, Rotterdam will do too.

When you are in The Hague, make sure you visit "Het Binnenhof" (seat of the government), "het Mauritshuis" (museum), Palace "Noordeinde", the beach "Scheveningen" and the large churches. Maybe a trip to miniturepark "Madurodam would be nice too.
If you get the chance, take an evening off and have a drink on "het plein" a square in the middle of the city with lots of sidewalk cafes.

There are many more places you can visit in the other cities, probably too much to see all in 1 week. Go to the VVV (tourist information center) and ask for guides to the cities. They will give you much information.