‘Go Dutch’ for art at The Hague

Art lovers have long flocked to the grand cities of Europe – Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, Madrid and Paris. But there’s another capital city, lesser known but stunningly beautiful, which should be on the radar of art tourists – The Hague.

Full of historical buildings, this government city is also home to the United Nations’ International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, making it one of the select group of major cities in the world to host the UN, along with New York, Geneva, Vienna and Addis Ababa.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands works at the Noordeinde Palace in the very heart of a pleasantly-sized city that has a population of about 500,000.

Almost all of the country’s foreign embassies and some 150 international organisations are also located in Den Haag, to use its Dutch name.

With all that, you would think it is a very serious, officialdom-loving place. Not a bit of it. Den Haag is relaxed and unpretentious.

Cyclists jaunt up and down its traffic-free shopping streets, tourists stroll along royal routes to visit favourite addresses of the king and queen, and on hot summer days, locals nip off after work to the golden beach resorts on the coast just ten minutes away.

There are so many fascinating sites here. Indeed, with the most attractions per square metre, The Hague is the Netherlands’ top attraction city – yes, above Amsterdam – and with nearly 112,000 hectares of gardens, and 70,000 trees lining its streets, it is also the greenest city in Europe.

Two of its must-see places are the Mauritshuis and Escher in het Paleis, and we visited one on one day, and one the next.

Housing a world-famous collection, the Mauritshuis is home to the very best of Dutch Golden Age painting with masterpieces such as The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp by Rembrandt and Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring. Seeing this beautiful work close up, it’s only then that you realise the girl with the beautiful complexion has no eyebrows.

The Mauritshuis has been cleverly extended with a shop and spacious walkway underneath a street to its café.

Escher in het Palais displays a permanent exhibition of the famous, phantasmagorical visions of artist M.C. Escher and is housed in the former winter palace of Queen Mother Emma, a stunning building in itself.

Nearly all of Escher’s works are on view, with the seven-metre-long Metamorphosis III which forms probably the jewel in the crown.

The Hague is a very pleasant city to walk around, with no shortage of restaurants.

Dutch pancakes are famous, of course, but if you fancy the high life, try The Penthouse, which is located on the top floor of The Hague Tower and, at 135 metres, is the highest restaurant in the Netherlands, so boasts spectacular views On one of our two days in the city, we had dinner here in the Sky Bar restaurant where, as well as a fine entree of a selection of lamb, my starter of mustard soup, a traditional Dutch dish and recommended to us, was sensational, the baby pickled onions in the soup combining fabulously with the mustard for a sweet and sour tang.

And if you venture to the sea, which is, after all, just a few minutes away, try Catch by Simonis, located right next to the waterfront in the Tweede Binnenhaven. A variety of fresh fish is on offer, and on our second day we had a very pleasant lunch here.

The Hague is very easy to get to, just half an hour on the train from Schipol Airport. It’s a city that has a lot going for it.

* Jon Murray was this month awarded second prize in the Germany Travel Writers Awards.

THE FACTS
Jon travelled to The Hague as a guest of the Netherlands Tourist Board.
* For more on the Netherlands Visit holland.com
* See the Girl with the Pearl Earring at Mauritshuis. mauritshuis.nl
*The Escher Museum, Escher in het Paleis, is at Lange Voorhout Palace. escherinhetpaleis.nl 
* Stay: Carlton Ambassador Hotel is in the centre. carlton/nl
* Eat: Catch by Simonis, Doctor Lelykade 43. catch-bysimonis.nl