Tuesday, August 26, 2014

The Hague, Scheveningen and Madurodam

I had a brief preview of The Hague when the tour I joined last time passed by this city. I was enchanted by this beautiful city and vowed to come back again in the future on my own free time and schedule. The Hague (Den Haag in Dutch) is the capital of justice where the Palace of Justice housing the International Court of Justice, Court of Arbitration and many other international courts are located. While Amsterdam enchants visitors with its canals, red light district and "coffee shops", The Hague has its own charms and flavours. This beautiful city is very much laid back with wide streets and avenues, big parks, and nice buildings. Of course it is also home to one of the most beautiful beach in Holland, the Scheveningen area. This beach resort cum casino area reminds me of the Gold Coast of Australia. In the middle between the city and beach is the big natural park and Madurodam; where the whole of Netherlands has been miniaturized so visitors can see the whole country in just one day.

Starting off from Amsterdam central train station, you can buy a day return train ticket for just 21.40. It is a direct train from Amsterdam to The Hague. Journey time takes about 50 minutes. You will alight at the last stop which is The Hague Central Train station. The train station is in the city so you can just walk around the city right after you get off the train. I suggest you start off from the Tourist Information at the main library which is only about 300m from the train station. You can get detailed map of the city and suggestions of places of interest by the friendly staffs. While the city is not too big and walkable, you should buy a day tram ticket from the Tourist Information if you plan to explore further till the Palace of Justice, Scheveningen and Madurodam. It only costs 7.70 and you can go anywhere you like on any trams and buses.

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