Throughout the ages, ‘Het Binnenhof’ in The Hague has always been the centre of politics in the Netherlands, the place where affairs of state were discussed. The Binnenhof is a complex of buildings in The Hague. It has been the location of meetings of the Staten-Generaal, the Dutch parliament, since 1446, and has been the centre of Dutch politics for many centuries. The grounds on which the Binnenhof now stands were purchased by Count Floris IV of Holland in 1229, where he built his mansion, next to the little lake that has been called Hofvijver or 'Court Pond' since the 13th century. More buildings were constructed around the court, several of which are well known in their own right, such as the Ridderzaal where the queen holds her annual speech at Prinsjesdag. One of the towers, simply known as het Torentje ('the Little Tower'; directly next to the Mauritshuis museum) has been the office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1982. This 'Inner Court' is studded with monumental old buildings testifying of eight centuries of governing in the Low Countries, but it also has several ample open spaces, all freely open to the public. A gilt neogothic fountain adorns the main square and one of the few Dutch equestrian statues (of King William II) guards the main Stadtholder's Gate, that dates from around 1600. A large modern building at the south side of the Binnenhof since 1992 houses the House of Representatives, the lower but more important of the Dutch democratically elected Houses of parliament.

The Museum Beelden aan zee is the only dutch museum that focuses solely on sculptures. You will find modern, international post world war 2 sculptures. Inside the museum, they rotate the exhibits 3 times per year, focusing on a theme or a person.

The Museon explains the story of man and his world in the form of words, photo’s, film and sound. Beside temporary exhibitions, the Museon presents the permanent exhibition “Jouw wereld, mijn wereld” (Your world, my world). From communication and computers, distant peoples and cultures, the environment and the development of man, to agricultural tools and rock formations, science and technology, our solar system with its planets. Please touch! Many exhibits in the Museon are interactive. You can discover the exhibition by watching, listening, smelling, pushing buttons and playing games. Children aged 6 to 12 can visit the creative corner every Wednesday and Sunday between 12.30 and 16.30 hours. During school holidays the creative corner is opened daily (except Saturdays). Every Tuesday afternoon you can attend a lecture dealing with a subject related to the Museon.

At the Escher museum, you can witness water flowing uphill, watch as birds transform into fish and watch drawings of reptiles crawl from paper to desk and back. All these wonders can be witnessed at Escher in Het Paleis on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague. This is the new centre that houses a huge collection of prints and drawings by the world famous Dutch artist, M.C Escher. It also has fascinating explanatory programmes and a host of old family photos, drawings and design sketches that help bring Escher’s work even more vividly alive. You may not think you know any of Eschers work, but once you see them you’ll realize that these masterpieces have come across your eye before. Escher in Het Paleis is certainly the place to see the originals of famous works like Belvédère, Ascending and Descending, Day and Night and parts of the Metamorphosis series. But don't miss the other interesting exhibits, like the less well-known bookplates, wrapping paper designs for major stores, a New Years greeting from friends and early self-portraits.

The Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis is housed in one of Holland's most outstanding classicist buildings. Its location next to the Binnenhof on the Hofvijver pond, its intimate character and the exceptional quality of its collection make the Mauritshuis a favourite destination for its many visitors. The Mauritshuis is mostly celebrated for its world famous collection of Dutch masterpieces from the 17th century. Paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jan Steen, Frans Hals, Potter, Ruisdael and numerous other masters from the Golden Age form the core of the collection, which also features paintings from the Flemish 16th and 17th century, and works by Rubens, Van Dijck and Jordeans.

GEM is one of the Netherlands’ leading, if not the best museum for contemporary art and its exhibition area of 2000 m2 also makes it one of the largest. GEM offers a lively, representative impression of developments in modern art. The wide variety of exhibitions supplemented with activities such as lectures and discussions, as well as the restaurant which is open until midnight, make each visit to GEM an inspiring experience. GEM displays a large variety of disciplines: (video) installations, paintings and sculptures, multimedia, performance, film, photography, design, digital art and drawings. Works by artists from The Hague, other parts of the Netherlands and abroad are always on display at the same time. Solo exhibitions alternate with group exhibitions which shed light on new trends in contemporary art.

The Gemeentemuseum is world-renowned for its devoted collection of the most famous Dutch painter of the 20th century, Piet Mondriaan. An entire section of the museum is permanently devoted to his first works as well as his last, ‘Victory Boogie Woogie’. Another section of the museum displays the work of The Hague School and the ‘Treasure Rooms’ contain highlights from the various museum collections such as paintings by Picasso, Kandinsky, Toorop,Willink and Appel and the fantastic dollhouse from 1743. At the basement level of the museum you will find the Fashion and Musical Instruments Departments. In addition to its permanent displays, the museum organizes various interesting exhibitions each year.

The Museum of Photography in The Hague hosts at least four topical and refreshing exhibitions each year, featuring both established names and new talents. The museum works with the Print Collection of Leiden University which owns one of Europe’s largest and most important collections of historical photographs.