The Hague is where the Dutch government sits, but not where the capital is, which is a characteristic Dutch compromise. Amsterdam is the capital, but the parliament, the ministries, the royal working palace and the embassies are all here, and the city has an air of quiet formality. The Binnenhof, a cluster of medieval buildings around a courtyard, is the centre of Dutch politics, and the Mauritshuis next door holds Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring and some of the finest Dutch paintings in the world. Close by, the Peace Palace, a vast, fairy-tale neo-Gothic building finished in 1913, houses the International Court of Justice. The city has long been the seat of international law.
Scheveningen, the seaside district, is the other face of The Hague. A broad beach, a pier with a Ferris wheel, a boulevard of cafes and a harbour of fishing boats form a popular resort, and on sunny weekends the whole city seems to go there. The sand is wide and pale, and the dunes behind it make a nature reserve for walkers and cyclists. In the dunes, the road runs past old bunkers from the Atlantic Wall, built by the Germans during the occupation, and the coast to the north is dotted with such remains.
For a rider, the day ahead leads to the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam, a brilliant piece of 1920s modernism built for a coffee, tea and tobacco firm. Its glass walls and rounded corners were meant to bring light and fresh air to the workers, and it is on the UNESCO list. The road between the cities runs through a belt of greenhouses, which glitter in the sun, and past the old centres of Delft and Schiedam. Delft is worth the detour, a small canal town of blue-and-white pottery, and a good place for coffee.
The Hague has plenty of fuel and food, and good Indonesian restaurants, a legacy of the colonial past. Traffic is moderate, with tram lines to watch and cyclists in every direction. Speed enforcement is strict, so keep to the limits. The best time is spring or early autumn.