2 Best Sights in The Hague, Netherlands

Originally a gatehouse to the local duke's castle, Gevangenpoort was converted to a prison around 1420. In 1882, it opened in its current incarnation as both a monument to its own past and a museum to apparatuses of punishment. After a slide presentation, the guided tour will take you through the torture chamber, the women's section, and the area where the rich were once imprisoned. If you're drawn to the macabre, the Gevangenpoort Museum offers a fascinating, if chilling, experience, showcasing enough instruments of inhumanity to satisfy any criminologist (not recommended for smaller children). The museum shares an entrance with the adjacent Galerie Prins Willem V, making it easy to combine a visit to both.

One of the series of museums that encircle the Hofvijver lake, the Historical Museum is in the Sebastiaansdoelen, a magnificent Classical-Baroque mansion dating to 1636. Worthy of a visit in itself, the mansion houses collections that offer an in-depth look at The Hague's past. Treasures include Jan van Goyen's enormous 17th-century panoramic painting of the city, a collection of medieval church silver, and a dollhouse from 1910. The idyllic views out the windows over the Hofvijver lake and the greensward of the Lange Voorhout are good for the soul.