The Royal Palace of the Hague, also serving as the monarch’s workplace, may not be as exuberant as its counterpart in Amsterdam, but it is an impressive city centrepiece nonetheless. Built as a farmhouse in 1533, it was reformed and repurposed several times over the years, accommodating such pivotal historical figures as Voltaire and notable monarchs such as King Willem I until its most recent extensions in 1984, which have turned it into a working palace, where political and state affairs take place daily. The palace gardens are open to the public throughout the day and make a nice spot for a picnic, where anyone can enjoy the ponds, flowerbeds and marble statues with views of the royal stables, archives and the Dome of Fagel. Look out for the hidden corridors leading to the Old Hague District in one of the corners of the gardens.

This giant panoramic work of art spans forty metres in circumference and reaches fourteen metres in height, capturing the small fishing village of Scheveningen as it was in the late nineteenth century in a cyclorama. It creates the illusion that the observer is atop a large sand dune looking down upon the village, an illusion which is complemented by the foreground within the artwork that is made up of artificial terrain. The museum is dedicated to the single work of art from Hendrik Willem Mesdag and there are lots of ways to experience it including a guided tour, lectures and even children’s treasure hunts.

São Paulo was founded by Jesuits José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbrega on this site in 1554. The church dates from 300 years later but was built in the same style as the original Jesuit chapel. There are regular exhibits devoted to colonial history and sacred artefacts.