I love, love, love Zuiderpark in The Hague for the sheer amount of green space (105 hectares) and diversity of activities on offer.

So how did the first Dutch example of a public park end up in the Escamp district of The Hague? The original design of Zuiderpark dates from 1908, when renowned architect H.P. Berlage was tasked with the plan for the expansion of the city. In the interbellum a “job creation project” enabled the labour and Zuiderpark opened in 1936, albeit with many changes to the original design.

The core consists of a large pond and playing fields and around this are various areas including educational and sporting facilities, almost like little individual parks themselves.

One of the most recent additions to Zuiderpark is the architecturally impressive Sport Campus stadium. This location is used by schools and local sports teams and will host the 2020 Invictus Games from 9-16 May 2020. Other sports facilities include an indoor swimming pool, skate park (obligatory graffiti included), football pitches and a great circuit around the park that also perfectly suits joggers and roller-skaters.

For families there is also plenty of choice; a small farm, mini-golf, at least 3 playgrounds for different ages and the open-air theatre in the summer. There are at least two cafes that I know of and I definitely recommend Lunchroom Parkoers (closed on Monday) which serves breakfast, lunch or borrel (drinks in the afternoon).