Experience the regal manners of the Dutch capital on a private 2-hour walking tour of The Hague, and see royal palaces and handsome administrative buildings with long and interesting histories. From the old hunting residence of the Counts of Holland, built by Count Floris IV in 1230, The Hague has developed over the centuries from a wealthy village (called the most beautiful and richest in Europe by the 16th-century Italian travel writer Lodovico Guicciardini) to a place of grandeur and the seat of the Dutch government and parliament. As you explore the sights, including the historic Binnenhof complex of buildings built in the 13th century, learn the hidden history of the city. Hear how Emperor Charles V gave the command to plant 4 rows of lime trees in the Voorhout, and learn about the dramatic decapitation of Van Oldenbarnevelt, as well as the assassination of the De Witt brothers. Along the route you will pass a series of former and current royal palaces, including the Noordeinde Palace, the “working palace” for the present King Willem-Alexander.