Zoetermeer is one of the Netherlands' youngest cities, a planned new town that grew from a small village of a few thousand into a city of 125,000 in just a few decades. Situated between The Hague and Gouda, it was built to absorb the post-war housing demand of the Randstad, and it shows — the architecture is modern, the infrastructure is efficient, and the green spaces are generous. It is not the kind of place that makes it onto tourist itineraries, but if you find yourself here, it has its charms.
The city is organized around a series of neighbourhoods, each with its own character, connected by an efficient tram line to The Hague's central station. The Stadshart shopping centre is the commercial heart. Snowworld, an indoor ski slope, draws visitors from across the region and remains one of the largest indoor snow facilities in Europe — a peculiarly Dutch solution to the absence of mountains. The Nationaal Videogame Museum is unexpectedly absorbing, with thousands of playable exhibits across five decades of gaming history. For a day out, the Buytenpark offers walking trails and a petting zoo, while the city's many cycling paths make it easy to reach the surrounding polders and green areas that are quintessentially Dutch.