Samuel Pepys, an official of the English Admiralty, visited The Hague on May 14, 1660, finding it a neat and exceptionally clean city. He documented his experiences, offering a glimpse into the social customs and prominent figures of the time.

Pepys arrived in The Hague after waking up with the coast in sight. He encountered Dutchmen renting sloops and observed gentlemen going ashore to pay respects to the Queen of Bohemia, aunt of King Charles II. Attempts were also made to greet the Prince of Orange, the young William III, though rough weather made landing difficult.

During his time there, Pepys described the land between Scheveningen and The Hague as a sand plain. He shared a diligence with fashionable girls who were accompanied by jokers, noting their merry singing and affectionate behavior. Pepys entertained them with his flute but lost his rapier stick, which was later recovered by his cabin boy with a broken scabbard.

Later that day, he strolled around the city and found the houses exceptionally clean. He sought to see the Prince of Orange, finally gaining access to him at 10 p.m. Pepys observed that the prince’s court was sober but neat and found the prince himself to be a handsome boy.

Dorothy Wordsworth, an English poet and writer, recounts her travels through the Netherlands in her journals, including a visit to Dordrecht on May 23, 1823. She describes her impressions of the city’s landmarks and waterways.

Wordsworth’s party arrived in Dordrecht by steamboat after departing from Antwerp by mail coach and crossing the Bies Bosch. She expressed great satisfaction with their two-day stay in the city.

Among the highlights of her visit was the cathedral, where she admired paintings by Rubens and was moved by the organ’s powerful performance. She also visited the Sint-Jacobskerk, which housed the Rubens family tomb and a painting by the master himself.

Wordsworth also climbed the tower, built in 1626, and enjoyed panoramic views of the town hall, stock exchange, winding streets, trees, and rivers. She noted the cool, tree-lined footpaths and observed the network of five waterways flowing into the country from different sides of the city.