This city guide for The Hague has my top tips and impressions through the eyes of a foreigner of a cute Dutch town that has something to offer in every season. The Hague is a rather quiet city with a small historic centre and a lot of green spots. As a bonus, the North Sea is close. It is a great destination for international visitors as Dutch people generally speak good English and they do especially in The Hague thanks to the presence of embassies and the International Court of Justice.
Born and raised in Belgium, I grew up with gentle mockery in relation to neighbouring The Netherlands and the Dutch culture. When I moved to Rotterdam and later The Hague for my job, this was met with raised eyebrows and similar mockery. I ended up living and working in The Hague for almost three years and honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I don’t live there anymore, I still travel to The Hague regularly for my job. Over time I have only come to appreciate it more and, moreover, I’ve collected lots of tips for where to eat, sleep and shop and what to do when you visit The Hague.
EAT
The choice of restaurants in The Hague is endless and if you have special dietary requirements, you can rest assured that you will find something that suits you. Dining in The Hague is not cheap compared to the less travelled Dutch towns, but all in all The Netherlands is an affordable place when it comes to food and drinks. Here are my favourites, selected after almost 10 years of regular dining in The Hague. They are all located in the city centre, with the exception of the beach clubs in Scheveningen.
- Tavern De Resident is an iconic place and well-known for its quality meat. The signature dish is spareribs and they are so good that it would be rude to ask for anything else.
- A recent discovery that I immediately loved is Tapasbar Triana. Find a table upstairs in this little restaurant and enjoy the large menu of hot and cold tapas. I found the portions pretty sizable and usually pick 5 – 6 items off the menu for two people.
- If you fancy a good steak, go to Los Argentinos. This place is reasonably priced, the service is quite and can be slightly rude to some (Dutch directness hey), but that doesn’t downgrade the quality of the meat.
- Little V is the only place in The Hague where you need to book a table several days ahead, also on weekdays. It’s a relaxed Vietnamese restaurant that has both indoors and outdoors seating and staff will happily adjust dishes to your dietary requirements.
- Italian restaurants are easy to find in The Hague and they are usually a safe option. If you want to try on that really stands out though, go to Vino & Cucina. The daily menu is always surprising and I have never been disappointed.
- Given the proximity of the sea, eating fish is almost mandatory in The Hague. Zee op Tafel (ZOT) is in the first place a fish shop, but they have a small number of tables too. There is an a la carte menu, but you can also pick a fish in the shop counter and they will cook it for you.
- Another mandatory stop for food is Scheveningen, the beach town right next to The Hague. The choice of beach clubs serving mussels and other classics is large, but my favourites are Blue Lagoon on the main promenade and DOEN at the harbour.
Tipping is not the norm in The Netherlands and staff generally don’t expect them, but if you are genuinely happy about the food and service, rounding up the bill with a few euros will be appreciated.
DRINK
The choice of bars and places to just enjoy a drink is equally large. The place to be for cafés, especially on nice summer evenings is Plein (“Square”) in the city centre. The entire square is lined with bars with indoors and outdoors seating. It gets very busy and may have to stand.
Here are a few more specific recommendations:
- Jamey Bennett is a hip and cosy gin bar that also serves small dishes. The interior looks like an old-fashioned sitting room.
- Sherlock Holmes is an old school pub where you can sample Dutch and international beers and blend with both locals and expats.
- Des Indes is one of the poshest hotels in town, situated in an iconic building. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, go in to enjoy the legendary High Tea and admire the interior.
- Barista Café is a great place for coffee lovers located in a classic townhouse. They are also open for breakfast and have a great selection of cakes.
SLEEP
There are lots of hotels in The Hague, but they fill up surprisingly fast, both with tourists and business travellers. I recommend to book in advance.
- Carlton Ambassador is my personal favorite. It is located in the heart of The Hague at walking distance from all points of interest. The hotel is situated in a beautiful old villa and the rooms are charming. They also have a good restaurant.
- Carlton Beach is part of the same chain as Ambassador, but it is slightly more run down. That said, its location right next to the beach in Scheveningen is perfect and it is still a very nice hotel.
- Babylon is located right next to the central station, which makes it very convenient if you are using public transport. The look of the hotel is not particularly special, but their award-winning beds make it worth spending the night there.
- Mozaic is a small boutique hotel in the Embassy quarter. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful. This hotel is perfect if you are looking for small scale and a more personal experience.
In and around the city centre you will also find all the usual chains like Novotel and Holiday Inn as well as more independent hotels and B&Bs. There is always a deal on booking.com if you are looking for the best value.
DO
There are plenty of activities for visitors to The Hague. Here are my personal favorites. If you have limited time or prefer a more structured visit, you might want to consider a walking tour.
- Take a walk around the city centre to admire the Dutch architecture and the government services located in the beautiful Hofvijver area.
- Visit some of the city’s nice museums. The Mauritshuis is famous and holds and excellent collection of paintings. Also worth visiting is the Gemeentemuseum (municipality museum) is you want to discover less famous Dutch artist from all eras.
- View the Panorama Mesdag, which is in my opinion one of the most special attractions in The Hague. It is essentially a 360 degrees panorama painting depicting Scheveningen in the 1900s. It is amazingly more than 14 metres high and I had never seen anything like it.
- Go to Madurodam. This miniature park houses tiny replicas of famous Dutch landmarks and will give you a good overview of what The Netherlands has to offer. Located between the city centre and Scheveningen, it is within easy reach.
- Stroll around Clingendael park and enjoy a drink in the tearoom located in the park. There are several walking paths to follow and the Japanese garden embedded in the park is famous.
- Take the tram from the city centre to Scheveningen and the beach for a stroll along the dike and the pier. Swimming is allowed on several parts of the beach (there is even a nude beach just north of Scheveningen).
- The dunes in Scheveningen offer many opportunities for walking. A nice option is to walk to Boerderij Meijendel and enjoy a pancake on the terrace or inside the old farmhouse.
- If you want to cover more distance, hire a bike and cycle along the Scheveningen dike and through the dunes. There are dedicated paths for cyclists that you can follow for kilometres. Just remember it is always windy!
SHOP
The Hague is great for shopping. You will find the main shopping streets with all the retail stores around Spui area (this is also a tram stop). Definitely take a look at Bijenkorf (“Beehive”), The Netherlands’ most famous department store.
Around the Lange Voorhout area, you will find many antique stores and second-hand stores with all sorts of trinkets. On weekends, a large antique market takes place in this area.
If you like markets, the Haagse Markt claims to be one of the largest of Europe. It is open four days a week, Saturday being the busiest, and you will find everything you can imagine, from vegetables to washing machines. The tram will easily take you there from the city centre
GETTING AROUND
There is an excellent tram network that will take you all around The Hague and to Scheveningen. You can buy tickets on the tram, but if you are staying for a few days and want to be able to hop on and off as you please, buy a “OV chipkaart” at the Central Station. I will cost you 3 euros (refundable when you return the card) and you can top it up as you need at several locations.
If you don’t mind a walk, the Hague is a relatively small town that can be easily explored on foot. If you really want to go local, cycle! From the central station you can hire bikes and many hotels (amongst other the Carlton Beach) will rent them out as well. Like everywhere in The Netherlands, there are good cycling paths and motorists are generally attentive to cyclists.
WHERE NEXT?
Public transport in The Netherlands is very good and The Hague is well-connected by train for day trips or onward travel. You can find all timetables and buy tickets via the Dutch Railways website (NS.nl).
The usual suspects are Rotterdam (20 mins by train) and Amsterdam (1h by train). Less well-known, but within easy reach are Delft (20 mins by train) and university town Leiden (30 mins by train). If you are looking for more offbeat consider Haarlem or Utrecht.
