The Hague

The Hague is home. This is where my parents live, this is where my family is from, and this is my favourite city (but I am biased). This is where the international court of law is, where Dutch Parliament is (pictured here) and there is some great museums and of course, the beach!

Best Tourist Spots:

The Beach - Scheveningen has been ingrained in my brain as the ultimate beach since I was a kid, it’s huge with amazing beach clubs to have a drink or a bite to eat and you can walk along the coastline for hours. My recommendation is to go to the area of Zwarte Pad, arrive early in the morning (like 9am) plant yourself at a beach club (Indigo is my favourite) and you can lay on their beds for free if you order something! Get yourself a coffee and stay there all day and have incredible drinks, lunches etc. served to you the entire day. It’s literally the dream.

Madurodam - even fun for the adults, BUT anyone who brings kids on this trip I won’t let them leave without going here. This has been my favourite since I was a small child. You get to see the country in minature form in a big park and every piece of it moves, trains, planes, automobiles. It makes you feel like a kid again. They’ve also added a new area which is inspired by the works of Van Gogh, Rembrandt etc.

Mauritshuis - this is where you can see the original real painting of the girl with the pearl earring. Amongst other art pieces. This is the building pictured here to the left of the parliament buildings.

Panorama Mesdag - a 360 painting of the beach. Mesdag's panorama is one of the few remaining examples, and the oldest panorama in the world still in its original location. The Panorama opened on 1 August 1881.

The Peace Palace - don’t bother going inside, it’s such a boring tour, but at night when its lit up with the beautiful garden in the front it’s definitely worth a photo!

Walk Around - (as within every city) but there is such beautiful sights to see such as Piet Heinstraat (cute shops, bakeries, food), Noordeinde (the palace), De Passage (unique covered shopping area), Grote Markt (go get drinks here! it’s a must!), Lange Voorhout (my favourite view in the trees), & China Town (there is only one here and in Rotterdam really, so it’s worth it!) & the Denneweg.

In general I find The Hague has such cute coffeeshops, book shops, boutique shopping down outside of the main shopping street. Pop in everywhere you see and just browse around. There is so much to be discovered here. Most of what is best to see, is what is around you.

Best Food:

Nice Restaurants

  • Vincenzo’s - My favourite italian in Den Haag. There is two locations where you get home made pizza’s.

  • Little V - the best vietnamese food i’ve had outside of Vietnam. The location inside is adorable and the food can’t be beat in any other city.

  • Walter Benedict - brunch here is the best! It’s small, cute, and boutiquey.

  • Jamey Bennett - great location, right by the parliament buildings. It’s on a nice square where you can get a great cocktail, snacks and people watch.

  • CottonTree City - this is my parents favourite restaurant. It’s a french bistro with the best view of the Lange Voorhout. They have a small menu with the best steak tartare, wine & french speciality foods.

  • Bleyenburg - Not my favourite price wise (I find it a tiny overpriced) BUT they have a super nice rooftop bar that you don’t get those views often in these old cities.

Quick Bites

  • Day Dream Deli - if you want a taste of home (canadians) this has american style burgers & food. They even have montreal smoked meat sandwiches. During covid my cousin and I would take special weekend walks to here to get out of the house for somethign special.

  • Not a place - but you are near the beach. Anytime you see a fish stand, order kibbeling. That’s breaded fish with garlic sauce which is the classic staple. I won’t force you to try herring but also a good local choice.

  • Bartine - this is a bakery near my parents house and every weekend there is a line out the door for their croissants and sausage rolls. Go over to Piet Heinstraat and give it a try. It’s worth it.

I mentioned it above but make sure you stop and have a drink at Grote Markt. This is classic typical Den Haag. When you live there, there isn’t a month where you don’t end up there at least once for a drink. There are so many tables, umbrellas and endless spots to sit and have a beer on the terrace. It’s such a fun communal place to gather and enjoy the sun especially in the summer. It’s right amongst all the shopping, you can’t miss it.

Places to Stay

There are many places at different price points. I have just added some I know from experience are a safe bet I thought I would share for inspiration. There is thousands to choose from though so please do your research on what works best for your price point!

This hotel (Hotel Indigo) I actually used for a large Netflix event (La Casa de Papel / Money Heist) and fell in love with it. The location is so cool and the hidden bar in the basement is my favourite.

The Collector hotel is newer and my parents have fallen in love with it. I have only seen photos and heard amazing things so I think it’s an easy win of a choice! And you can’t beat this location.

Airbnb. Check here, get a house near the beach or in the city center. This city has a great transit system so I would say this could be a great option. If you have a link you want me to check location wise send it my way happy to do so!

Voco is the sister hotel of Indigo and they are right around the corner from one another. Great location, nice big rooms.

To be clear, there are so many hotels in this city and many you can get for even cheaper. I just wanted to give you a good variety that if you are going to spend money on this these are ones I know you won’t be dissapointed. Don’t be afraid to check AirBnb (especially since there are so many of you, team up and rent a bigger space) and the best site Booking.com as that was born in Amsterdam they always have the best stuff in my opinion.

If you want me to check where the hotel you like is located & if it is a good place, let me know and I’m happy to take a look!

Just outside of the city day trip.

There are 2 places I always tell people they must see when in this part of the country:

Delft - This is like teeny Amsterdam in my opinion. It has rich history, tiny streets and canals without the tourism. It’s a student city with lots of great food, shopping and amazing churches with lots of history to read inside.

Gouda- This is the literal place where the cheese is from. As a kid my grandparents lived here for a while and I fell in love with the city center, the square, the markets, the history. It’s worth walking around for an afternoon. (and tasting cheese obviously)

Both are a super easy train ride away.

Getting to Den Haag from Schiphol Airport

The best way to get to the city from the airport is by train. I know it sounds overwhelming not knowing this country but I kid you not the train station is in the main concourse of the airport. The second you get to the main area you will see ticket machines and little escalators taking you underneath to the train platforms. If you follow a sign that says Den Haag Centraal you get one one train, likely 3 or 4 stops. Make sure you take the ‘Intercity’' not a ‘Sprinter’. Both will get you there, but the sprinter is very slow as it stops everywhere. This journey will take you only 30 minutes. In Den Haag you can also then take an uber or trams and busses. The city is super well covered with transit.

Good to note - all public transit now accepts debit/credit cards. So you can tap your visa or mastercard and it should work without needing a special travel card for all trains, trams & bus travel.

Of course taxi is always an option it’s in the front of the building once you exit. However on average you will pay at least 150 euros for a taxi into the center depending on where your hotel is. Of course if you are with a group of people then it becomes cheaper and easier than the train but if you are solo or just with 2 I advise the train as it is also faster.

Uber is much cheaper, follow the signs for ‘Ride Share Pick Up’ and it’s a special area. Super easy to find, this will be cheaper than taxi but the train is still the fastest option.