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    Den Haag

    Netherlands

    Den Haag

    CityCultureBeach

    The Hague is the Netherlands' seat of government and parliament, royal residence, and a city by the sea: The seaside resort of Scheveningen, with its historic Kurhaus, is part of the city.

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    9. Den Haag
    The Hague is the Netherlands' seat of government and parliament, royal residence, and a city by the sea: The seaside resort of Scheveningen, with its historic Kurhaus, is part of the city. Visitors come for the medieval Binnenhof, for Vermeer and Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis, and for the miniature city of Madurodam.The city, with around 566,000 inhabitants, is capital of Zuid-Holland province; its center lies about six kilometers from the North Sea. As seat of the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague is also a center for international law.
    Den Haag has approximately 566,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the province of Zuid-Holland. The Dutch government and parliament are located here, and the Royal House has resided in the city since 1831 – yet Amsterdam remains the country's capital. The city center is about six kilometers from the North Sea; the districts of Kijkduin and Scheveningen, a seaside resort with a beach, pier, and fishing harbor, border directly on the sea. HTM trams and buses connect the two railway stations, Den Haag Centraal and Hollands Spoor, with the city center and the beach. You can reach the most important museums around Binnenhof and Hofvijver on foot.

    Sights in Den Haag

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Binnenhof
    Castle

    1Binnenhof

    The medieval building complex in the centre has been the meeting place of the Dutch Parliament since 1446. Its focal point is the 13th-century Ridderzaal, where the King delivers the Speech from the Throne on Prinsjesdag. Since 2021, the Binnenhof has been undergoing extensive renovation; the work is expected to last until summer 2031. From the outside, you can best see the complex from the bank of the Hofvijver.
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    Mauritshuis
    Museum

    2Mauritshuis

    The aristocratic palace, located directly next to the Binnenhof, was built between 1633 and 1644 according to designs by Jacob van Campen and Pieter Post, and has been a museum since 1822. The collection includes hundreds of Dutch paintings, among them Vermeer’s 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', Rembrandt’s 'Anatomy of Dr. Tulp', and Carel Fabritius’ 'The Goldfinch'.
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    Peace Palace (Vredespaleis)
    Museum

    3Peace Palace (Vredespaleis)

    The palace, built between 1907 and 1913 in Neo-Renaissance style, is home to the International Court of Justice and the Hague Academy of International Law. For visitors, there is a visitor centre; the grounds include gardens and a library.
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    Art Museum The Hague
    Museum

    4Art Museum The Hague

    The museum in an Art Deco building features 19th and 20th-century art, plus modern and contemporary works. It holds the world's largest collection of Piet Mondrian's works.
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    Panorama Mesdag
    Museum

    5Panorama Mesdag

    Painter Hendrik Willem Mesdag created the panorama in 1881. On an approximately 120-meter-long canvas, it depicts a 19th-century beach panorama.
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    Escher in Het Paleis
    Museum

    6Escher in Het Paleis

    The museum displays the graphics by M. C. Escher with their impossible perspectives and pattern sequences. It is housed in the former Winter Palace of Queen Mother Emma.
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    Restaurants in Den Haag

    1

    Takumi The Hague Herengracht

    Japanese Ramen restaurant on the Herengracht, a short walk from the Mauritshuis.
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    2

    Kaafi

    Cafe for specialty coffees, breakfast and brunch on Prinsestraat, with vegetarian options.
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    3

    Reef Al Yemen

    Restaurant with Yemeni and Middle Eastern cuisine on Stationsweg, between Hollands Spoor Station and the center.
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    Politics, Art and Sea

    City of Government and LawThe Binnenhof has hosted Parliament since 1446. Each year on the third Tuesday of September, Prinsjesdag, the King opens the parliamentary year in the Ridderzaal with the Speech from the Throne. Due to the renovation of the Binnenhof, expected to last until summer 2031, members of parliament relocated in 2021. Internationally, The Hague is known as the seat of the International Court of Justice in the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court, and Europol.MuseumsMauritshuis: Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and Rembrandt's "Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp".Kunstmuseum Den Haag: The world's largest Mondrian collection.Panorama Mesdag: A panoramic painting from 1881.Escher in Het Paleis: Graphics by M. C. Escher in the former palace of Queen Mother Emma.Museum Beelden aan Zee: Modern sculptures in Scheveningen.ScheveningenThis fishing village grew into the largest seaside resort in the Netherlands. Along the beach promenade, shops, restaurants, and terraces line up; dune areas adjoin to the north and south.

    Nightlife

    1

    Huppel The Pub

    Pub in Oude Molstraat in the Old Town, not far from Noordeinde Palace.
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    2

    JAZZ Coffee & Wines

    Wine bar with live music on Noordeinde Street.
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    3

    O'Casey's Irish Pub

    Irish Pub with a restaurant on Noordeinde street.
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    Traveling in Den Haag

    Tram and BusOperator: HTM operates trams and buses throughout the city.Payment: You can check in and out using a contactless bank card, credit card, or smartphone (OVpay). HTM also offers day tickets and 3-day tickets for unlimited travel, available in the HTM app and at service points.To the Beach: From Hollands Spoor Station, Tram 9 goes to Scheveningen Noord; in summer, the Beach Express 9S also runs. The journey takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Bus 26 takes about 35 minutes to Kijkduin.Getting ThereTrain: The city has two main train stations: Den Haag Centraal and Hollands Spoor.Metro from Rotterdam: Rotterdam's Metro Line E runs to Den Haag.Bike: You can rent OV-bikes at Hollands Spoor Station.

    Accommodations in Den Haag

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    Campgrounds in Den Haag

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    Nearby

    Delft

    Delft

    Delft is located between The Hague and Rotterdam and is known for three things: its blue and white Delft Blue pottery, the painter Jan Vermeer, and the history of the House of Orange. William of Orange was assassinated here in 1584; the royal family's burial place is located in the Nieuwe Kerk on the market square.The city has a population of around 110,000 and is home to a Technical University. Its center, with canals, the 1620 City Hall, and the Oude Kerk with its leaning tower, can be easily explored on foot.
    South Holland

    South Holland

    South Holland is the most densely populated province of the Netherlands, uniting two very different major cities: the port city of Rotterdam and the seat of government, The Hague. In between lie the historic centers of Leiden, Delft, Gouda, Dordrecht, and Schiedam.Along the North Sea coast, behind the dunes, are seaside resorts such as Katwijk and Noordwijk. Southeast of Rotterdam stand the windmills of Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the south of the province, bridges and dams connect the islands of the Rhine Delta.
    Leiden

    Leiden

    Leiden is the oldest university city in the Netherlands and Rembrandt's birthplace – a canal city on the Oude Rijn with an unusual density of museums. In the Hortus Botanicus of the university, founded in 1575, the first tulips bloomed on Dutch soil in 1594.The city, with around 130,000 inhabitants, is located approximately 18 kilometers northeast of The Hague and 45 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam. Every year on October 3, it celebrates the end of the Spanish siege of 1574, traditionally with the carrot stew Hutspot.
    Rotterdam

    Rotterdam

    Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands, home to Europe's largest seaport, and the destination for all seeking modern architecture. Because a German air raid on May 14, 1940, almost completely destroyed the city center, the core was rebuilt after the war – with structures like Piet Blom's Cube Houses, the Markthal, and the Erasmus Bridge.The city, with around 671,000 residents, is located in Zuid-Holland province within the Rhine-Meuse Delta. The Nieuwe Maas divides it into northern and southern parts; on the south bank, the former port area Kop van Zuid has grown into a district with skyscrapers, museums, and hotels.
    Lisse & Keukenhof

    Lisse & Keukenhof

    Keukenhof near Lisse is the most famous flower park in the Netherlands: Every spring, 32 hectares bloom with around seven million hand-planted flower bulbs, including 4.5 million tulips in 100 varieties. It is open only eight weeks a year – during this time, around 1.4 million visitors arrive, about 80 percent of them from abroad.The park was established in 1949 as a spring flower show for bulb growers. Its name, 'Küchenhof', dates back to the 15th century, when Jakobäa von Bayern had herbs grown here for the castle kitchen. Lisse is located in the province of Zuid-Holland, in the middle of the flower bulb growing region.