Scheveningen

Scheveningen is a fishing village, commercial harbour and seaside resort district in The Hague, the "international city on the sea". It has never been independent from The Hague, but the neighbourhoods of the fishing community still keep their special way of life. Nevertheless, the harbour has been enlarged to offer commercial services and north of the harbor a seaside resort has developed. In 2015, it had a population of about 56,000 people.

Understand
The area is divided into three parts: Haven (port), the seaport where fishers' boats still come in, nowadays accompanied by freighters; not particularly picturesque like some French or Spanish fishing harbours, but some good fish shops and restaurants are available. Dorp (village) is the former fishermen's village. The last part, Bad (bath) is the beach resort that most visitors head for. The resort has a history of long royal and well-to-do visitors with the Kurhaus as its main attraction. But its 19th-century grandeur largely disappeared after the Palace Hotel was burned down and demolished in 1979, and because of unfortunate property development in the 1970s and early 80s. Unimpressive buildings now dominate the promenade. The area gets very crowded in summer. For large-scale nightlife, most city dwellers prefer Scheveningen to the center of town.

Scheveningen is divided into two districts: Noorderstrand (Northern Beach) and Zuiderstrand (Southern Beach). The northern beach area is the most famous and is most touristic. The southern beach is more urban and there is usually less to do, but it may be less crowded on sunny days.

By car
From Amsterdam and Schiphol, follow the A4 heading for Leiden, and change onto the A44 at Knooppunt Burgerveen, which follows shortly after exit 4 (Nieuw-Vennep). The A44 will become the N44 not long after, and once you reach the edge of The Hague, take a right turn onto the N14. This road will then become the S200. After about, turn right onto the Scheveningseweg, which turns directly to Scheveningen Badplaats and Oud Scheveningen.

From Rotterdam, take the A4 or A13 heading for The Hague, and shortly after these meet, turn onto the A12 heading for Den Haag and Voorburg. Follow the A12 until it ends and meets the S101 and N44. Here, turn right onto the N44, followed shortly after by a left turn onto the Van Alkemadelaan. Following this road brings you directly to De Pier. Turning left when the road you're on goes no further gets you to Schevingen Badplaats and Oud Scheveningen in that order.

By public transit
Some convenient bus/tram stops are:

Do

 * Join the crowd on the sunny days
 * Take a dive in the north sea
 * Windsurfing
 * Come to nearby beaches
 * Have a drink in one of the many beach clubs
 * Take an one of 11 the Haring-Route  — self-guided walking tours through Scheveningen.

Beach clubs
Scheveningen is crowded with beach clubs. Most are open until 02:00 or 04:00 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.



Coffeeshops
Coffeeshops that are listed here, are places to buy marijuana. Places to really drink coffee are listed at cafes.

Go next
The Hague is so close, it can be reached by tram or even on foot. Kijkduin is a quieter, more family-oriented beach resort in that city. Another beach resort in the region is Hook of Holland.