The Hague

The Hague (Dutch: Den Haag or  's-Gravenhage) is a city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is the seat of the Dutch parliament and government, and the residence of King Willem-Alexander. It is not the capital city, which is Amsterdam. The municipality (which is the city) has more than 548,000 inhabitants (2021), making it the third largest city in the Netherlands.

The Hague lies on the North Sea and is home to Scheveningen, the most popular seaside resort in the Netherlands. Also the smaller resort of Kijkduin is part of the city.

Understand
Internationally, The Hague is often known as the "judicial capital of the world" due to the many international courts that are located in the city. Among these are the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and, since 2004, the International Criminal Court. Beside these institutions, The Hague is home to more than 150 international organizations, and to many EU institutions, multinational companies and embassies. This gave the city a distinct international character — one that is noticeably different from Amsterdam. Rather than having the many foreign tourists and fortune-seekers attracted by Amsterdam's reputation for excitement and liberalism, The Hague generally has more expatriates working and living in the city because of the number of international institutions and companies. Because of this, The Hague has a reputation as a wealthy, conservative and somewhat sedate city.

The Hague has very little of the edginess and excitement of Amsterdam; however, it provides well for its inhabitants in different ways, such as large areas of green space, 11 km of coastline, attractive shopping streets and an extensive multicultural scene. Rather than having canals like other Dutch cities, The Hague has streets and avenues that are just a little bit wider than those in the rest of the country, giving the city a more continental feel. Instead of the typical Dutch renaissance 17th-century step-gabled houses, it has 18th-century mansions in baroque and classicist styles. The city is considered by many as the most stately of the country. Just outside the city centre, posh neighbourhoods effuse a more 19th century look with eclectic and art nouveau architecture.

The farther you get from the sea front and the city centre, however, the more neighbourhoods tend to become less well-off. One dividing line between affluent and sketchier areas is drawn by some at Laan van Meerdervoort, which runs parallel to the seaside. Areas away from the sea tend to have much less in the way of green space. An exception to this is one centrally located park, Zuiderpark, which also used to contain the stadium of the local football team ADO Den Haag. Some of its supporters were known as the most notorious hooligans of the country, perpetuating a stereotype of "lower-class" for the inhabitants of that area.

The Hague offers great architecture, from the picturesque government complex of the Binnenhof, to the grand and stately mansions on Lange Voorhout. Museums like the Mauritshuis rank among the best in the country. For food aficionados, The Hague offers some of the country's best Indonesian cuisine, due to large-scale immigration from this former Dutch colony. The city also offers good opportunities for outings, such as extensive green spaces for walking and bicycling as well as dunes and seaside recreation areas just a few tram stops away from the city centre. The Hague also offers a few attractions especially appealing to children, such as the miniature city of Madurodam and the 360 degree Omniversum cinema.

The city has undergone an extensive amount of development in the form of modern architecture projects. Constructions include the City Hall and Central Library by American architect Richard Meier, De "Snoeptrommel" (known by the locals as Candy-Box) - a round shopping centre next to the old town hall, and a collection of post-modern, brick-clad office towers in between the city hall and the Centraal railway station, which provide new housing for a number of ministries. A major infrastructural development has been the construction of an underground tram tunnel underneath Grote Marktstraat, which is used by regular trams, and a new light-rail system, known as RandstadRail, linking The Hague with the neighbouring cities of Zoetermeer and Rotterdam.

A major redevelopment project is underway in the area around the Centraal railway station. Here, skyscrapers like the 142 m Hoftoren rise up over the city and several other high-rise towers are under construction.

Since 2015, The Hague and its suburbs have been part of the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Region.

Tourist information

 * Den Haag Tourist information website

By plane
The Rotterdam The Hague Airport is the closest airport to the city. Metro line E connects Den Haag Centraal station with the Meijersplein, a station close to the airport. The airport terminal is connected with the later one by bus line #33 (which continues further up to the Rotterdam Centraal railway station).

The Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, is a bit farther. However, with several direct trains per hour from the railway stations Hollands Spoor and Centraal, and also with an hourly night train from station Hollands Spoor, it is more frequently used by people travelling to and from The Hague by air.

By train
The Hague has two main train stations, serving domestic and international routes.





Visitors are most likely to use Centraal Station, as it is closer to the centre, tourist attractions and shopping. It also has the best local public transport links via tram and bus, and is also safer at night than Hollands Spoor, which is in a somewhat sketchy area of town. The only reason for using Hollands Spoor is to catch the international trains to Antwerp and Brussels. In addition to southbound trains from Centraal, tram lines 9, 15, 16 and 17 also cover the short distance from Centraal Station to Hollands Spoor. From both stations leave trains that go to and from Schiphol Airport.

If you are coming from Amsterdam, the fastest intercity trains to The Hague depart from the Amsterdam Zuid Station (can be reached by metro from central Amsterdam in 10 minutes) every 30 minutes throughout the day, directly to Den Haag Centraal, and also every 30 minutes throughout the day, directly to Den Haag Hollands Spoor. From Amsterdam Centraal leave Sprinter trains making all local stops along the way, so they take longer; and intercity trains from Amsterdam Centraal travel a slightly longer route via Haarlem and only stop at Hollands Spoor.

By car
The Hague is connected by toll-free motorways to Amsterdam (A4 and A44), Rotterdam (A13) and Utrecht (A12). Access to the centre is through the A12 motorway that penetrates the city centre, like a needle, and ends on a large traffic junction just north of the historic centre. Approaching and leaving the city from any of these motorways can take a long time during the morning and evening rush hours. On hot summer days, hundreds of thousands of people try to reach Scheveningen beach by car, and huge traffic jams of up to 50 km long may occur, causing traffic delays of up to several hours. On such days, consider taking public transportation. The park and ride facility P+R Hoornwijck opened in 2008 on the Laan van Hoornwijck by the Ypenburg interchange. Motorists can easily reach it from the A4 (Exit 9) and A13 (Exit 7). From here, you can take tram 15 to the city centre.

By public transport
The Hague has an efficient and frequent city wide system of light rail (called RandstadRail), trams and buses, running mostly on tracks separated from other traffic, allowing for a fairly speedy ride. HTM runs the public transport system in The Hague and some of the surrounding area. Rotterdam-based RET runs a Randstadrail line (Metro Line E) between The Hague and Rotterdam, through various suburbs, though reaching Rotterdam is often times quicker by taking an Intercity train. Veolia provides regional bus services to the areas surrounding The Hague. EBS operates the suburban bus routes.

Centraal Station has eight platforms for trams, split across a high level inside of the station and a low level (Rijnstraat) to the south side of the station. These are: Furthermore, buses stop above the railway tracks and how to reach them is indicated through signage.
 * A (high level) for to Loosduinen,  to eventcentre De Uithof;
 * B (high level) for to Kraayenstein and  to Leyenburg via Haagse Markt;
 * C (high level) for to Leidschendam via Laan van NOI and  to Leidschendam via Mariahoeve station;
 * D (high level) for and  to Zoetermeer;
 * E (low level) for to Scheveningen via Madurodam and  to Statenkwartier via Buitenhof;
 * F (low level) for to Nootdorp via Buitenhof and Hollands Spoor;
 * G (low level) for to Wateringen via Hollands Spoor and Rijswijk;
 * H (low level) for to Vrederust via Hollands Spoor and  to Wateringen via Hollands Spoor and Moerwijk.

Hollands Spoor has four platforms for trams, located at the front of the station. Buses have a halt at the backside of the station. One more stop (Waldorpstraat/Station HS) is located fairly close to the station, being accessible by exiting out the front of the station and turning left.
 * A for:
 * Line to Tanthof (Delft) via Rijswijk and Delft's stations;
 * Line to Scheveningen Haven via Haagse Markt;
 * Line to Duindorp via Haagse Markt;
 * Line to Wateringen via Moerwijk;
 * B for to Vrederust via Moerwijk and  to Wateringen via Rijswijk;
 * C for:
 * Line to Scheveningen Noord via Vredespaleis and World Forum;
 * Lines and  to Rijswijkseplein;
 * Line to Statenkwartier via CS and Buitenhof;
 * D for to Scheveningen Noord via CS and Madurodam and  to Rijswijkseplein;
 * Waldorpstraat (near Rijswijkseplein) for to Den Haag Centraal via Buitenhof and to Nootdorp via Rijswijk.

Service usually runs from 06:00 until 00:00, although service starts at 07:00 Saturday and 08:00 on Sunday.

On Friday and Saturday nights HTMBuzz operates six night bus services. Tickets for these are more expensive (€5) and only available from the bus driver. All night services meet at Buitenhof in the city centre every hour.

Tickets
If you use public transport, you will need a valid ticket. The strippenkaart is no longer valid. You can travel by OV-chipkaart, which is a public transport smart card. This card can be bought at the HTM offices at Central Station (you find the office upstairs at the bus terminal), Hollands Spoor and in Wagenstraat, among other places.

You can also buy a 2-hour ticket directly from a driver in normal trams and buses when boarding, these tickets are valid on all trams and buses by HTM or HTMBuzz. RandstadRail trams (the blue-white ones) instead have a ticket machine that accepts coins and credit cards. If this ticket machine is broken (more often than not), you have to buy a ticket from the ticket inspector (if there is one).



The fine for not having a valid ticket is €50 plus the cost of a normal ticket. Ticket inspectors board trams and light rail at random, either in uniform or plain clothes.

By car
Car traffic in the inner city is very limited. Many of them are operated by a company called Q-Park.
 * Some centrally located parkings are:
 * Mobypark (a shared parking platform) often offers cheaper prices than public parking garages and they have over 40 parkings available in The Hague. If you are planning to use them you need to book online in advance.
 * More parkings are a little bit further from the main shopping area. They are at (286 cars),  (282 cars) and  (600 cars). The last one is convenient for a visit to the Denneweg area.
 * Mobypark (a shared parking platform) often offers cheaper prices than public parking garages and they have over 40 parkings available in The Hague. If you are planning to use them you need to book online in advance.
 * More parkings are a little bit further from the main shopping area. They are at (286 cars),  (282 cars) and  (600 cars). The last one is convenient for a visit to the Denneweg area.
 * Mobypark (a shared parking platform) often offers cheaper prices than public parking garages and they have over 40 parkings available in The Hague. If you are planning to use them you need to book online in advance.
 * More parkings are a little bit further from the main shopping area. They are at (286 cars),  (282 cars) and  (600 cars). The last one is convenient for a visit to the Denneweg area.

By bike
The Hague has a great network of bike paths. A wide variety of bike rentals are available. In addition, app-based rentals are offered e.g. by HTM Bike, Donkey Republic (The Hague) and OV-fiets (requires a personalised OV-chipkaart).

By foot
The Hague's city centre is fairly compact and you can easily navigate the area on foot. From Centraal Station, it is about a 10 min walk to the Binnenhof and the Hofvijver pond.

Centre
The heart of the city contains most of the historic architecture from the medieval, renaissance, and Baroque periods and is easily accessible on foot. You'll also find lots of outdoor cafes and shopping near the Plein on the Lange Poten or just east of there on the Hofweg.









Statenkwartier Area
The Statenkwartier area, located between the dunes and the centre, has leafy avenues and 19th century housing and is very popular with The Hague's large expatriate community. The area is nice for walking tours of the 19th-century mansions, which showcase architectural diversity in The Hague. All kinds of neo- and modern-styles are represented here, especially Art Nouveau architecture. Good shops, delicatessens and restaurants are to be found on Statenkwartier's main street, Frederik Hendriklaan, or 'Fred'. The area also has a number of tourist attractions, which make it worth a visit, most of them being clustered around the Gemeentemuseum on Stadhouderslaan.

Out of the centre




Do
Since The Hague was founded on a former hunting manor, there are a variety of parks and green spaces that are ideal for exploration. Like the majority of cities in the Netherlands, The Hague is extremely bike friendly and it's easy to get from one place to another on a bicycle if you feel like stepping outside the city centre. Scheveningen (and to a lesser extent Kijkduin) is a busy seaside resort filled with boardwalk cafes and close to the dunes. The prime months to get out and see The Hague on foot or by pedal are in the late spring, summer, and early fall months. The beachfront area can get extremely crowded as vacationers from all over Europe come to visit and bask along the North Sea coastline.

Other attractions

 * Watch football at
 * Watch football at
 * Watch football at
 * Watch football at

Events

 * Prinsjesdag. Third Tuesday in September. Prinsjesdag or 'Princes Day' marks the beginning of the new parliamentary year. On this day, large crowds are drawn by the traditional journey that King Willem-Alexander makes from his palace at Noordeinde to the Knight's Hall at the Binnenhof. He makes the trip in the Gouden Koets (Golden Carriage), a gift from the people of Amsterdam to his great-grandmother Wilhelmina from 1903. The carriage is used only for this special occasion. However the Gouden koets undergoes a restoration and is replaced by the Glazen Koets (Glass Carriage) during the years 2016-2019. In the Knight's Hall, the King then performs his duty as the formal head of state by reading out the Troonrede (Throne Speech) to the gathered chambers of the parliament. The throne speech contains a summary of the policies the cabinet is planning to implement over the next year.
 * Prinsjesdag. Third Tuesday in September. Prinsjesdag or 'Princes Day' marks the beginning of the new parliamentary year. On this day, large crowds are drawn by the traditional journey that King Willem-Alexander makes from his palace at Noordeinde to the Knight's Hall at the Binnenhof. He makes the trip in the Gouden Koets (Golden Carriage), a gift from the people of Amsterdam to his great-grandmother Wilhelmina from 1903. The carriage is used only for this special occasion. However the Gouden koets undergoes a restoration and is replaced by the Glazen Koets (Glass Carriage) during the years 2016-2019. In the Knight's Hall, the King then performs his duty as the formal head of state by reading out the Troonrede (Throne Speech) to the gathered chambers of the parliament. The throne speech contains a summary of the policies the cabinet is planning to implement over the next year.
 * Prinsjesdag. Third Tuesday in September. Prinsjesdag or 'Princes Day' marks the beginning of the new parliamentary year. On this day, large crowds are drawn by the traditional journey that King Willem-Alexander makes from his palace at Noordeinde to the Knight's Hall at the Binnenhof. He makes the trip in the Gouden Koets (Golden Carriage), a gift from the people of Amsterdam to his great-grandmother Wilhelmina from 1903. The carriage is used only for this special occasion. However the Gouden koets undergoes a restoration and is replaced by the Glazen Koets (Glass Carriage) during the years 2016-2019. In the Knight's Hall, the King then performs his duty as the formal head of state by reading out the Troonrede (Throne Speech) to the gathered chambers of the parliament. The throne speech contains a summary of the policies the cabinet is planning to implement over the next year.
 * Prinsjesdag. Third Tuesday in September. Prinsjesdag or 'Princes Day' marks the beginning of the new parliamentary year. On this day, large crowds are drawn by the traditional journey that King Willem-Alexander makes from his palace at Noordeinde to the Knight's Hall at the Binnenhof. He makes the trip in the Gouden Koets (Golden Carriage), a gift from the people of Amsterdam to his great-grandmother Wilhelmina from 1903. The carriage is used only for this special occasion. However the Gouden koets undergoes a restoration and is replaced by the Glazen Koets (Glass Carriage) during the years 2016-2019. In the Knight's Hall, the King then performs his duty as the formal head of state by reading out the Troonrede (Throne Speech) to the gathered chambers of the parliament. The throne speech contains a summary of the policies the cabinet is planning to implement over the next year.
 * Prinsjesdag. Third Tuesday in September. Prinsjesdag or 'Princes Day' marks the beginning of the new parliamentary year. On this day, large crowds are drawn by the traditional journey that King Willem-Alexander makes from his palace at Noordeinde to the Knight's Hall at the Binnenhof. He makes the trip in the Gouden Koets (Golden Carriage), a gift from the people of Amsterdam to his great-grandmother Wilhelmina from 1903. The carriage is used only for this special occasion. However the Gouden koets undergoes a restoration and is replaced by the Glazen Koets (Glass Carriage) during the years 2016-2019. In the Knight's Hall, the King then performs his duty as the formal head of state by reading out the Troonrede (Throne Speech) to the gathered chambers of the parliament. The throne speech contains a summary of the policies the cabinet is planning to implement over the next year.

Work
Many people move to the Randstad area (including The Hague, Amsterdam, Rotterdam) either for a year out, work (as an Expatriate) or to join partners (who are mostly either Expatriates or Dutch). There are specialist websites for English and non-Dutch speakers looking to work in The Hague (and Randstad area) and a good place to start; Blue Lynx - Employment by Language.

Immigration matters are dealt with by the Immigration Service IND. Registration is done by both police and municipalities. Immigration policy is restrictive and deliberately bureaucratic. That is especially true for non-EU citizens.

European Union citizens do not require a work permit. Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians are afforded a one year working-holiday visa. In general the employer must apply for work permits. Immigration is easier for "knowledge migrants" earning a gross annual salary of over €45,000 (over €33,000 for those under 30).

Buy


The lively and historical centre of The Hague is perfect for a day of shopping. The shopping area around the Spuistraat and Grote Marktstraat is busy seven days a week. You can find the best shopping in The Hague on the side streets that circle out from the city centre. While lots of them are upscale, you can find a few bargain stores dotted here and there.

Eat
Just as Indian restaurants abound in the UK, the Netherlands has an excellent tradition in Indonesian and colonial Dutch-Indies cuisine. After Indonesia became independent from the Netherlands in 1945, the country received a large number of former colonials from Dutch and mixed descent who had been forced to leave the newly independent colony. The Hague received a relatively large number of these people and is still a centre of the Dutch-Indonesian community.

The town has dubbed the area around Gedempte Gracht, Gedempte Burgwal and Wagenstraat as its local Chinatown, and added street signs in Chinese and all that. The area is not particularly spectacular, but good Chinese food is to be found around here.

Other




Bars and pubs














Coffee shops
As everywhere in the Netherlands, the possession (of small quantities) and use of cannabis (hash and weed) is tolerated in The Hague. Since Amsterdam draws more coffee-shop tourism, prices are lower in The Hague. Some renowned places:



Possessing large quantities of hashish or cannabis is a crime in the Netherlands. Do not take stuff with you when leaving the Netherlands (you can be punished severely in neighbouring countries). It's also unwise to buy for someone else, especially if it's a foreigner as you can be punished in his or her country of origin.

Smoking tobacco is banned inside food and drink establishments — even coffeeshops! That being said, tobacco smoking appears to be tolerated in coffee shops, and their rolled joints are often mixed with tobacco.

Sleep
Despite its size and international prominence, The Hague has few hotels. Most of them are geared towards business guests, although there is a fair selection across price ranges. As the Randstad is very well connected with frequent train services, trams and buses, you may also consider accommodation in the neighbouring cities of Delft, Leiden, Zoetermeer, Rijswijk or even Rotterdam.

Stay safe
You should take normal precautions against pickpockets and baggage theft, especially in the main shopping streets, in trams and trains, at stations, and anywhere where tourists congregate. Street begging is common around the Hollands Spoor train station and at the Grote Markt. Most of them are homeless and non-aggressive, just give them some money or simple 'no' will be enough. At night, the city centre is quite safe because of the large number of police cameras monitoring this area. Neighbourhoods southwest of the centre are less affluent and may not be as safe. The area between Zuiderpark and Hollands Spoor has a bad reputation due to the increasing number of street gangs. Schilderswijk and Transvaal areas are blocks that should be avoided after dark. If you are unsure, take a taxi to your destination. Taking a tram is also considered safe, as the so-called 'risky lines' in this area now have a security team on board from 20:00 till 01:00.

Go next
Quaint cities like Delft, known for its famous blue pottery, and the university town of Leiden are just 15 minutes by train.


 * Scheveningen - Closest sea resort to the city.
 * Delft - Arguably the country's most picturesque canal-lined town. Home of the famous Delft Blue pottery (or Delftware), and the home of Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer. Trains leave from Centraal Station or Hollands Spoor every 15 min; the trip takes 12 or 8 min respectively. Tram 1 also reaches the Delft city centre.
 * Leiden - This town lays claim to the oldest university in the Netherlands, Leiden University, which was founded in 1575. It is the second largest 17th-century town centre after Amsterdam. Home to many interesting museums. Trains from Centraal Station or Hollands Spoor every 15 minutes, with each trip taking 13 or 10 minutes respectively.
 * Zoetermeer - The place to see modern architecture. Also have de Dorpsstraat, one of the best shopping areas in Holland. Take tram 3 or 4 to Zoetermeer Centrum West from Den Haag Centraal, rides take 20 minutes.
 * Leiden - This town lays claim to the oldest university in the Netherlands, Leiden University, which was founded in 1575. It is the second largest 17th-century town centre after Amsterdam. Home to many interesting museums. Trains from Centraal Station or Hollands Spoor every 15 minutes, with each trip taking 13 or 10 minutes respectively.
 * Zoetermeer - The place to see modern architecture. Also have de Dorpsstraat, one of the best shopping areas in Holland. Take tram 3 or 4 to Zoetermeer Centrum West from Den Haag Centraal, rides take 20 minutes.