Best Things to Do in The Hague for First Timers (and Repeat Visitors)
Words by
Lars van der Berg
Best Things to Do in The Hague for First Timers (and Repeat Visitors)
The Hague doesn't announce itself the way Amsterdam does. There's no leaning tower of cheese shops funneling tourists through narrow canals. Instead, this city reveals itself slowly, in the rattle of trams along Loosduinseweg, in the smell of fresh stroopwafels drifting from a market stand on Plaat, in the way the light hits the Binnenhof courtyard at around 4 PM in October. If you're planning your first trip, the best things to do in The Hague will pull you between royal palaces, raw North Sea coastlines, and coffee bars where locals argue about Ajax without looking up from their laptops. I've lived here for six years, and I still find new corners. That's the point. The Hague rewards the curious, the patient, and the person willing to bike somewhere they can't quite find on Google Maps yet.
This guide is for both the first timer trying to figure out where to start and the repeat visitor who's already done the Mauritshuis and wants to know what else this city has tucked into its coat pockets. Everything here is real. I've visited every place listed, some dozens of times, and I'll tell you exactly where to sit, what to order, and when to show up. No brochure talk. Just the city as it is.
## The Mauritshuis: Small Museum, Extraordinary Weight
I stood in front of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" last Tuesday morning, ten minutes after the doors opened, and I was completely alone with her. This almost never happens after 10:30. The Mauritshuis sits right on the edge of the Hofvijver pond in the Centrum, and it holds what might be the highest density of masterpieces per square meter in any museum in the Netherlands. Rembrandt, Rubens, Jan Steen, and of course Vermeer. The building itself is a 17th-century mansion that feels like someone's house that just happens to contain hundreds of millions of euros worth of paintings.
The real draw beyond Vermeer is Rembrandt's "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp," which hangs in a room you'd almost walk past if you weren't paying attention. Jan Steen's chaotic domestic scenes are where I spend most of my time now, though. They're funny, filthy, and somehow still feel modern after 350 years. The museum is small enough that you can see everything in about 90 minutes, which makes it perfect for a morning activity before lunch.
Best time to go: Weekday mornings, arriving by 9:15 AM before tour groups. Thursday evenings the museum stays open later and it's noticeably quieter.
What most tourists don't know: The museum shares its building with a former art academy, and the period rooms upstairs with their original stucco ceilings are nearly as impressive as the paintings.
Worth knowing: Photography is allowed in most rooms without flash, but the guards will stop you the instant they see a flash go off. Staff here are unforgiving about phone screens at painting level. They've seen every excuse.
Local Insider Tip: "The cafeteria in the basement has decent coffee and is almost always empty between 10 and 11 AM. Locals who work in the area know about it but tourists never find it. Order the apple cake, sit by the window."
## Scheveningen Beach: The Hague's Raw, Honest North Sea Front
I walked the Scheveningen boulevard in January with a bitter wind coming straight off the water and honestly preferred it to the summer chaos. This is not a polished beach resort. It's loud, weather-beaten, slightly rough around the edges, and completely Scheveningen. The pier stretches out over the sea with a bungee jump platform at the end, the harbor still functions as a working fishing port, and the grand Kurhaus hotel has been hosting orchestras and conventions since 1885. The beach itself runs for kilometers either way from the pier, and you can walk it end to end in an hour if the tide cooperates.
Summer turns Scheveningen into something unrecognizable from its off-season mood. Wooden beach clubs pop up along the sand, the boardwalk fills with ice cream tourists and screaming kids, and the fish stands start selling kibbeling late morning. I prefer visiting in September, when the crowds thin but the water hasn't yet turned ice cold. The fishing harbor on the south side, near the harbor entrance, is where you want to buy fresh herring straight off the boats if you're there between mid-June and mid-July during the Hollandse Nieuwe season.
What to order: Kibbeled at any of the harbor stands, but specifically the ones near the fish auctions on the south pier. Paal 17 is the institution, but the smaller stand near the fishing boats sells what the fishermen actually eat.
What most tourists don't know: The Scheveningen lighthouse, at the end of the Gevers Deynootweg, is still an active navigational aid and marks the point where the beach transitions from tourist zone to something far more local and quiet.
Local Insider Tip: "Bike to Scheveningen from Centrum in 12 minutes along the dedicated path through the dunes rather than taking the tram. You'll pass the Madurodam miniature park and arrive at the quieter end of the beach near the bird sanctuary. In summer this end is half as crowded."
## The Binnenhof: Political Heart of the Netherlands, Open to Everyone
The Binnenhof is the center of Dutch political life and it's surrounded by a rectangular pond that reflects the Gothic Ridderzaal so perfectly on still mornings that people stop in the middle of their commute to photograph it. I watched a member of the Tweede Kamer bike through the courtyard last week carrying a stack of papers and a paper bag of lunch. That's the Binnenhof. It's important and it's completely mundane at the same time. The Ridderzaal, or Knights' Hall, is where the King delivers the Speech from the Throne every Prinsjesdag, and the parliamentary chambers run along the western and southern edges.
You can walk through the courtyard freely. The visitor center on the Hofweg side offers guided tours of the Tweede Kamer building that actually go into the debating chamber and explain how the Dutch coalition system works. It takes about 45 minutes and costs less than most museums. I send every expat friend here to understand how this country actually functions. The Guido Gezelle Library, attached to the complex, has one of the most beautiful reading rooms in the country, all dark wood and green lamps, but you need to know to look for the side entrance on the Korte Vijverberg.
Best time to tour: Book the visitor center tour for a weekday afternoon. Prinsjesdag (third Tuesday of September) is the one day the entire complex becomes a national spectacle, though you need to arrive hours early for a decent spot.
The connection to the city: The Binnenhof is arguably the reason The Hague exists in its current form. Since the 13th century, this has been the seat of government, and every major institution in the city grew outward from this point.
Local Insider Tip: "After your tour, walk east along the Hofvijver toward the Mauritshuis. At the corner where the pond meets the road, there's an unmarked bench where government staffers eat lunch when the weather is nice. Bring a sandwich from Albert Heijn on the Spui and sit there for fifteen minutes. You'll hear things."
## Escher in Het Paleis: Mind-Bending Art in a Former Royal Palace
Queen Emma used to winter in this building on the Lange Voorhout, and now it houses the complete graphic work of M.C. Escher. The contrast is absurd and wonderful. I took my sister here on her first visit to The Hague and she spent forty minutes in the room where Escher's impossible geometries are projected onto the walls and ceiling of a darkened chamber until she was slightly dizzy. The museum spans three floors. The ground floor has the early Italian landscapes and portraits that most people don't associate with Escher. The upper floors gradually escalate into the impossible staircases, infinite loops, and metamorphoses that made him famous.
What makes this place special beyond the prints is the building itself. The ballroom on the top floor, where the large-scale woodcuts are displayed, has the original royal chandeliers still hanging. One room lets you physically walk through a scaled version of Escher's "Relativity" staircase. The printed editions on paper and the woodblocks themselves are displayed in cases throughout, and if you look closely at the block prints you can see the hand-carved imperfections that no reproduction adequately captures.
Best time to visit: Late afternoon on a weekday, when school groups have left and the projection room is less likely to have a queue.
What most tourists don't know: The basement has a separate exhibition on mathematical art and visual perception that changes every few months. It's included in the ticket price and almost nobody goes down there.
Local Insider Tip: "The courtyard garden behind the palace is open to the public even if you don't enter the museum. There's a bench under the largest tree that's invisible from the street. I've come here alone to read many times and never been interrupted."
## De Markt on the Prinsegracht and Grote Markt: Where the Hague Eats Outdoors
Thursday and Saturday are market days on the Grote Markt and along the Prinsegracht, and the difference in the energy of this neighborhood is immediate. The outdoor market stalls stretch for blocks, selling cheese, flowers, fish, clothing, electronics, bread, and about a dozen varieties of broodje haring. I go every Saturday without fail. I buy Edam from a stall on the corner of the Grote Markt and Bierkade, eat a raw herring standing up near the canal, and then walk through the flower section to see what's in season.
The Grote Markt itself is one of the largest open squares in the Netherlands and has been a marketplace since the Middle Ages. The buildings around it are largely 17th and 18th centuries, and the café terraces that line the edges are where you can sit with a beer and watch market day unspool. De Boterwaag, the old butter weighing house on the square, now houses artists' studios and a basement café that's cooler than it has any right to be. The cocktail bar next door, on the cosier side of the square, gets very loud on Friday and Saturday nights, but that's a different experience.
Best time: Saturday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, before the worst crowds. Thursday's smaller market runs the same hours and feels more local.
What to order: Hollandse Nieuwe herring in season, stroopwafels made fresh at the stand nearest the canal, and kibbeling from the fish stall that has the longest line.
Local Insider Tip: "Park your bike at the end of the Prinsegracht closest to the Gemeentemuseum side. That sand-colored lot fills up last and you can walk to either the market or the Plein in under five minutes. Parking anywhere on the Grote Markt itself is practically impossible on market day."
## Panorama Mesdag: Step Inside a 19th-Century Illusion
I'm convinced this is the most undervated experience in The Hague. Panorama Mesdag is a 360-degree painting by artist Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his collaborators, completed in 1881, that depicts the village of Scheveningen as it appeared at that time. You climb to a central viewing platform inside a circular building, and the painted dunes and beach extend in every direction, seamlessly blending with a real sand floor at the base. The illusion that you're standing on a high dune overlooking the North Sea and a 19th-century fishing village is genuinely disorienting the first time.
The building on the Zeestraat is dedicated entirely to this single work, rotating seasonally through smaller exhibitions on Dutch landscape art and the history of panoramic painting. The painting itself is 14 meters high and over 120 meters in circumference. When you stand in the center, the horizon line matches perfectly across all viewing angles. I've brought three different visitors here and every one of them has been quiet for a full minute upon reaching the platform. It's one of those things that photographs badly and has to be experienced.
Best time to visit: Any time, honestly. It rarely has more than a handful of visitors, even on weekends. Weekday mid-afternoon is completely empty.
What most tourists don't know: The museum was privately commissioned by Mesdag's wife, Sientje, who was also a notable painter. Her studio is preserved in the building and open to visitors.
Local Insider Tip: "There's a small café in the ground floor that serves coffee, pie, and light lunches. Order the bouncer and sit near the window overlooking the Zeestraat street. In about forty minutes you'll see at least three people you just encountered at the Mauritshuis."
## The Haagse Bos and Clingendael: The Hague's Wild Green Core
The Haagse Bos, which translates literally as "The Hague's Forest," is a sprawling green area that starts just behind the Central Station and runs south for over two kilometers to the Clingendael estate. It's not wilderness by any stretch. It's manicured, crossed by bike paths and walking trails, and within ten minutes of entering from the northeast side near the Aqueduct, you'd think you were in a small countryside town rather than the political capital of the country. I run through it three mornings a week from April to October.
The southern end flows into the Clingendael estate, which contains a beautifully maintained Japanese Garden that is only open for a few weeks in May and again in late October, when the azaleas and autumn foliage are at their peak. The rest of the year, the Clingendael park and its 17th-century manor house are open for walking, and the formal gardens near the house are worth the trek even without the Japanese section. The management advises checking exact opening weeks online before visiting, because the window changes slightly each year depending on bloom timing.
Best route: Enter from the northeast at the Scheveningseweg entrance, walk south through the Haagse Bos for 30 minutes, then continue into Clingendael. Total walking time from Centrum is about 40 minutes by bike or by tram to Clingendaellaan.
What most visitors don't know: The Haagse Bos contains a section of the Atlantic Wall, remnants of World War II German fortification, that are marked and accessible to walk through. It's eerie and worth a short detour.
Local Insider Tip: "On Sunday mornings, a group of local runners meets at the Haagse Bos entrance near the Dr. van der Hoevenplein at 9 AM. They run at a casual pace through the forest in small groups. Just show up and they'll sort you in. No registration required. I joined six months after moving here and it was how I met most of my local friends."
## Gemeentemuseum Den Haag: Mondrian's Final Form
The Gemeentemuseum sits on the Statenkwaii in the Benoordenhout neighborhood, and its exterior alone is worth the tram ride. The building, designed by H.P. Berlage, is a geometric composition of yellow brick and clean planes that feels almost like a Mondrian painting rendered in architecture. Inside, the collection is enormous and varied. The world's largest collection of Mondrian works dominates the upper floors, including his final painting, "Victory Boogie Woogie," which he was still working on when he died in New York in 1944.
The rest of the museum branches in directions that are harder to summarize. There's decorative arts, fashion, musical instruments (including an enormous collection of historical keyboard instruments you can sometimes hear played during special events), prints and posters, and rotating contemporary exhibitions of genuinely high quality. The building's Great Hall has remarkable acoustics, and the museum regularly hosts live music events that take advantage of the space. My favorite permanent section is the early De Stijl wing, where you can trace the movement from painting through furniture design to architecture in a single room.
Best time to visit: Weekday mornings. The museum is large enough that even moderate crowds don't ruin the experience, but the Mondrian gallery is best absorbed with empty air.
What to see beyond Mondrian: The collection of Delftware and 17th-century decorative ceramics on the ground floor is extraordinary and nearly always overlooked by international visitors.
Local Insider Tip: "The museum shop on the ground floor stocks exhibition catalogues, design books, and prints at fair prices, and there's almost never anyone in it. I've found design books here that weren't available at any bookshop on the Lange Voorhout."
## Chinatown on the Wagenstraat: Small, Specific, Real
The Hague's Chinatown centers on the Wagenstraat, a single narrow street running south from the Grote Markt toward the Spoorstraat. It's nothing like the grand Chinatowns of larger cities. It's two blocks of Chinese and Southeast Asian grocers, bakeries, restaurants, and tea shops jammed between Dutch antique dealers and Surinamese takeaway places. The energy is specific and unpolished. I come here for salted egg pastries, fresh noodles, and a specific type of roast duck that no restaurant elsewhere in the neighborhood replicates.
The larger restaurants along the street cater to families and groups, with massive tables and Cantonese banquet menus. I prefer the smaller spots where you order from a picture menu. The roasted meat shops in the windows of several grocers sell char siu and crispy pork belly by weight to go. During Chinese New Year, the street fills with additional market stalls and the firecrackers echo off the centuries-old buildings in a way that makes the entire city feel briefly different.
Best time to visit: Late morning on Saturday, after the Grote Markt crowds peak. The restaurants start serving lunch around 11:00 and are least busy between 11:00 and 12:00.
The detail tourists miss: The Wagenstaat sits directly adjacent to one of the oldest Jewish heritage streets in the city. The layers of immigrant communities in this two-block radius tell more about The Hague's identity than any government pamphlet could.
Local Insider Tip: "The grocery store at the Wagenstraat's southern end has a small food counter in the back with four stools. The owner makes noodle soup for lunch that costs almost nothing and is better than what the standalone restaurants on the street charge triple for. Nobody posts about this online. Don't tell every influencer you know."
## When to Go and What to Know
The Hague is a solid year-round city, but the experience shifts dramatically with the seasons. May through September offers the best weather, with long days, outdoor dining, and Scheveningen at its most active. October brings Prinsjesdag and the beginning of herring season's tail end. January through March are cold and wet but the museums are empty and the city feels genuinely local. March also brings the opening of Keukenhof, which is a short bus ride from The Hague if you're craving tulips.
Biking is the dominant mode of transport and the city's infrastructure reflects that. Bike lanes connect everything listed in this guide, and the dedicated path from Centrum to Scheveningen takes about 15 minutes by bike. The OV-chipkaart pays for trams, buses, and the RandstadRail lines that connect to Delft, Rotterdam, and Leiden. Single tram tickets are available on board but cost more than chip usage.
Most places listed open by 9 or 10 AM and close by 5 or 6 PM, though restaurants and cafés follow different rhythms. Museum tickets should be booked online in advance during July and August, and for the Mauritshuis, book at any time of year. The Binnenhof visitor center tours sell out on busy days.
Budget for at least 6 to 8 euros for a coffee, 15 to 25 for a museum ticket, and 60 to 80 euros per person for a proper dinner with drinks at a mid-range restaurant. The Hague is not a cheap city, but it's notably more affordable than Amsterdam, and the quality of food and cultural offerings holds up against its more famous neighbor.
## Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest and most reliable way to get around The Hague as a solo traveler?
The OV-chipkaart or contactless bank card works on all trams and buses and is the most reliable option for solo travelers. Route 1 and Route 9 connect the Centrum area to Scheveningen and the Scheveningen Pier within approximately 25 minutes by tram. The RandstadRail Tram 3 and 4 run between Centrum and suburbs like Loosduinen and Leyweg, making it practical to reach neighborhoods that lie beyond the core. Cycling is safe across the city, as The Hague has an extensive network of dedicated bike lanes separate from car traffic. However, cyclists should remain highly watchful at intersections with tram tracks, which are a common cause of accidents for the unaccustomed. The city center is compact enough that most key locations are within a 20 to 30 minute walk of the Centrum, and walking is statistically the safest transportation mode available.
Is it possible to walk between the main sightseeing spots in The Hague, or is local transport necessary?
The Centrum museums, including the Mauritshuis, Escher in Het Paleis, and Panorama Mesdag, are all within a 10 minute walk of each other. The Binnenhof and Grote Markt fall within the same walkable core. The distance from the Centrum to the Gemeentemuseum is roughly 2.5 kilometers, requiring a 30 minute walk or a 12 minute tram ride. Scheveningen beach and harbor are 4.5 kilometers from the Centrum and reachable in 30 minutes by tram or 15 minutes by bike. For a day of museum-hopping within the Centrum, no transport is needed. To cover the full spread from Centrum to the beach to the Gemeentemuseum in one day, at least one tram ride or bike rental is recommended to avoid exhaustion, especially in warm weather.
What are the best free or low-cost tourist places in The Hague that are genuinely worth the visit?
The Binnenhof courtyard is free to enter at any time and is among the most historically significant spaces in the Netherlands. The Haagse Bos and Clingendael park are entirely free, with the Japanese Garden having a small separate entry fee, typically under 3 euros. Walking the full Scheveningen boulevard and harbor costs nothing and provides a genuine sense of the city's coastal character. The Peace Palace exterior and visitor center are free to view, though the guided interior tour requires advance booking and a fee of approximately 10 euros. Free beach access runs the entire length of Scheveningen. The open-air market on Grote Markt and Prinsegracht on Thursdays and Saturdays requires no entry fee and is one of the most accessible ways to experience local food culture without committing to the cost of a restaurant meal.
How many days are needed to see the major tourist attractions in The Hague without feeling rushed?
Two full days are sufficient to cover the essential attractions at a reasonable pace. The first day can focus on the Centrum core, including the Mauritshuis, Binnenhof, Escher in Het Paleis, Panorama Mesdag, and the Grote Markt, with meals at local restaurants between stops. The second day allows for the Gemeentemuseum, Clingendael, and Scheveningen beach or harbor, with time for either the Peace Palace or a cycling route through the dunes. Adding a third day provides room for the Scheveningen pier and bungee tower, the Japanese Garden if in season, a proper dinner in Chinatown or the Zeeheldenkwartier neighborhood, and a revisit to any museum or market that warrants more time. Anything beyond three days shifts into repeat visitor territory, with time for quieter neighborhoods like the Schilderswijk, the Hofvijver perimeter walk at sunset, or day trips to Delft and Leiden.
Do the most popular attractions in The Hague require advance ticket booking, especially during peak season?
The Mauritshuis strictly requires online advance booking during July and August and strongly recommends it year-round, as same-day tickets are subject to availability and queues routinely exceed 30 minutes in peak periods. The Gemeentemuseum, Panorama Mesdag, and Escher in Het Paleis do not technically require advance booking but online tickets are available and allow bypassing the entry queue. The Binnenhof visitor center guided tours must be reserved in advance through their official website, often 3 to 5 days ahead during busy periods, and spaces are capped per session. Scheveningen beach, the harbor walk, and outdoor markets require no booking at any time. The Peace Palace interior visits must be booked weeks in advance during summer. For any visit between June and September, advance online booking for all paid attractions is strongly advisable to avoid being turned away or facing extended waits.
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