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One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide to a Perfect City Break!

Wondering what to do in the city of The Hague for a day? With this handpicked guide, you’ll definitely have enough to explore and experience this surprisingly beautiful city in The Netherlands.

I travelled to The Hague as part of the #MustLoveFestivals campaign in collaboration with Expedia and Den Haag Tourism. I can’t believe that while being Dutch myself, I had never been to this city before.

DID YOU KNOW? The official name of Den Haag is ‘‘s-Gravenhage‘. Try and pronounce that, haha!

QUICK LINKS

* Hotels in The Hague

* Trains to The Hague

* Activities in The Hague

INTRODUCTION


WHERE TO START EXPLORING THE HAGUE?

The best place to start your day in The Hague is the tourist information centre. It’s located just a short walk from the main train station and they can really help you pick out the best things to do, as well as provide you with a handy map.

TOUR & ACTIVITY TIPS:

One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide To A Perfect City Break! || The Travel Tester

MORNING IN THE HAGUE


BREAKFAST IN THE HAGUE

I TRAVEL FOR FOOD

Here are some options for breakfast to start your day in The Hague off well:

  • Anne&Max – Kerkplein 4
  • Zèta – Grote Markt 28
  • Dudok – Hofweg 1a
  • Club Vers – Stationsweg 136A
  • Coffee-Star – Spui 68
  • Bleyenberg – Grote Markt 10

HET BINNENHOF – THE ‘INNER COURT’

I TRAVEL FOR HISTORY

DID YOU KNOW? While Amsterdam is the capital of The Netherlands, the Dutch government is seated in The Hague.

Start your day by stepping through the iconic gate (the one the King uses) at the ‘Binnenhof‘ (‘inner court’) into the heart of Dutch democracy.

Here, you’ll find not just the beautifully decorated court itself, but with a tour you can also admire the ‘Ridderzaal‘ (‘Knights Hall’) and the famous throne where the king yearly reads his speech at ‘Prinsjesdag‘.

ALSO READ: Meet the Dutch Royal Family at Prinsjesdag in The Hague, The Netherlands

From outside the courtyard, you can spot the Prime Minister’s ‘Torentje‘ (‘Little Tower’), from where all important political decisions are made.

MUSEUMS IN THE HAGUE

I TRAVEL FOR PERSONAL GROWTH

The Hague has many excellent museums if you’re interested to learn more about the history of the city and see some of the works of the most famous Dutch artists gathered in beautiful old buildings.

Here are some suggestions:

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

At this modern art museum, you can enjoy the unique collection of paintings by Piet Mondriaan, a massive silver collection and the beautifully decorated Delft Blue pottery. The building itself is unique too, designed by Dutch architect H.P. Berlage.

Haags Historisch Museum

This museum shows you the history of the city through cityscapes, portraits, glass collections, silverware, doll’s houses and royal memorabilia. Part of this museum is ‘Museum de Gevangenpoort‘ (‘Museum The Prison Gate’), which shows you the jailer’s quarters, interrogation room and judges’ chambers. The Museum has a history that stretches back seven centuries and is among the top 100 most important monuments in the Netherlands. GET TICKETS HERE >>

Mauritshuis

In this recently renovated museum, you will find the famous Mona Lisa of the North: the ‘Girl with a Pearl Earing’ painting by Johannes Vermeer (and you can get up and close too!), but there are over 800 other brilliant works by Dutch, Belgium and German painters to admire. The Rembrandt paintings are fantastic, for example! GET TICKETS HERE >

Gallerij Prins Willem V

This was the first public museum in The Netherlands (1774), displaying the Prince’s massive art collection. The walls were filled top to bottom, to show off the richness of his collection. This collection formed the base of the collection that you can now see in the Mauritshuis.

Escher at the Palace

The former palace of Queen Juliana (our King’s grandmother) is now dedicated to the works of M.C. Escher and it shows you how incredible optical illusions can be in a very interactive display. I was here years ago and would definitely visit again! GET TICKETS HERE >

Panorama Mesdag

This building features the biggest (1680 m2) and oldest (1881) existing 360-degree panorama painting of the Netherlands and I loved it a lot! The painting really is an optical illusion and painter H.W. Mesdag and his wife and other friend painters did such a great job capturing the view of Scheveningen and the ocean behind it. GET TICKETS HERE >

Humanity House

Here you can experience how it is to be caught up in a disaster or conflict as you walk in the shoes of a refugee. Seems like quite an interesting experience, definitely in these days, where this topic has become so relevant.

Louwman Museum

In the Louwman Museum, you will discover the largest collection of car-related paintings, illustrations, posters, sculptures and trophies in the world. GET TICKETS HERE >>

Nationaal Monument Oranjehotel

National Monument Oranjehotel consists of a Memorial Center with an exhibition. Learn about the 25,000 known and unknown prisoners of WWII. Take a look at the prison that was used in 1940-1945. GET TICKETS HERE >>

One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide To A Perfect City Break! || The Travel Tester

Vredespaleis (Peace Palace)

The Hague has a strong reputation when it comes to peace and justice. It is the only city outside New York to boast a main UN organ (the International Court of Justice) and world-level conferences are held often here. The Vredespaleis is one of the best places to learn more about topics of peace and justice. The American millionaire Andrew Carnegie financed most of the construction and it was completed in 1913. The peace palace was the only place in the world where international disputes were resolved before a court in order to prevent nations from fighting them out on the battlefield.

The peace flame burns beside the entrance and a monument with the inscription ‘May all beings find peace‘ is surrounded by the ‘World Peace Path’: a stone path with a history of 196 countries.

You can enter the visitor centre for free. There is also a free audio guide that I recommend you take, even if you’re not such a fan of audio guides in general, this one is quite informative and without it’s hard to understand the exhibition.

One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide To A Perfect City Break! || The Travel Tester

AFTERNOON IN THE HAGUE


LUNCH IN THE HAGUE

I TRAVEL FOR FOOD

There are many options for lunch in The Hague, here are some suggestions for the city centre:

  • Foodhallen – Haagsche Bluf 40
  • Food Court Hofhouse – Rijnstraat 10
  • De Boterwaag – Grote Markt 8a
  • Bleyenberg – Grote Markt 10
  • 6&24 – Nobelstraat 13
  • ‘t Goude Hooft – Dagelijkse Groenmarkt 13
  • L’Osteria – Grote Markt 16
  • Rootz – Grote Marktstraat 14
  • Tapisco – Kneuterdijk 11
  • Anne&Max – Kerkplein 4

SHOPPING IN THE HAGUE

I TRAVEL FOR CREATIVITY

Directly behind the Noordereinde lies the ‘Hofkwartier‘, the perfect place to shop in style. From art and antique shops to the finest clothing, this is the place to feel like a Royal.

The ‘Denneweg‘ is a must for lifestyle and design lovers and is one of the oldest shopping streets in The Hague.

If you are looking for a bit more affordable shops, try the ‘Grote Marktstraat‘ (straat=street), the ‘Passage‘ (the only remaining example in the Netherlands of this type of covered shopping street), the area called ‘Haagse Bluf‘ (hidden behind the Nieuwstraat, Venestraat and Vlamingstraat), the ‘Anna Paulownaplein‘ (plein=square), the ‘Frederik Hendriklaan‘ (almost 1km long) or the streets a bit more at the edge of the city, such as ‘Gentsestraat‘, ‘Stevinstraat‘ and ‘Harstenhoekplein‘.

One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide To A Perfect City Break! || The Travel Tester

THE HAGUE SKYVIEW DE PIER

I TRAVEL FOR INNOVATION

SkyView de Pier is the latest attraction in The Hague. From this gigantic Ferris wheel, you get a panoramic view of the sea, beach and skyline of The Hague. A ride on the Ferris wheel takes an average of 10 minutes.

GET TICKETS HERE >>

RELAX IN THE HAGUE

I TRAVEL FOR NATURE

While The Hague is pretty quiet already, it’s always nice to escape for a bit and sit down, right? Well, there is a perfect spot for this. Many people don’t know that you can actually enter the Noordeinde palace gardens!

For four centuries, The Hague has been the residence of the House of Orange. Noordeinde is the working palace where our king spends a lot of his time (when the flag is out, he’s in!). During his studies, he even lived next door! The area around it is quite posh, full of art galleries and other shops for the ‘Haagse Chique‘ (‘Hague Chique’).

The palace is not open for visitors but you can enter the palace gardens from the back! Great for a stroll, a run, some quiet time or a nice (royal) picnic. The gardens date back to 1609 when they were founded by Prince Frederik Hendrik for his mother Louise de Coligny. 

Check out the works of art hidden everywhere… or spot some parakeets flying around!

One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide To A Perfect City Break! || The Travel Tester
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WHICH ACTIVITIES TO DO?

The Travel Tester loves to review different types of tours and activities around the world.

From well-known tourist attractions to bucket list experiences and from guided tours to self-guided visits of historical places, interactive museums, viewpoints, local events and much more… if it looks interesting to us, we’ll test it!

No matter where you’re going, with our reviews you’ll know exactly where to find fun activities!

EVENING IN THE HAGUE


DINNER IN THE HAGUE

I TRAVEL FOR FOOD

In Summer, the travelling food-truck festival ‘TREK‘ (‘appetite’) is a great place to sample Dutch as well as international food. Besides great food from many different kitchens, some trucks also have their own entertainment, such as DJs, lounge areas, face paint, photo booths and games sections. There usually is also a podium with live music.

TIP: With a large community from Indonesia in The Hague, the ‘Archipel‘ neighbourhood is the best place to taste the Indonesian flavours that have become so familiar in The Netherlands.

The Hague also has a Chinatown.

If you’re a history-lover, then perhaps visit ‘‘t Goude Hooft‘, The Hague’s oldest inn, dating back to 1423.

One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide To A Perfect City Break! || The Travel Tester
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WHERE TO EAT, DRINK AND SHOP?

The Travel Tester loves to review restaurants and shops all around the world.

From (themed) restaurants, bars and cafes with local specialties to the best shops selling regional or handmade artisan products and unique souvenirs… if it looks interesting to us, we’ll test it!

No matter where you’re going, with our reviews you’ll know exactly where to find a fun hotspot!

GOT MORE TIME IN THE HAGUE?


SCHEVENINGEN BEACH

I TRAVEL FOR NATURE

In case you missed it, The Hague also has an 11-kilometre stretch of beach that you should definitely visit.

Being so close to the beach, The Hague is the perfect place to go wind-, kite- or wave surfing, but of course walking, running and cycling are also popular things to do here.

The Hague is also the place where sporting events like the ‘NK Surftour’, ‘The Hague Pro Freestyle’ (wakeboarding) and the world’s toughest and largest motocross race ‘Red Bull Knock Out’ are held.

ACTIVITY TIPS:

MADURODAM [MINIATURE WORLD]

I TRAVEL FOR HISTORY

I visited this miniature wonderland yeeeeeears ago with family and still remember it was a lot of fun to look at the small houses, the tiny cheese market and even a copy of the famous tulips of the Keukenhof.

Most of the displays are interactive and especially on a nice day, this makes a great visit.

GET TICKETS HERE >>

One Day in The Hague, Netherlands? Complete Guide To A Perfect City Break! || The Travel Tester
The Travel Tester || Creative & Cultural Travel Blog

WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT?

There is so much to explore in the world, how do you decide where to go next?

The Travel Tester is all about mindful travel and we love matching your passions to destinations on earth. So whether your travel for food, nature, creativity, history, culture, innovation, adrenaline, good karma or personal growth, we’ll have suggestions for you wherever you go.

Click the button below for more information and all our travel guides:

PRACTICAL INFO


VISIT THE HAGUE

Are you excited to visit the city of The Hague after reading our travel stories?

From Amsterdam, you can take the intercity train that goes directly to “Den Haag Centraal” (The Hague Central Station), it’s about 50 minutes. Check www.ns.nl for all information about trains.

The ‘OV-chipkaart‘ is the travel pass that can be used to travel all across The Netherlands (train, bus and tramlines), can be bought and topped up at the two train stations in The Hague (‘Den Haag Centraal‘ and ‘Den Haag HS‘), or from the Tourist information centre.

For travel within The Hague itself, you can use your OV-chipkaart, or get a 2-hour or day card to use on the “HTM” network. Visit the HTM website for more information.

More information is on the website of The Hague’s tourist board >> denhaag.com.

TOP ACTIVITIES IN THE HAGUE

TOP MUSEUMS IN THE HAGUE

TOP ACTIVITIES IN SCHEVENINGEN

MAP OF THE HAGUE

DISCLAIMER

We were hosted by Visit The Hague and #MustLoveFestivals on this trip.

Read our full disclaimer, privacy policy and code of ethics here.

Find a complete list of our partners here.

Interested in working together? Please reach out after reading this page.

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