A plan for The Hague

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.

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.

1 Plein (southwest from Centraal Station along Herengracht and Korte Poten). This square — Plein simply translates as 'square' in English — is one of the most elegant in the centre. Located right next to the Binnenhof, it is lined with historic government buildings on three of its four sides. The north side is lined with bars and cafés, which spill out onto the square in summer. These sidewalk cafés are quite popular with politicians from the neighbouring Binnenhof, and even Prime Minister Mark Rutte can be spotted here with a pint regularly. The square is also the scene for demonstrations against government policies. The statue in the middle is that of William of Orange, heralded as the founding father of the Dutch nation.

2 Binnenhof (northwest of the Plein, trams 1 and 9 (Spui stadhuis stop), trams 2, 3, 4 & 6 (Spui/Centrum stop)), ☏ +31 70 7570200, info@binnenhofbezoek.nl. No visits possible, the Binnenhof is closed for restauration. The Binnenhof (Inner Court) is a castle built in the 13th century as residence of the count of Holland. Ever since, it has almost subsequently been the seat of the government of Holland, and later all of the Netherlands. It used to be surrounded by moats on all sides. Since then it has been modified countless times to accommodate the expanding Dutch government. The moats have been filled, but the castle still borders on a pond (the Hofvijver, Court Pond). In its waters the old buildings continue to mirror themselves. Today, the Binnenhof houses the two chambers of the Dutch parliament and the Prime Minister's office in a small octagonal tower opposite the Mauritshuis. Enter through one of the gates on Plein or Buitenhof and you will find yourself in a medieval enclosed courtyard, surrounded by architecture from the 13th up to the 19th century.

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.

Parks

1 Park Clingendael. Japanese Garden: late April to mid-June and 2 weeks in mid-October. A part of a former estate, the park is best known for its Japanese garden, one of the oldest (1910) in Europe. While the garden is open only a short period of time, the surrounding area is open all year long. Free admission. (updated Jun 2016)

2 Westbroekpark. An English-style park from the 1920s. Renowned for its Rosarium or rose garden, with 20,000 different varieties of roses blooming from June until November. The park includes a restaurant with lovely views. (updated Jun 2016)

3 Haagse Bos. This park is the oldest forested area in the country. It stretches from the suburb of Wassenaar to the northeast and goes right to the doorstep of Centraal Station, where there is a small fenced off area with deer. Haagse Bos also has a large birds-nest built on top of a pole with which the local municipality has succeeded in attracting a pair of storks, since the stork is in the city's emblem. Huis ten Bosch, the King's palace (not open to the public), is located there. (updated Jun 2016)

Other attractions

4 Museon, Stadhouderslaan 37 (next to the Gemeentemuseum), ☏ +31 70 3381338, info@museon.nl. Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00. An interactive science museum, very popular with school groups and younger crowds. €7.50.

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.

Budget

1 't Achterommetje, Achterom, 71 (across the parliament). A nice place for a standard Dutch lunch or a coffee. (updated Aug 2023)

2 Isaku Iki, Anna Paulownastraat 17, ☏ +31 70 3920033. This Indonesian place has restaurant area and take-away service. (updated Aug 2023)

3 Dudok, Hofweg 1a, ☏ +31 70 8900100. Dudok lies right opposite the Binnenhof and is quite popular with politicians and the public out shopping. (updated Aug 2023)

4 Irodion, Grote Markt 19, ☏ +31 70 3636623. Greek restaurant in the city centre. It is made up of two restaurants; the first one is fast food take out, where you can get the ubiquitous giros and tzatziki, with a generous portion of French fries. The second part is a fancier eat-in restaurant. Highly recommended. (updated Aug 2023)

5 Dagelijks Lekker, Spuistraat 69A. Sandwiches. (updated Aug 2023)

6 Chinny Broodjes, Kettingstraat 10. Surnamese. (updated Aug 2023)

7 Baladi Manouche, Torenstraat 95. Lebanese. (updated Aug 2023)

8 Falafel en Hummus, Raamstraat 13, ☏ +31 70 4062351, info@falafelenhummus.nl. A small restaurant serving all vegetarian and mostly vegan food. (updated Aug 2023)

Mid-range

Indonesian, city centre

9 Poentjak, Kneuterdijk 16, ☏ +31 70 3600522. Interior is a time-warp to the 1920s. €30-40. (updated Aug 2023)

10 Soeboer, Brouwersgracht 29, ☏ +31 70 783 0 283. Mon-Thu 16:00-21:00, Fri-Sun 16:00-22:00. Small restaurant, since 1958. Nasi Rames for €12.95 is an excellent menu for take out. ~€10-25 for dinner. (updated Jun 2023)

Bars and pubs

1 De Grote Markt. Sun Mon Tue Wed 10:00-01:00; Thu Fri Sat 10:00-01:30. Throughout the centuries the market square of The Hague has transformed into a grand outdoor café surrounded by bars and clubs. From early in the morning, until late at night you’ll find people having a good time here. In the summertime, the ‘Grote Markt’ is often home to musical events.

Boterwaag. Opposite September, housed in a former weighing building it's a spacious and atmospheric venue. The Boterwaag is a wheelchair-accessible cafe.

September. Next to De Zwarte Ruiter.

Supermarkt. Wed 21:00-01:00; Thu Fri Sat 09:09-03:00. A bar cum live rock venue, next to September and De Zwarte Ruiter.

VaVoom Tikiroom. Alternative, surf style bar run by tattooed people.

Zeta, Grote Markt 28. Located between De Zwarte Ruiter and VaVoom Tikiroom.

Zwarte Ruiter, Grote Markt 27. Located between Zeta and Supermarkt.

2 Rootz, Grote Marktstraat 14 (near Grote Markt), ☏ +31 70 363 9988, info@rootz.nl. Sun-Thu 10:00-24:00, Fri Sat 10:00-04:00. Over 300 kinds of beer. (updated Jun 2023)

3 27 Club, Achterom 8, ☏ +31 6 48104541. Named after artists who died 27 years old, among who Brian Jones, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse.

4 Cafe Momfer de Mol, Oude Molstraat 19, ☏ +31 70 4278733, momferdemolfoto@gmail.com. Cafe Momfer de Mol is located in the centre of the old Hague a place steeped in history. The cafe in its present form has been in existence since 2003, and is one of the finest laid-back cafe-bars of the city. The warm interiors and the informal ambiance at the cafe, are ideal allies to its delightful snack menu.

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:

Cafe Cremers, Prinsestraat 84. A great pub and coffeeshop with great DJs. The one place where international visitors gather to smoke and drink. Don't miss it.

Ceylon, Edisonstraat 98.

Fly High, Rijswijkseweg 229.

Seventh Planet, Loosduinseweg 741.

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:

A (high level) for 3 to Loosduinen, 4 to eventcentre De Uithof;

B (high level) for 2 to Kraayenstein and 6 to Leyenburg via Haagse Markt;

C (high level) for 2 to Leidschendam via Laan van NOI and 6 to Leidschendam via Mariahoeve station;

D (high level) for 3 and 4 to Zoetermeer;

E (low level) for 9 to Scheveningen via Madurodam and 16 to Statenkwartier via Buitenhof;

F (low level) for 15 to Nootdorp via Buitenhof and Hollands Spoor;

G (low level) for 17 to Wateringen via Hollands Spoor and Rijswijk;

H (low level) for 9 to Vrederust via Hollands Spoor and 16 to Wateringen via Hollands Spoor and Moerwijk.

Furthermore, buses stop above the railway tracks and how to reach them is indicated through signage.

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.

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.