The Hague, a city overlooking the North Sea, is the seat of the Dutch parliament and government, as well as the residence of the King of the Netherlands. It has about 500,000 inhabitants, and is internationally known as the‘judicial capital of the world‘, as several international courts are based here.
These include the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court. Besides these institutions, The Hague is home to more than 150 international organisations, as well as many EU institutions, multinational companies and embassies.
This has given the city a truly international character. The Hague is not so much populated by casual tourists, on the contrary, it is literally taken by storm by foreigners working and living in the city.
Its inhabitants find the city very welcoming, thanks to its large green areas and 11 kilometres of coastline, not to mention the attractive shopping streets and a large multicultural scene. The Hague offers very interesting architecture, from the picturesque Binnenhof government complex to the large and majestic buildings along Lange Voorhout.
Many people think that The Hague (known in Dutch as Den Haag) is just a destination for businessmen or political meetings when, in fact, the city has a historical and architectural heritage to discover as well as a lively centre full of cafés and bars.
The Hague has been considered the executive and legislative capital of the country since the 16th century, so walking through its streets you can admire elegant buildings, historic churches and many other interesting sites. Among the stops not to be missed during a visit to the city are the Plein, the main square, the Grote Kerk and several museums.
The heart of the city is the Plein (Dutch for ‘square’), which is considered the oldest area of the city and the one that houses many historical buildings, restaurants and several cafés. You can sit at one of the outdoor tables of the cafés here to admire the everyday life of this elegant Dutch city.
In the centre of the square is the statue of William III of Orange, considered to be the founding father of the Dutch nation, while right next to it stands the Binnenhof complex, a building that has been the seat of the States General, i.e. the Dutch parliament, since the mid-15th century.
The Binnenhof (Dutch for ‘inner court’) is a complex containing several buildings and has been considered the seat of political life in the Netherlands since the 16th century. In the 13th century, this was a marshy area when Count Fiorenzo IV of the Netherlands decided to build a first fortress here as his residence.
In time, his heirs expanded and renovated the building, also constructing a defensive wall and moats. The 16th and 17th centuries saw a gradual transformation of the building into a parliamentary palace, which underwent several structural changes over the years.
Today, the two chambers of parliament and the Dutch prime minister’s offices are located here in a tower known as Het Torentje (‘the turret’). Most of the complex can be visited on guided tours and one of the stops not to be missed is the Knights’ Hall (Ridderzaal), which was once used as a banquet hall.
The Great Church, in Dutch Grote Kerk, is The Hague’s main church building and one of the oldest in the city. Built in the 15th century in Gothic style, the church, dedicated to St. James, stands in the area that once housed the city’s markets and its structure has been expanded several times over time to accommodate an increasing number of worshippers.
Inside, one can still find valuable works such as an oak pulpit from the 16th century, several wooden panels painted with coats of arms of the Knights of the Golden Fleece and high-quality frescoes attributed to Dirck and Wouter Crabeth.
Few people are aware that The Hague boasts museums of great artistic interest that also house renowned works of art. One of these is the Mauritshuis Museum, also known as the Royal Mauritshuis Gallery, located in a 17th century building that was once the residence of Count Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen.
Inside you can admire several works by the most famous Dutch painters such as Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ and Rembrandt’s ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp’. Other famous artists present are Rubens, Potter, Hals.
The Statenkwartier district borders the Old Town area and is a lively and dynamic area where many restaurants, bars and clubs can be found. Walking through its narrow streets, you can admire historical buildings, Art Nouveau buildings, houses dating back to the 19th century and several villas designed by architect Hendrik Berlage, one of the forerunners of modern architecture. Also located in the Statenkwartier area are the Museon, the Omniversum, the Gemeentemuseum and the Photographic Museum of The Hague.
In the Statenkwartier area is the Gemeentemuseum, which houses modern art of great interest. The museum is housed in a brick building constructed around 1934 which is considered to be the last architectural design by the Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage (1856 – 1934).
Inside you can admire the collection that belonged to Salomon Bernard Slijper, who was a great fan of the artist Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan (1872-1944), known as the founder of neoplasticism. Other creations that can be admired here were made by important artists such as Pablo Picasso, Charley Toorop, Theo van Doesburg, Francis Bacon and Bart van der Leck.
The Peace Palace is one of the city’s most famous buildings as it is home to the International Court of Justice, the Academy of International Law and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Palace was built around 1913 using granite, sandstone and brick and is a combination of the Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine styles.
Although it can only be visited inside on sporadic occasions, it is worth admiring its beauty from the outside and visiting the Peace Palace Visitor Centre, which houses an interactive exhibition on the history of peace movements.
The Escher Museum, located in a historic building in the city centre, houses an extensive collection of works by the famous Dutch artist M.C. Escher, known for his works of geometric art and optical illusionism. including drawings, engravings, etchings, lithographs and textiles, as well as some of his original manuscripts. The museum’s permanent exhibition covers Escher’s entire artistic career, from his early works influenced by nature and the beauty of the Dutch landscape, including those that made his unique and unmistakable style famous.
Among Escher’s most famous works that can be seen at the museum are Relativity (1953), a lithographic print depicting an impossible building in which stairs and doors seem to make no sense, and Drawing Hands (1948), a print showing two hands drawing on each other in an endless loop.
Madurodam is a theme park that reproduces the most important and characteristic places in the Netherlands in miniature. Opened in 1952, the park covers an area of about 62,000 square metres and consists of more than 300 miniature models, realised with astonishing precision.
Monuments and buildings represented in the park include Schiphol Airport, the Afsluitdijk Dam, the Port of Rotterdam, the Peace Palace in The Hague and Amsterdam’s Dam Square; it is a very popular attraction with tourists and offers a fun and educational experience for the whole family.
The National Oranjehotel Museum is located in Scheveningen, the seaside district of The Hague, and tells the story of the Oranjehotel prison during World War II. The museum was opened in 2019 and is located right next to the site where the prison once stood.
Inside the museum, visitors can learn in detail about the history of the Oranjehotel prison and the people who were imprisoned there. You can discover a large collection of objects, documents and photographs documenting the life of the prisoners, their stories and the Dutch resistance’s fight for freedom against the Nazi occupation.
The Sea Life Scheveningen aquarium is also located in the seaside district of The Hague, a few kilometres from the centre. Opened in 1991, it is home to a wide range of marine species from all over the world, including sharks, rays, sea turtles, tropical fish and many other aquatic creatures, divided into several thematic areas representing different marine habitats, such as the coral reef, the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.
Highlights include the underwater tunnel, where visitors can walk through a glass tunnel surrounded by sharks and other large fish, and the interactive tanks, where visitors can touch and interact with certain marine species.
Since The Hague was founded on an ancient hunting ground, there are a variety of parks and green spaces that are ideal for spending time outdoors. The most famous parks are the Clingendael, the Westbroekpark and the Haagse Bos.
Like most cities in the Netherlands, The Hague is literally teeming with bicycles and it is easy to get from place to place by this means if you fancy a ride outside the city centre. Scheveningen can be a suitable destination; it’s a place full of cafés built on the waterfront and here you’ll find the largest pier in the Netherlands, not far from the Scheveningse Bosjes park.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.
The Hague is not a very big city, but choosing where to stay can be important if you want to get to know and fully experience the atmosphere of the city.
The recommended area to stay is in the historic centre and nearby streets where most of the city’s attractions are located, such as the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis Museum. Here you can choose from a fair number of establishments in different price ranges.
Those who want to stay in a quiet area but not far from the city centre can look for accommodation near the Peace Palace. This area is well served by several tram and bus lines that make it easy to travel to other areas of The Hague.
To get to The Hague by plane, you can choose to land atRotterdam Airport, the nearest airport, or at Amsterdam Airport. Train connections are very efficient to almost all major cities in Central Europe.
Getting to The Hague from Amsterdam is very easy: the train takes only 45 minutes, but be careful because it leaves from Amsterdam Zuid station and not from Amsterdam Centraal.
The distance separating the two cities by car, on the other hand, is only 56 kilometres, the journey takes less than an hour and passes through, although mostly along the motorway, the idyllic Dutch countryside.
Alternatively, choose a guided tour that will take you from the Dutch capital to some of the most beautiful places in the surrounding area, such as The Hague.
Getting around the city is easy thanks to the excellent tram and bus service, and there is a smart card, the OV Chipkaart, which is a rechargeable card for travelling on the various means of transport. The centre of The Hague remains small, however, so it is very easy to get around on foot or by bicycle.
Over the past 10 years, the city has undergone a major infrastructural development; a tram tunnel has been built under Grote Marktstraat and a new light rail system (RandstadRail) has been constructed, connecting it with the neighbouring cities of Zoetermeer and Rotterdam.
What's the weather at The Hague? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at The Hague for the next few days.
The Hague is a coastal town on the North Sea, situated between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, a few kilometres from the latter.
Hotel 
Budget accommodations 
Apartments 
Family Hotel 
Luxury Hotel 
House Boats