I’ve lived in The Hague for almost 7 years and in that time I’ve got to know the city very well. The Hague is the political capital of The Netherlands and the international city of peace and justice. The city breathes history and charm because of all the beautiful buildings and the city is very green.
Of course, what you should do on a weekend in The Hague depends on the weather. If the sun is out, go to the beach of Scheveningen and pick one of the many beach clubs to chill. You could also go shopping and enjoy some good food. But The Hague also has a lot of museums and historical buildings. In this walking tour, the focus is on the last two highlights.
I’ve set out a walking tour in The Hague for you. The directions for the cycling tour will follow soon on TeppieTravels.com.
Tip: Click the layers on and off in this map with the (square) button on the left in the grey beam.
Walking tour The Hague
This route is about 6 kilometres long. It totally depends on yourself how long it will take you to do the whole tour; are you going to visit all the highlights, or are you going to speed up and only stop until you reach the cafes.
Tip: Open this blog on your smartphone, click on the Google Maps map at the top of this blog and via the button in the grey beam (a square with a small arrow on the left) you can switch the layers “Walking route in The Hague” and “Highlights” on. Now the Google Maps App opens and it’s very easy to follow the itinerary. GPS will show you where you are (that blue dot 😉 ).
This walking tour will take you to the following highlights in The Hague:
- A) If you’re not from The Hague, you’ll probably start from The Hague Central Station. Here you could also take a tram to the beach or rent a bike (OV-fiets) to do the cycling tour. In order to use an OV-fiets, you must have a (free of charge) season ticket. Check this website for more information about renting an OV-fiets.
- The first part will take you over the famous “Het Plein”.
- B) Walk past the Mauritshuis (also definitely worth a visit!) through the old gate to Het Binnenhof; the political centre of Holland for centuries. The complex was built in the 13th century and has been used by the political leaders of Holland since.
- If you cross Het Binnenhof you’ll end up at Het Buitenhof and you can walk the Lange Vijverberg to take a look at “het Torentje” (the Tower), the office of the Prime-minister;
- C) Walk towards the most beautiful street of The Netherlands: Lange Voorhout, with her beautiful lime trees and historical buildings. Frequently there are antique and book markets and other events like food festivals at Lange Voorhout.
- At the corner of Lange Voorhout is the famous Hotel des Indes. The hotel was built in 1858 as a city palace and has been a hotel since 1881.
Tip: You could have a delicious Michelin star dinner at restaurant Calla’s or treat yourself with a high tea. - D) Walk along the lively Denneweg with a lot of nice restaurants and past the Mauritskade to Plein 1813. Plein 1813 is the independence square in The Hague. At this oval roundabout you’ll see the statue remembering conquering Napoleon and the beginning of the independence of the “Kingdom of The Netherlands”.
- E) From there you’re very close to the Panorama Mesdag. This panorama painted by Hendrik Willem Mesdag shows a 360 graden view at the beach of Scheveningen in 1881. You could choose to only visit this impressive panoramic or also admire the rest of the museum collection, about 100 paintings of Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten.
- F) Continue along the Zeestraat to Het Vredespaleis (the Peace Palace), which houses the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Courts settles disputes submitted by States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies.
- Tip: Make a reservation for a tour in this impressive building and the surrounding historical gardens in advance and/or visit the informative Visitor’s Centre.
- G) Stop at the mondaine Anna Palownaplein for a coffee, lunch or drinks, for example at Room. If the weather allows, the roundabout is filled with tables.
- H) If you continue the route, you’ll walk past the Royal Stables (Koninklijke stallen). A royal carriage is still leaving the stables a couple times a month on Wednesdays with the newly appointed ambassadors who present their letters of credence to the King in Paleis Noordeinde (Palace Noordeinde). If you happen to be in The Hague on a Wednesday, please watch the ceremony at Paleis Noordeinde.
- Via the planned route you’ll walk through the Palace Garden (Paleistuin) and you can get a glimpse of the back of Palace Noordeinde. But you could also take a little detour and walk along the beautiful shopping street Noordeinde. In that case you’ll also pass the front of Paleis Noordeinde;
- I) Don’t skip the Oude Molstraat at the end of the walk for a well deserved drink! My favorites for a drink are the traditional “brown cafés” Huppel the Pub, Café Momfer de Mol next door and Le Café, the French neighbour opposite. At “de Huppel” the beginning of the weekend starts on Friday around 18:30 uur with a gin (in Dutch: “jenever”) on the house. The owners will tell a short story about the drink and everybody in the pub will cheer (“proosten”) to the weekend together! If it’s not raining, the pub live will partly take place in the narrow street (this leads to some frustration to ignorant cyclists trying to pass).
- J) Another well-known place for “Haagse” drinks – besides Het Plein of course – is the Grote Markt (Big Market). Have a beer on the terrace of De Zwarte Ruiter (if you’re lucky a live band is performing) or order a rotisserie chicken with a beer on the side at Hoender en Hop.
- K) You can return to the Central Station after a day full of history and well-fed.
I would really like to know what you think of this itinerary. If you have completed the route or if you have any questions, please let me know in a reaction (below) or via the contact page.
I’ll share more of my favorite places in The Hague soon on TeppieTravels.com. I have só many not to miss hotspots for this city (restaurants, activities, beach clubs and more museums)!
Planning to visit Rotterdam? Read my blog about my 8 favorite places for a drink in Rotterdam.
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