The Hague
Where the Dutch are governed and the King keeps his office, with the Girl with a Pearl Earring two minutes from parliament and the North Sea at the end of tram line 1.
- Arrival
- Amsterdam Schiphol · AMS
- To the city
- About 45 km from Schiphol; 20 km from Rotterdam The Hague
- Private jets
- Jet Aviation at Rotterdam The Hague · RTM
- Best time
- June to September
The city
Parliament, palace and the beach.
The Hague is where the Netherlands is governed, though Amsterdam is the capital. The Binnenhof and its Knights' Hall have been the centre of Dutch politics for centuries; a short walk away, the Mauritshuis hangs the Girl with a Pearl Earring, and on Noordeinde a flag over the palace tells passers-by that the King is at his desk.
On Lange Voorhout stands the Hotel Des Indes, a town house built in 1858 for the royal treasurer that took its first guests in 1881. From the Peace Palace, tram 1 reaches the Kurhaus at Scheveningen in twelve minutes, and the pier beyond it is open until ten at night.
Arriving
Schiphol for airlines, Rotterdam for jets.
Two airports serve the city. Schiphol, about 45 kilometres away, is the airline gateway. Rotterdam The Hague Airport, about 20 kilometres from the centre, is the one private flights prefer.
- London 50 min
- Geneva 1 h 15
- Casablanca 3 h 20
- San Francisco 11 h 40 long-range jet
- Cape Town 12 h 45 long-range jet
When to go
June to September.
Mild and maritime, with the sea tempering both seasons. From June to September the afternoons reach eighteen to twenty-one degrees; from October the rain builds, peaking in November at over ninety millimetres, and winter highs stay in single figures.
- 5° J 70
- 6° F 46
- 9° M 62
- 11° A 47
- 16° M 51
- 19° J 62
- 20° J 71
- 21° A 70
- 18° S 82
- 14° O 87
- 10° N 93
- 7° D 81
What to see and do
Days in and around The Hague.
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Landmark
The Mauritshuis
A small museum of Dutch masters beside the Binnenhof, home of the Girl with a Pearl Earring.
-
Landmark
The Peace Palace
Its visitor centre opens from eleven to four, a short tram ride from the sea.
-
Landmark
Scheveningen
The seaside quarter, with the Kurhaus on the beach and a pier looking out over the North Sea.
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Culture
Panorama Mesdag
A 360 degree painting of Scheveningen by Hendrik Willem Mesdag, shown with works by him and by his wife Sientje Mesdag-van Houten.
Official site -
Culture
Kunstmuseum Den Haag
Berlage's last building holds more than 160,000 works, among them a major Mondrian collection, plus fashion and decorative arts.
Official site -
Culture
Escher in Het Paleis
Over 120 prints by Maurits Escher hang in Queen Emma's former winter palace on Lange Voorhout.
Official site -
Golf
Koninklijke Haagsche Golf & Country Club
Founded in 1893 and the oldest golf club in the Netherlands, it plays an 18 hole Colt, Alison and Morrison course through the Meijendel dunes.
Official site -
Culture
Royal Delft
Delftware has been made here since 1653, and the museum and atelier show how the blue and white pottery is painted.
Official site -
Nature
Keukenhof
Millions of tulips, daffodils and other bulb flowers fill the gardens at Lisse during one short spring season.
Official site
Where to stay
On Lange Voorhout and by the sea.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Hotel Des Indes Built in 1858 for the treasurer of King Willem III and a hotel since 1881, with 92 rooms and suites, renovated in 2025.
- Grand Hotel Amrâth Kurhaus Right on the beach at Scheveningen, with wide wellness facilities and the tram stop at its door.
- De Plesman Hotel The Hague One MICHELIN Key, with more than a hundred rooms and serviced residences for longer stays.
- Central Park Voorburg An eighteenth-century country house and national monument with fourteen rooms, a rococo staircase, one Key and a starred restaurant.
Where to dine
The best tables in town.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Calla's One Michelin star French, creative €€€€ The Hague
- Central Park One Michelin star Modern €€€€ Central Park Voorburg
- 't Ganzenest One Michelin star French, modern €€€€ Rijswijk
- Portfolio MICHELIN Guide French, modern €€€€ The Hague
- Villa la Ruche MICHELIN Guide French, modern €€€€ Voorburg
- EVE Paleisstraat by Erik van Loo MICHELIN Guide Modern €€€ Paleisstraat, The Hague
- Bog MICHELIN Guide Creative €€€ The Hague
- Elea MICHELIN Guide Modern €€€ The Hague
Flying to The Hague?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.