View of the modern skyline of The Hague, with the Binnenhof parliament buildings in the forefront of the photo undergoing renovation, February 2025.
"I thought The Hague was just this giant Peace Palace (www.vredespaleis.nl), and for a long time never realised it has a whole city to it," a tourist from Australia once told me during a day group outing we were both on at a faraway holiday destination for both of us. If indeed one only sees the seat of the International Court of Justice on TV news, one might not realise what else The Hague has to offer.
Turns out, a lot. To the Dutch not living near or in The Hague, the city is mostly known as the location of the national government and of the royal family. It goes by two names in Dutch, with Den Haag being the most common. 's-Gravenhage gives more away of its origins: the Count's Hague, or - back in the days of 1242 - the hunting grounds of a nobleman.
For the first big part of my life, I lived a relatively short bus trip away from The Hague. So for me, The Hague was the city where we went to buy clothes and later cool records, where people from the villages nearby went for hospital treatment, and where we went out for beers, music and fun with friends.
International visitors also seem to like the beaches of Scheveningen that are an easy reach by tram in 10 to 15 minutes of The Hague. The Hague itself has also its own beach, and every New Year the inhabitants of The Hague and those of Scheveningen compete village in who has the biggest bonfire. Scheveningen was never independent though, but don't tell a Scheveninger (person living in Scheveningen) he/she/they is a Hagenees or Hagenaar (person living in The Hague).
The Knight's Hall (Ridderzaal) inside the Binnenhof, July 2009.
The mirror-clad Prison Gate just outside the Binnenhof area, February 2025.
Binnenhof and surroundings
The Binnenhof (Inner Court) has been the centre of politics ever since the 13th century, first as residence of the counts of Holland and in 1584 as the parliament of the Dutch Republic later turned into the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In short, it has been in use as the floor for the people's representation for a tremendously long time. Between 1248 and 1280, the Ridderzaal (Knight's Hall) was built in the heart of the Binnenhof. Initially meant as a ballroom, all Dutch know it for the third Tuesday of September, when the Dutch monarch reads out the plans of the government in Troonrede (Speech of the Throne), the Dutch equivalent of the US State of the Union.
Adjacent to the Binnenhof are a few interesting places to visit. This includes the Mauritshuis, an art museum with famous works by Dutch masters such as Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals and Jacob van Ruisdael. Next to the Mauritshuis and the Binnenhof is a popular square for lunch and nightlight, simply called Plein (Square) in Dutch.
On the other side of the Binnehof, the Gevangenpoort (Prisoner's Gate) is worth noting. This is a former gate between the inner and outer courts and was once a prison, with its tunnel section currently clad in mirrors, giving it a modern touch liked by some, disliked by others.
The Binnenhof and its pond with the first high rises in the background in May 2009.
View at a square simply called Plaats (Place) in Dutch, and the Kneuterdijk road. In the downleft corner the Gevangenpoort.
Hofkwartier (Court Quarter)
South of the Binnenhof the Qourt Quarter is the posh shopping area of The Hague, with the Noordeinde Palace as its jewel. The palace are the royal offices, where the Dutch monarch - currently King Willem-Alexander, e.g. receives new ambassadors when they present themselves for the first time to the Dutch head of state. The Hofkwartier - as it is called in Dutch - is a nice to stroll through and has some cool bars and restaurants, not as pricey as some of its upperclass clothing shops.
View towards Noordeinde from the Heulstraat
Noordeinde Palace with the statue of Prince William the First
A spectaculair tree offers a nice seating area just in front of the royal palace.
View from the uninteresting publicly accessible part of the palace garden.
The Molenstraat (Mill Street) does no longer have a mill.
A cute café in the Hofkwartier area
The former city hall of The Hague of 1565.
Apart from fashion and some signs, nothing much else has changed in the Hoogstraat (High Street). This photo is from July 2004.
The Hague Central Station
Built between 1970 and 1976, The Hague Central Station (Den Haag CS) was meant to bring travellers faster and closer to the national government offices. It replaced Staatsspoor station and augmented the historic Hollands Spoor station, which still exists today. Thereby, The Hague had been the only city in the Netherlands that for a long time had two railway hubs. Hollands Spoor serves the ongoing trains between Amsterdam/Leiden and Delft/Rotterdam, while Den Haag CS serves terminating trains, as the 12 tracks are the end of the lines.
To manage the growing number of train travellers, which reached nearly 200,000 in 2010, a renewed terminal building was opened in 2016. Designed by Benthem Crouwel architects, it brought a lot more natural light to the travellers as the previous roof was closed. The glass roof has cool diamond-shaped panels, which can be opened to let air in when the weather it hot, and they apparently also improve the acoustics of the 20,000 square metre (215,278 sq ft) big terminal. Check the architects' website (www.benthemcrouwel.com) for more on their work.
The bus terminal on top of the railway station underwent changes during the years, and the addition of the Rotterdam metro line added another adjacent terminal in 2016. Local trams rotate partly into the main terminal, coming up from a tunnel system underneath the inner-city of The Hague, and partly stop by in front of the main terminal.
Den Haag CS seen from the tram station inside the terminal, one floor up, October 2024
Trains on ground level and trams above, August 2016.
The innovative glass roof with diamond panels.
Just around the corner of The Hague Central station is tram stop The Hague Beatrixkwartier, designed by Zwarts & Jansma architects. Because of the outer design of the station, the local nickname for this place is "fishnet stocking" ("netkous" in Dutch).Photo of May 2009.
Beatrixkwartier tram stop, May 2009
Scheveningen
Scheveningen started as a fishing village in the 1300s. For centuries, it lacked a harbour, so the fishermen sailed out to sea by pushing off and landing their boats on the beach. This scene was beautifully caught - in king-size - by the painter Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his panorama of 1881 can still be look at today (panorama-mesdag.nl).
The ink was hardly dry or Scheveningen developed as a beach resort. In 1884 the Kurhaus, a hotel resort, opened - burned down - and was rebuilt in the same Italian renaissance style. It still dominates the beachfront today, but the clear view from the sea is somewhat obscured by newer venues on the beach, with infrastructural improvements ongoing in 2024 and 2025.
Eye-catcher on the Scheveningen beach is the Scheveningse Pier. It was originally built in 1961 and renovated between 2013 and 2015. The viewing tower of 45 metres (148 feet) high gives one an extraordinary view over the North Sea with clear weather. The ferris wheel Skyview Scheveningen was added in 2016.
Although Scheveningen has always been an administrative part of The Hague, the inhabitants of Scheveningen will be offended if you consider them to be.
The Kurhaus in Scheveningen, July 2004
A series of photos of Scheveningen beach at and near the Pier. The first, third and forth taken in 2004, the second one in this series is from 2009.
Underneath the Scheveningse Pier on a sunny day in February 2025
Scheveningen beach, seen from the pier. View towards the north on a windy August morning, 2024
Bungee jumping from the Pier of Scheveningen, July 2009.
A series of photos of Scheveningen beach at and near the Pier, February 2025.