Water everywhere you look. The Hague has both, the wild coast, sandy beaches and blades of grass in the wind, and the quiet canals, romantic canals and boats that sway in them like leftover wine corks after the big party. Emancipation is in full swing here, with people with good ideas coming from all corners of the world to the small town of 540,000 inhabitants on the North Sea. You can feel the buzz here, as sparks fly from every store that sets up shop here and every restaurant that opens its doors. Fleur Visser has lived here for ten years and knows The Hague’s most beautiful sides, which are not to be missed.
Hotels in The Hague
The fully furnished apartments of Visionapartments are located in the center of The Hague, right next to the train station. Cool interior, great location – what more could you want? If you’re on a tighter budget, stay at The Golden Stork hostel – sure, the eight to 15-bed rooms can be a bit cramped, but sleeping in the dormitory here feels like a vacation camp and pyjama party in one.
VISIONAPARTMENTS, Prins Willem Alexanderweg 219, The Hague, www.visionapartments.com
The Golden Stork, Bierkade 22, 2512 AB The Hague, www.thegoldenstork.com
Restaurants in The Hague
Hipsters are even making stealing from their neighbor’s plate hip: the concept is called “shared dining” and leads to full bellies and satisfied guests in the restaurants Jamey Bennett and Yuzu. Sushi fans will be happy at De Sushimeisjes (the Red Dragonroll is amazing!), breakfast fanatics at Club Vers, Pistache Cafe and Mugs & Mermaids. The Zwarte Pad beach club and the Bleyenberg rooftop bar with the best view of the city serve up great cocktails. Both are good places to get in the mood for an evening of partying.
Jamey Bennett, Plaats 11, 2513 AD The Hague, www.jameybennett.nl
Yuzu, Bierkade 6, 2512 AA The Hague, Netherlands, www.yuzu-denhaag.nl
De Sushimeisjes, Prins Hendrikstraat 96, 2518 HW The Hague, www.desushimeisjes.nl
Club Vers, Stationsweg 136a, 2515 BS The Hague, www.clubvers.nl
Pistache Cafe, Prinsestraat 134, 2513 CH The Hague, www.pistachecafe.nl
Mugs & Mermaids, Torenstraat 79, 2513 BP The Hague, www.mugsandmermaids.nl
Zwarte Pad, Zwarte Pad, 2586 HZ, The Hague, www.coloradocharlie.nl, www.beachclubindigo.nl, www.whoosah.nl
Bleyenberg, Grote Markt 10, 2511 BG The Hague, www.bleyenbergdenhaag.nl
Shopping in The Hague
The big names have already made it to The Hague, but boutiques and concept stores are only slowly catching up. If you want to stock up on clothes for the fall, it’s worth taking a trip to Delft or Leiden – only 30 minutes away by four-wheeler. However, you can also find jewelry in The Hague, very pretty jewelry at Wiezewasjes, and the most beautiful flowers at Bar & Zo.
Wiezewasjes, Papestraat 9, 2513 AV The Hague, www.wiezewasjes.nl
Bar & Zo, Prins Hendrikstraat 103, 2518 HM The Hague, www.bar-enzo.com
Party
In summer it’s the beach parties, in winter it’s the nightlife in the city center. Colorado Charlie, Indigo and Woosah are the best addresses in good weather, Grote Markt, Paardcafé or PIP are the ones to go to when the wind and cold make dancing outside impossible.
Colorado Charlie, Zwarte Pad 64, 2586 JM The Hague, www.coloradocharlie.nl
Indigo, Strandweg 65, 2586 JL The Hague, www.beachclubindigo.nl
Woosah, Zwarte Pad 66, 2586 JM Den Haag, www.whoosah.nl
Paardcafé, Prinsegracht 10, 2512 GA The Hague, www.paard.nl
PIP, Binckhorstlaan 36, 2516 BE The Hague, www.pipdenhaag.nl
Quarters
The fastest growing area in The Hague is the Zeeheldenkwartier, where small stores and new restaurants are springing up almost daily like mushrooms in high season. Binkhorst is also going full throttle – or rather its residents, all young, motivated people who really want to make a difference here. Also worth a detour: Scheveningen, Kijkduin and the beaches.
Must do
Art and culture lovers should not miss the Mauritshuis, the Escher Museum, Gevangenpoort and the Peace Palace. Make the most of good weather – for example on a boat trip through the canals or a day at the beach.
Mauritshuis, Plein 29, 2511 CS The Hague, www.mauritshuis.nl
Escher Museum, Lange Voorhout 74, 2514 EH The Hague, www.escherinhetpaleis.nl
Gevangenpoort, Buitenhof 33, 2513 AH The Hague, www.gevangenpoort.nl
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, www.vredespaleis.nl
Events
Long Night of the Museums, 5.10. Take this Saturday evening as an opportunity to experience history and culture by moonlight. www.denhaag.com
Fleur Visser
is manager at De Sushimeisjes.
loves traveling, sushi, motorcycles and her pets.
hates cockroaches.
Read our tips for a short break to Sintra here.