When traveling, do you ever find yourself somewhere you didn’t entirely plan to go but actually end up loving it? That’s sort of what happened with The Hague. It wasn’t initially on our itinerary but circumstances took us there and our two days of cheese and charm in The Hague were one of the highlights of our trip.
Once upon a time my food-obsessed friend and I went to Spain and France and recently decided it was time for round 2. This time we picked Amsterdam and Berlin to explore through food and culture. But when it came to book our hotels, we discovered Amsterdam was having a huge festival that made hotels pricey. So we decided to stay in The Hague for a few days before heading to the famous Dutch city.
The Hague is the capital of South Holland and best known for the international criminal court. What’s not as well known is that the charming city sits right on the beach and is well worth a visit in itself. Here’s why you should visit The Hague.
Two Days of Cheese & Charm in The Hague
(and Why You Should Visit)
You can see the entire country without leaving The Hague.
Heather and I flew into the Amsterdam airport and hopped on the train to The Hague. The 30-minute ride passes random windmills and flower fields plus a few little cities for good measure. Once we checked into the The Hague Marriott, we suddenly realized that we hadn’t done any research on what to do there.
Going off the only recommendation we had, we started at the Madurodam. The Madurodam is sort of like an outdoor museum of all the significant sites in Netherlands but miniature. The Dutch palaces, cathedrals, and museums are 1/125 their real size and recreated down to the littlest detail. It’s like a dollhouse-sized world of the entire country! It was great to do first because it helped us decide what we wanted to see in real life.
The Madurodam is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the entire country. Yes it’s touristy, but it was fun too. My favorite part was the miniature replica of a wooden shoe factory that “made” tiny clogs we took as souvenirs!
The Hague sits on a beautiful beach.
After sightseeing the entire country, we went to the beach for dinner. The Hague sits right at the edge of the North Sea, providing a beautiful beach with a restaurant-packed pier and striking views.
The city center of The Hague is just a 15 minute drive to the beach, where there are dozens of restaurants serving every cuisine imaginable, shops and stores, and — obviously — the ocean. The Pier itself has a zip line and ferris wheel, but we opted to walk along the water until we found a restaurant that caught our eye.
Of course we picked seafood next to the seashore at Oceans Beach House. We sipped on gin and tonics while eating our weight in oysters, mussels in garlic butter sauce, and spicy shrimp while watching the sunset. It’s hard to beat a meal like that!
The Hague is the perfect home base for day trips.
The next day we used The Hague’s central location to explore more of South Holland. We hopped on the train again, this time to Gouda. Gouda was adorably charming and easily the highlight of our whole trip! We also stopped in Delft, known for the Delft Blue pottery, before returning to The Hague.
Rotterdam, the tulip fields in Lisse, the windmills at Kinderdijk, the canals of Giethoorn, and of course Amsterdam all are possible to see in a day trip from the Hague. We pulled off our day trip by ourselves, but there are tours that do the work for you. Here’s more about our day in Gouda and Delft.
The Hague is Full of Palaces and Pretty Architecture
After our day eating gouda in Gouda, we returned to the Hague’s historic old town to see The Binnenhof. The Binnenhof is the iconic trademark of The Hague. Built in the 13th Century, the former castle complex is the world’s oldest House of Parliament still in use. Nearby is the Mauritshuis, a former house on a lake converted into an art museum showcasing Dutch artists. The most famous piece is the Girl with the Pearl Earring (you know, that painting).
The Hague is also home to the Dutch Royal Family. Or at least it’s where two of their three palaces are located. The Noordeinde Palace and Huis ten Bosch Palace, both built in 1645, are not open to the public but can be admired from the street. The Kneuterdijk Palace, which is no longer a royal palace but a government building, is open for tours. All three conjure fairytale princess dreams (or at least architecture envy).
And there’s the Peace Palace, which actually isn’t a palace but the home of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations. Not only can you tour the elaborate building, you can also tour the massive gardens.
The Hague is a complete contrast from Amsterdam.
Once we got to Amsterdam a few days after arriving in The Hague, we were a bit overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of it. Swarms of bikes buzzed by on the street while scooters whizzed passed and cars dodged us as we tried to navigate the city. Turns out we arrived right at rush hour (so it was more hectic than usual), but it was a striking contrast to the calm, quiet streets of The Hague.
Images of Amsterdam tend to overtake many people’s idea of The Netherlands, with its uniformly narrow architecture and rows of canals. It’s iconic for sure — and just as beautiful in person. But The Hague, without the same architecture or any canals, was completely different. It made me rethink my idea of The Netherlands and, together with our day trips to other places in Holland, helped me build a better, more complete image of the country.
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The Hague was a perfect place to start our adventure through Holland and Berlin. It was relaxing and charming but with enough excitement to not be boring.
Stay tuned for our day in Gouda, exploring Amsterdam, and visiting windmills.
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