Not only does The Hague hold many cultural gems, like Vermeer’s The Girl with the Pearl Earring, but The Hague is also right by the sea. The Hague Beach, which is Scheveningen, is one of Holland’s oldest and most famous beach resorts. And it’s really easy to visit The Hague Beach during your visit to The Netherlands. Check out all top things to do.
- How go get to The Hague Beach
- Hotels in and around Scheveningen
- About Scheveningen
- Top things to do in Scheveningen
How to get to The Hague Beach
- Getting to The Hague is actually quite easy, as you can simply catch a train from Amsterdam. There are regular trains and it’ll take less than an hour to get there.
- In The Hague simply hop on tram no. 1, 9 or 11 to get to Scheveningen. You’ll need an OV Chip Card, which you can charge as you go, to travel on all public transport in The Netherlands.
- Or you can grab a rental bike as a bike ride takes you to The Hague Beach in less than 20 minutes.
Hotels in and around Scheveningen
Scheveningen Designer Loft
After a day of taking in the culture of The Hague and a nice stay at the beach, this seaside designer lodge is just what you need to freshen up and relax. Have a nice shower in the luxurious bathroom, pour yourself a drink and watch a movie or enjoy the lovely view from your window. The apartment is close to the beach and close to a tram stop, so you can easily combine a day at the beach with some sightseeing in The Hague.
Vitamin Sea apartment
This luxurious loft apartment is just a lovely stay when you’re in Scheveningen. The beach is less than a 5-minute walk away. The apartment is luxuriously styled, has a fully equipped kitchen and dining area, a quiet bedroom and lovely bathroom. It offers just that bit more space than your basic hotel room and the possibility to make your own breakfast or cook a simple meal is very nice.
Largo Beach Houses
Just a stone’s throw away from both Scheveningen and The Hague are the Largo Beach Houses, set at Kijkduin beach. It’s one of the prettiest beaches on the South-Holland coast and the perfect place if you’ve ever wanted to stay in a pretty beach house. The beach houses have a nice living area, fully equipped kitchen, soft beds and of course, an uninterrupted sea view. What a place to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the sea. If the prices of the beach houses are a bit too steep for you, there’s always nearby Holidaypark Kijkduin, where you can rent cottages close to the beach. Take a look at all the beach houses in The Netherlands.
About Scheveningen
The Hague is right by the sea. Just open Google Maps or an old-fashioned atlas (ah!) and the proximity to the coast is more than obvious. Through history, this wasn’t the case, however. The Hague was once the capital of The Netherlands, until (under French occupation) the capital and government were moved to Amsterdam. The government moved back when The Netherlands became an independent republic, and later a kingdom. Back then The Hague was a centre of the Dutch royals, government and diplomacy. And the villages along the coast were simple fisherman’s villages, detached from the city, albeit not too far away.
200 years ago the first bathhouse was opened at Scheveningen beach, with royal permission. The 4 cabins with baths launched the era of high-class entertainment at sea. Within a couple of decades, more bathhouses were built including the impressive pier and luxurious Kurhaus, which is still one of the most popular beach resorts in The Netherlands. For centuries the royal, rich and not-so-famous came to Scheveningen as doctors prescribed stays at the seaside for health reasons. Lungs, skins and weary minds from the busy and often overcrowded industrial cities benefited from the clean sea air the entertainment Scheveningen provided. Some wonderful historical photos from The Hague beach have been published lately and I can’t wait to share these (with permission) with you all.
Photos were kindly provided by MuZee and The Hague city archives.
Aren’t these photos just amazing! I love those wicker seats where people would just lounge and read in. Except for the ones brave enough venturing into the sea into a carriage, whilst wearing massively heavy bathing suits.
Top things to do in Scheveningen
Scheveningen Pier
The Scheveningen Pier is the only old fashion pier that The Netherlands has. And it’s the pride and joy of The Hague beach. A couple of years ago the Pier was on the verge of bankruptcy, but luckily all was saved and the Pier has made quite the comeback. With street food all along the boardwalk, a large Ferris wheel overlooking the promenade and sea and even a zipline. If you’re really into something special, you can even spend the night at the Scheveningen Pier.
Panorama Mesdag
Museum Panorama Mesdag is quite the sight, it’s a 360-degrees painting made by Hendrik Willen Mesdag in the 19th century. It’s an image of Scheveningen back in the late 1800s and you get the feeling like you’re watching over the beach and The Hague in the distance and dream back to days long gone. The rest of the museum is also very interesting with work by Mesdag and his wife, plus the paintings of contemporaries they collected.
Madurodam
Madurodam is situated between The Hague and Scheveningen and is especially fun to visit when you’re visiting The Hague beach with your young children. Madurodam has all the sights to be seen in The Netherlands, but then miniature versions. You’ll see small scale-versions of famous sights like the 19 windmills of Kinderdijk, Utrecht city centre and the Rotterdam Harbour.
Sealife
Taking your kids to The Hague beach is a fabulous idea. Of course, there’s the beach, the promenade with carousels and playground, the famous Pier and there’s Sealife. Kids will love to walk along the large tanks with different kinds of rays, watch the feeding of the piranhas and watch the scary sharks. And of course, Nemo also lives at Sealife in Scheveningen.
Beelden aan Zee
Along the Scheveningen promenade, you’ll discover some endearing and fun sculptures. The fun creatures are works by Tom Otterness and they’re all part of Beelden aan Zee, the only museum in The Netherlands completely dedicated to sculptural art.
Westduinpark
A fine walk through the beautiful dunes should without a doubt be part of your visit to The Hague beach. Westduinpark is located between Scheveningen and Kijkduin. The varied landscape of high dunes, deep valleys and abandoned Second World War bunkers is very interesting to see. And, as a bonus, you’ll be seeing some Highland cows.
Westbroekpark
If you feel like escaping the bustling city or the busy beach, a visit to Westbroekpark is absolutely what you need. It’s a popular destination from friends and families on a warm day who come to walk along the roses or rent a boat in the lake in the middle of the park. You can easily get to the park from The Hague beach. And I highly recommend you getting some lunch at Westbroekpark restaurant, enjoying a view over the water.
Surfing and beach clubs
You may not think The Netherlands are the best of summer destinations in Europe, but when the sun is out, it’s actually quite nice to be at the beach. You can even take surf lessons in Scheveningen if you like, or just have a drink at their beach club Hart Beach. Scheveningen has a lovely variety of great beach clubs, though I like the ones along Zwarte Pad best as they’re a little bit more remote from the main beaches.
Read more about The Hague
- A complete travel guide to plan your trip to The Hague
- 24 hours in The Hague
- De Stijl: celebrating 100 years of Dutch design
19 Comments
Sandra
March 5, 2018 at 9:42 amI missed Scheveningen the last time I had been to the Netherlands, but then again, it was pretty wet last time around. This article makes me wanna go there, especially when the sun’s up.
Annabel
March 5, 2018 at 5:44 pmI hadn’t realised The Hague was on the coast. Hope I’m not the only one! I love the art.
Lydia C. Lee
March 5, 2018 at 9:03 pmWe didn’t have time, but what a gorgeous place!!
Caity Pfohl
March 5, 2018 at 9:17 pmI know next to nothing about The Hague so it’s great to learn more! There’s something so special and festive about a great beach pier. Love those old photos, too – wow!
Esther
March 7, 2018 at 10:10 amThe Hague is an excellent city to discover. You could do it in a day I guess, but 2 days would be far more enjoyable.
Lolo
March 6, 2018 at 10:17 amThis beach reminds me a lot of Blankenberge Beach in Belgium! I would love to explore more of the coastline up there! I practically cried last time I was there bc I had forgotten the joy of soft sand!
Esther
March 7, 2018 at 10:08 amI simply adore the Belgian coast, we used to go there all the time when I was little. I totally get your comparison, though I’d say Scheveningen is a bit more like Oostende or Nieuwpoort.
Susanna
March 6, 2018 at 3:47 pmI hadn’t really given The Hague much thought before this, thanks for enlightening me!
Tanja
March 6, 2018 at 7:54 pmMy husband was here at the beach, he said that it was very windy:)
Esther
March 7, 2018 at 10:09 amLOL, wind? In Holland? Nah!
Sarah
March 7, 2018 at 7:10 pmI guess I just don’t really associate beaches with the Netherlands but maybe I should! The Hague’s beach is a beach if I’ve ever seen one – and those colorful columns holding up the pier… just beautiful!
Esther
March 8, 2018 at 8:07 amThe Netherlands have really lovely (and broad) beaches. When the sun’s out, it’s lovely. But they’re pretty good on a crips winter day as well.
Neha
March 7, 2018 at 8:11 pmI always enjoy reading your posts about Holland. This one is no exception. Loved the quirky pictures too 🙂
Emma Raphael
March 7, 2018 at 10:12 pmI am sure this is close to where my aunt had a holiday place many moons ago (my Grandmother is Dutch). I remember a lighthouse would keep me awake at night 😀 The art there now is incredible!
Ruth
March 8, 2018 at 5:07 amI am not from Europe so, I am not that familiar with European beaches. However, I have lived close to the ocean my entire life. This place looks incredible! I adore, adore piers! You have given me a fantastic idea for The Netherlands.
Cathy
March 8, 2018 at 11:29 pmScheveningen always sounds such a lovely place – what fantastic old photos. It always seems to differ from the standard image of The Hague with its palaces and art, but the sculptures and that wonderful beach art seems so fitting.
Sharon
March 9, 2018 at 7:05 pmOK, you’ve convinced me that The Hague is worth visiting! Piers are one of my favorites, and this colorful one is unlike any I’ve seen. Thanks for an inspiration post with lovely photos!
Wendy Maes
March 10, 2018 at 1:30 pmDen Haag is echt een van de leukste steden van Nederland! Er hangt altijd zo’n speciaal sfeertje.
Jon Silver
May 16, 2022 at 3:51 pmThose wicker chairs on the beach at Den Haag were still there, exactly the same, in the 1950s… my parents took photos of each other in them on their honeymoon in 1952, which I still have.