The Hague, the Netherlands

“Beautiful city behind the dunes”

After scratching my head thinking of the next Daily Directs destination to describe, it dawned on me that I live in one! Most people who come to the Netherlands spend their whole time in Amsterdam. Which to some extent makes sense as it’s such a unique city, but they are doing themselves a disservice by not branching out further afield. And in a country as small as this one (from a Canadian perspective), there’s really no excuse not to explore a city like The Hague.

Perhaps when most people around the world hear “The Hague”, they think of war criminals due to the International Criminal Court being based here. The connotation with international law is warmly embraced by the municipality, which describes it as the International City of Peace and Justice. While this is certainly the case, I prefer to think of it as the “mooie stad achter de duinen” (beautiful city behind the dunes) described by Harrie Jekkers in his classic song O O Den Haag.

I must confess I was slow to warm to this city, which can feel quite conservative and slow paced compared to the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam. When I first started visiting in 2013, my hipster sensibilities were greatly offended by being unable to find a decent flat white! Fortunately the flat white situation has greatly improved and if you take the time to scratch beneath the surface, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what this city has to offer. Let’s take a look…

What’s in a name?

But first let’s deal with the basics: what’s the deal with the name? The city’s full Dutch name is actually ‘s-Gravenhage, which loosely translates to “The Count’s Hedge”. This is because parts of what is now The Hague started out life as a hunting area for Count Floris IV, one of the many Counts of Holland who lived in the area in the 13th century. Thankfully, most Dutchies stick to the much easier to pronounce “Den Haag”. Incidentally, the presence of these Counts ensured that The Hague would become the political and administrative capital of the Netherlands.

These days, the Dutch Prime Minister can frequently be seen cycling to the Binnenhof, where he works. Directly outside the seat of government is the Plein, which is a fantastic spot to grab a ‘biertje’ and people watch. Even closer is the Mauritshuis, which houses numerous well-known Dutch Golden Age paintings, such as Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and Fabritius’s The Goldfinch. If that whet’s your appetite for art, then you can continue imbibing illustrations at fantastic galleries like Escher in Het Paleis, Kunstmuseum, and the mind-blowing Panorama Mesdag.

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The city centre is compact but packs quite a punch. There are loads of interesting shops, bars, and cafes to discover. And as a city with many internationals living here due to the presence of numerous embassies, multinational corporations, and international organizations, there’s no shortage of restaurants to cater to your tastes. My personal favourite restaurants are: Portfolio, Le Gone, and Bøg. As I mentioned at the start, the coffee scene has dramatically improved in recent years and there’s now a plethora of options available, such as: Bartine, Kaafi, and Tigershark to name a few.

Trust me on this one

If you’re tired of fine art and the elegance of city and feel like going somewhere a little different, then I have the place for you. First, you’ll need a bike (or a boat) to get there, some decent weather, and to trust me. It’s the industrial inland port of Nieuw Binckhorst, which is quickly developing into a cool spot with craft brewers, wine bars, and restaurants on the water. To get there, it’s only a 10-15minute bike ride from the central station. You’ll ride past some rather grubby business parks but even they’ve been spruced up with some pretty amazing street art.

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Surf’s up!

What really sold me on this city is its proximity to a gorgeous beach. About a twenty minute bike ride from the centre of the city is the seaside resort of Scheveningen. (As an aside, one of the great things about living in The Hague and most Dutch cities is you are never really more than a twenty minute bike ride from any part of town due to the incredible cycling infrastructure). The beach is massive and on a hot summer’s day you’d swear you were staring out somewhere in the Mediterranean, not the frigid North Sea.

The waves and strong winds that come in to shore mean that surfing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing are all possible here. There are a few surf schools around – I learned how to surf at Hart Beach, which also happens to be my favourite of the many beach bars that populate the main drag. It’s a great place to learn how to surf as the waves aren’t too challenging in the summer months.

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I hope this small post has encouraged and inspired you to consider branching out beyond Amsterdam in your next visit to the Netherlands. This country has so much to offer and The Hague is but one of cities worth spending your time & money in.

Direct Flights to The Hague

There are two main airports to get to The Hague. The most well known and likely the option that most travellers will arrive at is Schiphol. The fantastic train connections from inside the airport (take note North American airports), mean that you can hop on an intercity train and be at Den Haag Centraal in 30 minutes. Another option is Rotterdam/The Hague Airport, which is admittedly more geared at dispatching Dutchies to ski or sun destinations rather than bringing in the tourist hordes, but is nonetheless a decent low-cost entry point. It takes about 45 minutes by bus and metro to reach The Hague from there.