The Hague in one day: Binnenhof, Mauritshuis, palaces and the beach at Scheveningen
· by Robin Lenskens · Updated
The Hague is worth a day, and it is a different day from Amsterdam: a seat of government rather than a merchant city, with wide streets instead of narrow canals, two royal palaces, the world’s courts, and a North Sea beach 15 minutes away by tram. This itinerary runs from 09:30 to the evening, covers the centre on foot and finishes at Scheveningen, and tells you which of the famous stops to skip.
Is The Hague worth visiting?
Yes, for one full day, or two if you like museums. The case for: the Mauritshuis is one of the best small art museums in Europe, the Peace Palace and the international courts exist nowhere else, the Lange Voorhout and Noordeinde are as elegant as any streets in the country, and you can be on the beach in a quarter of an hour. The case against: the Binnenhof, the historic heart, is closed for renovation until 2031, so you see it from the outside, and the city lacks the canal-ring postcard look that people expect from the Netherlands. If you want canals, add Delft, ten minutes away by train. If you want to understand how the country is run and why the capital is not here, this is the place; our post on why The Hague is not the capital explains the oddity.
The itinerary, 09:30 to evening
09:30 Den Haag Centraal to the Hofvijver
From Den Haag Centraal walk west past the Turfmarkt towers and along the Korte Poten to the Plein, about ten minutes. Turn right onto the Korte Vijverberg and you are looking across the Hofvijver at the Binnenhof: the pond, the towers, the Ridderzaal spire, and the Mauritshuis on the corner. This is the view of The Hague, and a good place to start because the light is behind you in the morning. The station has lockers if you are carrying bags; NS lists the current prices.
10:00 The Binnenhof from outside
Since 2021 the parliament buildings have been under a full renovation, and the government now expects visitors back on the courtyard in summer 2031. The Ridderzaal, where the King used to open parliament, and the courtyard are behind hoardings, and from the end of 2026 there will be work platforms on the Hofvijver as well. What you can still do: walk the Lange Vijverberg along the pond, see the Gevangenpoort, the medieval prison gate at the Buitenhof, and get a sense of the scale of the complex from the Plein side. Your guide will explain who sits where and what the Prinsjesdag procession looks like, which matters more than the stones. The Prince William V Gallery at Buitenhof 33 (Tuesday to Sunday 12:00 to 17:00) is the one interior on the square you can enter.
10:45 The Mauritshuis
Book the 10:45 or 11:00 slot online. Ninety minutes covers the Vermeers, the Goldfinch, the Rembrandts and the building. Adult tickets are €21.00, under-19s free, Museumkaart free with a booked slot. Girl with a Pearl Earring is on view; View of Delft is on loan to Madrid until 10 January 2027. Full details in the Mauritshuis visitor page. If you prefer a guide inside, our guided Mauritshuis visit fits this slot.
12:30 Lunch on the Plein
The Plein, in front of the museum, has a ring of cafés with terraces facing the statue of William of Orange. It is the easiest lunch in the city and it is where the politicians and journalists eat. Forty-five minutes.
13:15 Lange Voorhout and Escher
Walk north to the Lange Voorhout, a broad avenue of lime trees and 18th-century houses, with the Escher museum in the former winter palace of Queen Emma at number 74. Escher in Het Paleis is open Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 to 17:00, €14.50 for adults, and does not accept the Museumkaart; allow an hour if you go in. If you are not an Escher enthusiast, the walk along the avenue is enough. The Kloosterkerk, the medieval church halfway along the avenue, is worth a look inside if the door is open.
14:15 Noordeinde Palace
Five minutes west is Noordeinde, the King’s working palace: this is where he has his office and receives ambassadors, not where he lives. You see it from the street, with the statue of William of Orange on horseback in front. The palace and the Royal Stables open to the public only in summer, for a few weeks each summer, with tickets released in spring that sell out fast, so outside those weeks do not plan on going in. The palace garden behind it, entered from the Prinsessewal, is a public park open from sunrise to sunset all year and worth the detour. The Noordeinde street itself is the smartest shopping street in the city.
15:00 Peace Palace
From Noordeinde it is about 20 minutes on foot north-west along the Zeestraat, or a few stops on tram 1 towards Scheveningen, to the Peace Palace on the Carnegieplein. The palace houses the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration and is not open to walk-in visitors, but the visitor centre by the gate is free, open Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 17:00 from April to October, with shorter winter hours of 12:00 to 16:00 from November (check the days on its page), with a 35 to 40 minute exhibition and film and an audio tour in ten languages. Guided tours inside run on weekends from May to October when the courts are not sitting, cost €17.50 and sell out; see the Peace Palace visitor pages for dates. We cover the courts in detail in our post on visiting the Peace Palace, the ICJ and the ICC.
15:45 Panorama Mesdag
On the way back towards the centre, Zeestraat 65 is Panorama Mesdag: a 360-degree painting of Scheveningen beach as it was in 1881, 14.6 metres high and 114.5 metres around, viewed from a dune-top platform in the middle. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, €17.50, free under 19 and with the Museumkaart. Twenty minutes is enough, and it sets up the last stop nicely, because you are about to see the same beach almost a century and a half later.
16:30 Tram to Scheveningen
Take tram 1 from the Zeestraat area, or walk back to Centraal for tram 9, to Scheveningen. Tram 1 stops at the Kurhaus on its way to Scheveningen Noord, where tram 9 also ends, by the Zwarte Pad; both stops are a few minutes from the beach, and the ride is around 15 to 20 minutes. Timetables are on the HTM site. Walk the boulevard past the Kurhaus, the 1880s grand hotel that gave the resort its name, out onto the Pier, and along the sand. In summer the beach clubs serve until late; in winter the boulevard is windswept and mostly yours. Our Scheveningen guide has more on the beach, the Pier and the harbour.
18:30 Dinner
Three areas, three moods:
- Scheveningen for fish, on the boulevard or in the old harbour to the south-west, where the fishing fleet still lands.
- Denneweg, back in the centre near the Lange Voorhout, for the best concentration of small restaurants and wine bars in the city.
- Plein and Grote Markt for terraces and a louder evening.
Trams run back to Centraal until after midnight. If you are staying in Delft or Rotterdam, the last trains are late enough for a proper dinner.
Madurodam: is it worth it?
Yes with children, no if you are an adult with only one day. Madurodam is a 1:25 miniature of the Netherlands on the edge of the Scheveningse Bosjes, open 365 days a year, €22.50 online for a day ticket with under-3s free, and reached by tram 9 or bus 22 from Centraal to the Madurodam stop. Children of six to twelve love it, and it is a good rainy afternoon. For adults it costs the equivalent of the Mauritshuis and Panorama Mesdag together and gives you a smaller version of things you can see full size within an hour’s train ride. With two days, fine; with one, spend the time on the real Delft instead. Current hours are on the Madurodam site. Our post is Madurodam worth it? has the prices, hours and ages in detail.
Prinsjesdag
On the third Tuesday of September the King opens the parliamentary year by reading the Speech from the Throne. With the Ridderzaal closed, the ceremony takes place in the Koninklijke Schouwburg on the Korte Voorhout, and the King arrives by coach from Noordeinde through streets lined with spectators. If you are in The Hague that day, the centre is partly closed and very crowded from mid-morning; go early for a place on the route or avoid the centre until mid-afternoon. Details each year on the Royal House website.
Getting to The Hague
| From | Journey | Station |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam Centraal | About 50 minutes by Intercity | Den Haag Centraal |
| Rotterdam Centraal | About 25 minutes | Den Haag Centraal or HS |
| Delft | About 10 to 15 minutes, or tram 1 | Den Haag Centraal or HS |
| Schiphol Airport | About 30 to 35 minutes | Den Haag Centraal |
Check times on NS. The Hague has two main stations: Centraal is the terminus a ten-minute walk from the Binnenhof and the one this itinerary uses; Hollands Spoor (HS) is on the through line from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, a kilometre south of the centre and on tram 1. If your train only stops at HS, take tram 1 or walk 20 minutes to the Plein. Arriving by cruise ship? See Rotterdam cruise port to The Hague.
Practical notes
- Sundays. The museums are open; the shops in the centre open around 12:00; the Peace Palace visitor centre is open. A good day for the itinerary.
- Mondays. Escher, Panorama Mesdag and the Prince William V Gallery are closed, and the Mauritshuis opens at 13:00. Shift the museums to the afternoon and do the palaces and the beach in the morning.
- Surfaces. The Hague is flat and mostly paved rather than cobbled, easier on wheels and feet than Delft or Amsterdam. Distances are longer, though: the centre to the Peace Palace is two kilometres, hence the tram.
- Lockers. Den Haag Centraal has lockers; NS lists the current prices and the maximum rental period.
- December. Our guide to the Christmas market in The Hague covers the festive season in the city.
- Ticket card. One OVpay tap with a bank card works on trams, buses and trains. Our post on using Dutch trains, trams and buses has the details.
Frequently asked questions
Is one day enough for The Hague?
Yes for the centre, the Mauritshuis, the Peace Palace visitor centre and the beach, which is the itinerary above. Two days lets you add Escher, the Kunstmuseum for Mondrian, a Peace Palace guided tour on a day one runs, and a slower evening in Scheveningen.
Can I visit the Binnenhof?
Not during the renovation. The complex is closed for renovation and the government’s target for reopening to visitors is summer 2031. You can see the outside from the Hofvijver and the Buitenhof, and the Prince William V Gallery on the Buitenhof is open. Parliament sits in temporary buildings elsewhere in the city, where ProDemos runs guided tours.
Is Scheveningen worth the trip?
Yes, even in winter, because it is 15 to 20 minutes by tram and the beach is wide and clean. In summer it is a full resort with beach clubs and the Pier; out of season it is a walk on the sand and a coffee in the Kurhaus. Do not expect charm: the boulevard is modern.
Which is better, Delft or The Hague?
They are different, ten minutes apart, and the best answer is both. Delft is small, canalled and 17th century; The Hague is spacious, royal and institutional. If you have one day and want the Dutch postcard, choose Delft. If you want art, courts and the sea, choose The Hague. Our half-day tour of The Hague and Delft does both.
Where do I stay in The Hague?
The centre around the Plein, Lange Voorhout and Denneweg for restaurants and walking; Scheveningen for the beach at the cost of a tram ride to everything else. Prices are lower than in Amsterdam for a comparable hotel.
What if it rains?
The Mauritshuis, Escher and Panorama Mesdag are all within 15 minutes’ walk of each other and take four hours together. Add the Peace Palace visitor centre, which is indoors, and leave the beach for a dry hour or another day. Our post on what to do in The Hague when it rains has a full wet-day plan.
See The Hague with a Discover The Hague guide
Our private walking tour of The Hague covers the Binnenhof, the Hofvijver, the Lange Voorhout and Noordeinde in two hours with a guide who can explain the politics as well as the buildings, and it starts when you want. Add the guided Mauritshuis visit for the paintings, or use the self-guided audio tour of The Hague if you would rather go at your own pace. Our guides work in English, Dutch, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
