The Hague is a city packed with significant museums, delicious restaurants, and iconic landmarks. Our Hague one day itinerary is the perfect a guide to exploring the best of what the historic seat of the Dutch government has to offer.
Morning: Grab a bite and start exploring the Hague
Every good day starts with a good breakfast. Once you arrive in the Hague and get to the Centrum, the neighborhood in the middle of the city where you can find most of its famous museums and scenic squares, consider taking a stroll down one of the many café-lined streets. A good starting point is the well-known Prinsesstraat. We promise you won’t have to walk long before you can find a cozy spot for a delicious Dutch breakfast.
Once you’ve grabbed a bite, it’s time to see the sights! Start with a walk through the Binnenhof, the beautiful complex of old brick buildings and photogenic courtyards that houses many of the Dutch government’s main offices. It sits right on a gorgeous Court Pond and right next to the Mauritshuis—a small museum full of Dutch masterpieces that you won’t want to miss. Step inside this former manor house and explore some of the best art in the country, if not the world: you’ll find masterpieces by Flemish and Dutch artists like Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt. The Mauritshuis is also home to one of the most famous paintings in the world, the Girl with a Pearl Earring by the legendary Johannes Vermeer. Though the museum isn’t actually very big, you could easily spend a day wandering through the collection and taking in the sheer volume of famous works on display. But, don’t spend too long or you’ll miss the next great spots on our Hague itinerary!
Afternoon
From the Mauritshuis, it’ll be easy to find a place to grab lunch—you’re pretty much in the center of the city and restaurants are all around. The museum itself even has a chic café you can access through the museum or from the square outside!
Now that you’ve gotten a chance to see some incredible historic Dutch art and you’ve gotten lunch over with, our Hague itinerary calls for a pop in to another one of the city’s main museums and see the work of one of the most well known Dutch artists from the last century. Famous for his optical illusions and for wild imagination, M.C. Escher has been given his own museum in a stately former winter palace for the royal family. This is an amazing place to learn about Escher’s influences and creative process, as well as to learn about some of the surprisingly sophisticated math and physics that helped inform some of his wilder pieces. As an added treat, the top floor is full of interactive displays that allow you to step into reproductions of well known optical illusions and try your hand at creating Escher-esque art yourself. Get your tickets for the museum here.
Once you’ve had your fill of Escher artwork, grab a tram and ride northwest to the district of Scheveningen. Here you’ll be able to walk around the Hague’s beautiful coast and relax in it’s famous beachfront neighborhood. There’s a lot to do and see, from wild contemporary sculptures to an aquarium to a huge ferris wheel constructed on a pier over the water. On the horizon, you’ll find massive container ships sailing to or from one of the Netherlands’ massive ports.
If you get hungry, you’ll find an almost overwhelming amount of beautiful restaurants right on the beach stretching out north and south of the main drag of entertainment complexes. There’s ample seating in couches and armchairs outside, and it’s a perfect place to settle down and watch the sunset over the Atlantic. You can also take this great food walking tour.
Evening
To conclude our Hague itinerary, we’ve picked a little evening fun with options to suit your taste. You could see what’s playing at the Royal Theater back in town, you could hit up one of the city’s nightlife hotspots like the centrally located Grote Markt, or if you’re loving the beach, you could explore the many beach clubs that fire up in the night for a little bit of dancing in a scenic spot. All in all the goal is to have fun as you round out your 24 hours in the Hague!