- Amsterdam CentraalBuy a ticket or tap in with a bank card
- Train, about 50 minutesDirect Intercity twice an hour to Den Haag Centraal; a second line serves Den Haag HS · single about €15
- Den Haag CentraalAbout 10–15 minutes on foot to the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis
- Meet your local guideNear the station or a central landmark, agreed by email
- Walk The Hague for 2–3 hoursThen lunch, museums, or the train back, your call
Typical times, checked 2026-09-10. Confirm on ns.nl before you travel. Den Haag Centraal is closer to the centre than Den Haag HS.
Why visit The Hague?
The Hague is where the Netherlands is governed. Parliament has met on the Binnenhof since the thirteenth century, the King works at Noordeinde Palace, and the Peace Palace houses the International Court of Justice.
For a visitor, the draw is art on a manageable scale: the Mauritshuis with Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson; Escher in a former royal palace; the world’s largest Mondrian collection at the Kunstmuseum; and Panorama Mesdag, an 1881 painting you stand inside.
Then there is the sea. Scheveningen, with its beach, pier and 1885 Kurhaus, is fifteen to twenty minutes from Den Haag Centraal by tram.
Best for
- Vermeer: Girl with a Pearl Earring and View of Delft in one small museum
- Politics and international law: the Binnenhof story, the Peace Palace, the courts
- Escher and Mondrian in the same afternoon
- A city day with a beach at the end of it
Not ideal for
- Seeing the Binnenhof courtyard itself: it is under renovation and closed to the public until around 2031
- Budget museum days: the Mauritshuis and the Kunstmuseum each charge over €20
- People who want an old canal town: for gables and water, Delft is fifteen minutes further
Getting there from Amsterdam
Direct trains from Amsterdam Centraal to Den Haag Centraal take about 50 minutes; direct Intercity twice an hour to Den Haag Centraal; a second line serves Den Haag HS. About 10–15 minutes on foot to the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis. A second-class single was about €15 when checked on 2026-09-10. Den Haag Centraal is closer to the centre than Den Haag HS. You buy your own ticket: tap in with a contactless bank card or use the NS app; there are no reservations. Confirm times on ns.nl.
Is The Hague worth a day trip from Amsterdam? The direct answer, with timing and tips.
What makes The Hague different
Delft, Leiden and Haarlem are towns; The Hague is a capital in everything but name. The streets are wider, the buildings are ministries and embassies, and the parks are royal. It is the city on this site where a guide most changes what you understand.
The Binnenhof, the historic heart, has been a construction site since 2021 and stays one until about 2031. The free Information Centre on the Plaats explains the renovation and the 800-year story, and the Hofvijver pond still gives the classic view of the towers.
A half day in The Hague
- 0:00Den Haag Centraal to the HofvijverTen to fifteen minutes on foot to the pond beside the Binnenhof.
- 0:15Binnenhof Information CentreFree, on the Plaats; the renovation and the history. Wednesday to Sunday.
- 0:45MauritshuisNext door. Girl with a Pearl Earring, the Anatomy Lesson, View of Delft; ninety minutes. Open daily, Monday afternoons only.
- 2:15Lange Voorhout and Escher in Het PaleisFive minutes along the avenue of lime trees to the Escher museum in a former palace; closed Mondays.
- 3:15Noordeinde Palace from outsideFive minutes on. The King’s working palace; the palace gardens behind are public.
A full day in The Hague
- MorningThe half-day walk aboveBinnenhof, Mauritshuis, Escher, Noordeinde.
- LunchAround the Plein or the DennewegTerraces by the Mauritshuis, or the Denneweg’s cafés five minutes north.
- Afternoon AScheveningenTram 9 from Den Haag Centraal, fifteen to twenty minutes: beach, pier, the Kurhaus. Best in summer.
- Afternoon BPeace Palace and Panorama MesdagFree Visitors Centre at the Peace Palace (Tuesday to Sunday); the 1881 panorama ten minutes away. Use tram 1 or a longer walk from the centre.
- Afternoon CKunstmuseumThe Mondrian collection in Berlage’s 1930s building; tram from the centre. Closed Mondays.
The full one-day itinerary with timings, closures and lunch.
Main sights
| Sight | What it is | Cost | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritshuis | Girl with a Pearl Earring, View of Delft, Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson, in a 17th-century house beside the Binnenhof. | Paid (over €20) | Daily; Monday afternoons only |
| Binnenhof and Information Centre | Parliament’s courtyard since the 13th century, closed for renovation until about 2031; the free centre on the Plaats tells the story. | Free | Wed–Sun |
| Peace Palace | Opened 1913; home of the International Court of Justice. Free Visitors Centre; guided tours some weekends. | Visitors Centre free | Tue–Sun |
| Escher in Het Paleis | M.C. Escher’s prints in the former winter palace of Queen Emma on the Lange Voorhout. | Paid | Closed Mondays |
| Panorama Mesdag | A 360-degree painting of Scheveningen from 1881, still in its original rotunda. | Paid | Closed Mondays |
| Kunstmuseum Den Haag | Around 300 works by Mondrian in Berlage’s museum building. | Paid (over €20) | Closed Mondays |
| Noordeinde Palace | The King’s working palace; interior open only a few days each summer, gardens public. | Free from outside | — |
| Scheveningen | Beach, pier and the 1885 Kurhaus; tram 9 from Den Haag Centraal. | Free | — |
Opening patterns and costs checked 2026-09-10 on the official websites linked above; always confirm before you go.
Local context
The counts of Holland built a hunting lodge here in the thirteenth century; the Ridderzaal on the Binnenhof grew from it, and the States General have met on the site for centuries. The Hague never received city rights and is still, formally, not the capital, which is Amsterdam.
The Peace Palace was paid for by Andrew Carnegie and opened on 28 August 1913 to house the Permanent Court of Arbitration; the International Court of Justice joined after 1945.
Prinsjesdag, the third Tuesday of September, is when the King reads the government’s plans to parliament and rides through the city in the Golden Coach’s successor; in 2026 it falls on 15 September.
Markets, events and seasons
The Haagse Markt, one of the largest in Europe, runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00, a tram ride from the centre.
- Prinsjesdag: Tuesday 15 September 2026. Opening of the parliamentary year; royal procession through the centre.
- Vlaggetjesdag: Saturday 20 June 2026. The new herring festival at Scheveningen harbour.
The Mauritshuis occasionally lends Girl with a Pearl Earring; check before you build a day around her. Scheveningen is a summer afternoon. Most museums are closed on Mondays; the Mauritshuis opens Monday afternoons.
Questions people ask
- Which station should I use in The Hague?
- Den Haag Centraal. It is a terminus about ten to fifteen minutes on foot from the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis. Den Haag HS (Hollands Spoor) is further out; some Amsterdam trains via Leiden stop there instead.
- Is the Binnenhof open to visitors?
- Not the courtyard: it has been under renovation since 2021 and the government expects public access again in summer 2031. The Information Centre on the Plaats is free and explains the project; the Hofvijver view is unchanged.
- Can I see Girl with a Pearl Earring?
- Usually, at the Mauritshuis. The painting is occasionally off view for loans or conservation; the museum’s website says when. Buy a timed ticket online.
- How do I get to Scheveningen beach?
- Tram 9 from Den Haag Centraal, fifteen to twenty minutes, with extra trams on summer days.