The Hague and Scheveningen: Royal Courts, Vermeer’s Gaze, and the North Sea Shore
Where Dutch government, golden-age masterpieces, and a grand seaside resort share one extraordinary address.
An introduction to The Hague and Scheveningen
The Hague has a habit of wrong-footing visitors who arrive expecting something grey and governmental. Yes, it is the seat of Dutch government and the home of the International Court of Justice — a city of diplomats, delegations, and decisions that shape the world. But within those formal credentials lives a place of remarkable warmth: wide boulevards canopied by linden trees, one of the finest small art galleries in Europe, an abundance of excellent restaurants and independent shops, and a genteel, unhurried rhythm that Amsterdam, for all its brilliance, rarely manages to sustain.
Then there is Scheveningen. Absorbed administratively into The Hague in 1904, this North Sea resort has never relinquished its own character. It has been drawing Dutch visitors to its broad pale sands since the early nineteenth century, and the seafront still carries the confidence of a place that knows it has earned its grandeur. The Kurhaus hotel, with its domed silhouette, presides over the esplanade like a benevolent monarch; the pier stretches out across cold green water; and on a summer afternoon the beach is as animated and good-humoured a scene as any in the Low Countries.
Together, The Hague and Scheveningen offer something genuinely rare: a city weighted with global responsibility that feels, at street level, thoroughly liveable and unhurried. You can stand before Vermeer’s most famous painting in the morning, eat herring from a stall on the seafront at noon, and in the afternoon find yourself looking up at the neo-Gothic towers of the Peace Palace while children cycle past on their way home from school. The contrast is entirely the point.
This guide takes you through the Mauritshuis and its golden-age treasures, the political architecture of the Binnenhof, the international grandeur of the Peace Palace, the quirky brilliance of Escher in Het Paleis, the sweep of Scheveningen’s shore, and the miniature Dutch universe at Madurodam — before charting a two-day itinerary and pointing you towards the finest places to lay your head.
In this email:
- The Mauritshuis and Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
- The Binnenhof: the political heart of the Netherlands
- The Peace Palace and Escher in Het Paleis
- Scheveningen: beach, pier, and the grand Kurhaus seafront
- Madurodam and the elegant Statenkwartier
- A two-day itinerary, where to stay, and travel tips
Best time to visit: Late spring (May to mid-June) and early September offer the best balance — reliably pleasant weather, uncrowded museums, and a city in full working bloom. July and August are the liveliest months on Scheveningen beach, with a festive atmosphere but longer queues at the Mauritshuis. If you visit in late autumn, the Lange Voorhout antiques market and the possibility of ice on the Hofvijver pond give the city a particular charm.
Travel logistics: The Hague is served by two main railway stations — Den Haag Centraal and Den Haag Hollands Spoor — with frequent Intercity trains from Amsterdam Centraal (around 50 minutes) and Rotterdam Centraal (around 25 minutes). Trams from Den Haag Centraal reach Scheveningen in roughly 20 minutes. The city is flat, well-signed, and thoroughly cycling-friendly; bikes can be hired at both stations. A day ticket for the tram network is good value if you plan to travel between the city centre and the coast more than twice.
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