The Hague is the political capital of the Netherlands and not only. A city with a rich history attracts with its originality and interweaving of different historical eras. The Hague, whose sights are famous all over the world, can conquer at a glance. Planning a trip to Holland? In this case, you will definitely need a detailed action plan and recommendations – what to see in The Hague in 1 day. We have selected the best and most interesting sights of The Hague (Netherlands), which will make it possible to understand that city life is by no means limited to red-light streets and coffee shops.
Photo of the city of The Hague.
The main attractions
The locals associate the city with a royal residence, art and beaches. The Hague Museums offer fascinating travels to different historical eras, as well as acquaintance with different thematic exhibitions. However, The Hague is not perceived as an ancient city, because many streets look modern thanks to skyscrapers and stylish buildings. Of course, all the attractions of The Hague in one day can not be circumvented.
Practical recommendations.
- hiking enthusiasts will find a map with hiking trails, the most popular starts at the royal palace, reaches for the Nordinda castle, after which you can go to the Mesdach panorama and go to the Peace Palace, see the Nordinda park;
- if you book a ticket to museum complexes online, you can get a discount;
- the presence of a museum card gives you the right to see some sights for free;
- if you want to feel like a real Dutchman – rent a bicycle, this is the most convenient way to move around the city and visit the sights in one day.
Let’s see that the Hague must see if you arrived in the city for one day.
Royal gallery
The Mauritshos Gallery is located in an old house built in the middle of the 17th century. The front part of the building faces the picturesque Hofvizhver pond. Half a century later, the building was destroyed by a fire. The gallery was last restored in 2014, after which it became an equally popular attraction along with the royal palace. The castle organized an exposition of the history of the palace with a large collection of paintings, photographs and drawings.
Important! Having visited the attraction, do not miss the opportunity to see Vermeer’s painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring”.
The building was purchased in the early 19th century to store the royal collection of art. At the end of the 19th century, the gallery turned into a collection of paintings.
Good to know! From the windows of Hall 11 you can see the Binnenhof Castle tower, where the tower with the office of the Prime Minister of Holland is located.
The halls of the gallery are upholstered in silk, the ceilings are decorated with antique chandeliers with candlesticks. The atmosphere is conducive to a complete immersion in the art of painting. The gallery has 16 rooms located on two floors. Here are the works of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Fabricius, Rubens, Averkam.
Good to know! Allocate one hour to visit the gallery.
In 2014, the main building of the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague is connected to the Royal Wing, decorated in an Art Deco style. A library is open here, you can see a master class in painting. There is a cafe in the room serving delicious coffee, soups, quiche with truffles and Brabant sausages.
Binnenhof Castle
The palace complex was built in the central part of The Hague, next to the lake. The palace, built in the 13th century, is decorated in the Gothic style. In the 16th century, the castle complex turned into the political center of The Hague. Today, the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands sits here . The palace complex is one of the hundred best attractions in Holland.
Entrance from Plain Square and Buintenhof. Guests immediately fall into the world of the Middle Ages, in the center of the courtyard there is a luxurious Knight’s Hall – Riddersaal.
On a note! The construction with two pointed towers is called by the locals “the chest of the Hague”. Here, the monarch annually in September opens the next parliamentary meeting.
Nearby, a rare equestrian statue of the monarch William II, dating back to the 17th century, is rare for Holland. The palace complex is the oldest parliament building in the world.
Important! Entrance to the palace complex is free.
The Peace Palace in The Hague
Built in Carnegie Square. The UN International Court of Justice, as well as the arbitral tribunal, hold meetings here. The building has a luxurious courtyard, where a picturesque fountain is built and a garden is planted.
The palace was built and decorated for the sole purpose – that there was peace throughout the world.
The peculiarity of the castle – it was built and designed by many countries. The attraction is a project of a French architect; it is a copy of the Calais Town Hall. A finished building is a combination of three different styles. For interior design, contrasting shades of red brick and light sandstone were used.
Advice! You can recognize the attraction by the characteristic corner tower, whose height is 80 meters.
The palace also houses the largest library of books on jurisprudence. You can see the interiors of the castle only on some weekends of the month and only as part of tour groups. As part of the tour, guests are invited to the Big, Small and Japanese Halls, as well as to galleries.
The garden around the castle is closed to visitors, as part of the tour you can get here once a month on Sunday.
Practical information.
- Attraction address: Carnegieplein, 2;
- You can get to the visitor center for free, the work schedule is from 10-00 to 17-00 (from November to March – from 10-00 to 16-00);
- Ticket price – for visiting the castle – 9.5 €, for a walk in the garden – 7.5 €;
- Bus number 24 and tram number 1 should go to the castle, the stop is Vredespaleis.
Lowman Museum
What to see in The Hague if you come here for one day? If you like cars, be sure to check out cars and other equipment at the Lowman Museum. The attraction is not as famous as other collections of vintage cars in Europe, but it certainly deserves to see the unique items of the collection.
The exposition totals about 240 cars. The first exhibit – Dodge – appeared in 1934. Since then, the collection has moved several times, occupied different rooms, only in 2010 it finally settled in the building specially built for it in Leidschendam.
Historical fact! In 2010, the museum was inaugurated by Queen Beatrix.
The project of a three-story building was designed by an architect from America, the building area is 10 thousand square meters. m. The construction is surrounded by a well-groomed, picturesque garden. The entrance is decorated with sculptures of lions. The walls of the building are decorated with thematic images.
Exhibits are gathered from around the world and deserve to set aside one hour and diversify the day spent in The Hague. Until 1910, the collection was officially considered the largest exhibition in Holland. The museum presents unique models of cars of different years of production: Most of the collection is military equipment.
Interesting fact! At the exposition there is a machine on which the famous James Bond performed feats.
In addition to vintage retro cars, there are also modern cars of original design. Of great interest is the exhibition of electric cars. After sightseeing, you can visit the cafe, have a cup of coffee and eat delicious food.
Recommendations
- Address: Leidsestraatweg, 57;
- Schedule of guests: every day from 10-00 to 17-00 (day off – Monday);
- Ticket price: for persons over 18 years old – 15 €, children under 18 years old – 7.50 €, children under 12 years old – 5 €, up to 5 years old children are admitted free;
- You can be reached by buses No. 90, 385 and 386, the Waalsdorperlaan stop.
Miniature Park “Madurodam”
The most popular attraction on the map of The Hague is the Madurodam miniature park, which is considered to be the most visited place in the city, even among tourists who come to the city for one day. The park is a small copy of the settlement on a scale of 1:25. A landmark opened in the middle of the 20th century, gradually the park expanded and today it is a full-fledged, well-groomed and picturesque park area.
Historical fact! The park zone was named after student George Maduro, he was an active participant in the liberation movement, and tragically died in 1945.
Parents of a heroically deceased student made a down payment on construction. 4 km of railway passes through the park. The motto of the attraction is “City with a smile”. The manager of the park was Princess Beatrix. Then it was decided to appoint a student council representative as manager of Madurodam.
Interesting to know! A distinctive feature of the park is its amazing realism. Hundreds of small city dwellers “live” here, they are dressed for the season.
The mine-city presents different landscapes, the Binnenhof palace complex, Amsterdam airport, stilt houses, colorful tulip fields, the port of Rotterdam , the famous Dutch mills. The park has 50 miniature lights. It is estimated that cars travel across the miniature streets of the park, which each year cover 14 thousand miles. In 2011, the attendance of the park decreased significantly, so the city authorities decided to reconstruct. Thus, three thematic zones appeared in Madurodam.
For each zone, a certain design, light and musical accompaniment is thought out. Another feature of the park is interactivity. Each visitor can manage structures and devices with their own hands.
Good to know! Tourists are given special chips at the entrance, with which you can activate small televisions installed in the park and watch informative videos.
Practical information:
- Address: George Maduroplein, 1.
- You can get there by tram number 9 or minibus number 22.
- Schedule: in spring and autumn – from 11-00 to 17-00, from April to September – from 9-00 to 20-00, September, October – from 9-00 to 19-00.
- Ticket price – adult – 16.50 €, if you book tickets on the park’s website, a discount of 2 € is provided (the cost of visiting the park is 14.50 €), you can purchase a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) – 49.50 €.
Advice! The park is located near the beach, so after a walk in Madurodam you can relax on the beach.
Mesdah panorama
A huge canvas shows guests the 19th-century fishermen’s village, named after its author, the famous local artist and painter Hendrik Willem Mesdah, who gained fame and fame during his lifetime.
The Hague panorama was built by order of entrepreneurs from the capital of Belgium, Brussels . For this, a rotunda with a diameter of 40 meters was erected. Inside the canvas is a height of 14 meters, a length of almost 115 meters. In the center of the rotunda there is a platform covered with sand.
Practical information:
- To view the panorama, select 15-20 minutes.
- The canvas depicts Schevenengen beach, if you have the time, visit this beach in The Hague and compare it with a painting painted a century and a half ago;
- Address: Zeestraat, 65.
- You can get there by buses No. 22 and 24 or by tram No. 1, the stop on the Mauritskade embankment.
- Ticket price: adult – 10 €, for children from 13 to 17 years old – 8.50 €, for children from 4 to 12 years old – 5 €.
Escher Museum
It has been operating since 2002 and is located in the ancient castle Lange Voorhout. Previously, the building was used by the queen for living in the winter. The three queens who ruled after her used the castle for their personal office.
On display are valuable art and lithographs. Particular attention is drawn to the lighting fixtures created by the Dutch artist. The most interesting are made in the shape of a star, shark and seahorse.
Unique painting objects occupy three floors. The first presents the first works of the master, the second – the paintings that brought him fame, and the third floor is devoted to optical illusion.
Practical information:
- Address: Lange Voorhout 74.
- The trams number 15, 17 and buses number 22, 24 (from the railway station), trams number 16, 17 (from the Holland Spoor station) follow the attraction.
- Schedule: every day except Sunday from 11-00 to 17-00.
- Tickets: adult – 9.50 €, children (7 to 15 years old) – 6.50 €, family (2 adults, 2 children) – 25.50 €.
The Hague Municipal Museum
The attraction was founded in the first third of the 20th century. This is a Museum of modern and decorative art. For the exhibition, a separate structure was built away from the city center. This is a museum complex, which also includes museums of photography and modern art. Their expositions are located in a separate building.
The museum introduces the works of famous Dutch artists of the period 19-20 centuries and the present. Here are the masterpieces of famous artists.
Interesting fact! The pearl of the collection is a painting by Pete Mondrian.
Applied art occupies seven halls. The collection has unique antique tapestries, Japanese art objects, jewelry, Delft porcelain, leather products.
Here they annually present the award – “Silver Camera” – for the best photo for print media.
Practical information:
- Location: Stadhouderslaan, 41.
- The museum accepts guests from Tuesday to Sunday, Monday is a day off, from 10-00 to 17-00, two other attractions are open six days a week, days off are Monday from 12-00 to 18-00.
- Admission: full ticket – 15 €, student – 11.50 €, children under 18 years old admission is free.
Japanese garden
It is part of the Klingendahl Park, located in the center of The Hague. The attraction is on the national heritage list of the Netherlands. The Japanese garden is located in the center of Klingendal, this part of the park is decorated in a traditional oriental style, picturesque ponds and rose gardens are equipped. Magnolias, pines, sakura and azaleas are planted here, plants are illuminated in the evening by lanterns.
Note! Many plants do not tolerate the climate of Holland, so the Japanese garden can be seen only in spring and summer (6 weeks) and in autumn (2 weeks).
In the spring, a theme festival is held here, which is accompanied by the preparation of national culinary dishes , a demonstration of the weapons of samurai and bonsai.
A garden was planted in the first half of the 20th century at the direction of Baroness Margaret Vann Brinen; she is known as Lady Daisy. The Baroness often traveled to Japan and brought many items to decorate the garden.
Interesting fact! The Hague authorities are interested in the garden, take care of it as a historical and cultural value.
Practical information:
- Where to find: Wassenaarseweg Den, 2597, Den Haag, Nederland.
- You can reach by bus number 28.
- Entrance to the park is free.
- Schedule: in the spring – from 9-00 to 20-00, in the fall – from 10-00 to 16-00.
These, of course, are not all the attractions of The Hague in the Netherlands. You definitely need to look at one of the skyscrapers and climb onto its observation deck to see the city from a bird’s eye view, ride a tram or bike through the city at night. It all depends on your personal wishes and preferences, because The Hague offers attractions for every taste.
For convenience, you can use the map of The Hague with attractions in Russian.
Video: A tour of the city of The Hague.
