The recommendations bible of Bob!
These are my personal tips -based on experience and research- for a great experience in The Hague! This resulted in a good list of tips! You can click on the bold text to get to the Google Maps location of the establishment.
All of you good luck in The Hague!
And don’t forget to write me a review here of course 😉
Food / Restaurants
Food / Breakfast / Lunch
Dutch Snacks & Sweets
Food Markets
Bars
Nightlife
Shopping
Coffeeshops
Museum
Parks
Food / Restaurants
Restaurant 1
Around €17,50 for a dish.
Rotterdam’s first Michelin-star restaurant, famous for their unorthodox molecular-style of cooking.
Restaurant 2
Around €8,00 for a dish.
Restaurant 3
Around €16,00 for a dish.
Great restaurant, famous for their meze-style dinner. Try their famous falafel dish with a scrumptious tabouleh salad.
Dutch snacks & sweets
Try Haagsche Hopjes, I love it because…
Try a herring at Herring Spot, I love it because…
Try kibbeling at Kibbeling Spot, I love it because…
(Food) markets
Market 1
Great for alternative food on a beautiful location! Open: daily from 12am – 11pm
Market 2
The start and ending point for our tour, visit the fanciest market of Holland! Open: daily from 10am – 8pm
Market 3
Your go-to choice for fresh, organic staples. Open: every Tuesday from 8am – 5:30pm
Bars
Bar 1
Your best bet for a great beer and a shot at the billiard table!
Bar 2
If you love wine, like me, then this should be on your list. Don’t ask for their menu, let the sommelier advise you!
Bar 3
With a great view on the Meuse, this pub is the best choice on those sultry summer nights. Order a tangy Cosmopolitan cocktail as you watch the sunset…
Nightlife
Party place 1
The heart of The Hague’s house scene, dance till you drop!
Party place 2
The best way to meet locals and listen to different style of modern music.
Party place 3
A good way to practice your salsa steps and get on those tobasco toes! Every Friday night merengue night!
Shopping
Stroll along the exclusive STREET, to shop for your finest clothing brands and upmarket accessories.
The shopping center at STREET takes you into the greatest international warehouses like H&M and Zara.
A lesser known gem, but great place to find vintage and second-hand clothing is STREET.
Coffeeshops (no coffee; Weed)
Coffeeshop 1
Nice seating inside and very good information with your quality pot.
Coffeeshop 2
A favorite among locals, because of its great location and ever so giggly crowd.
Coffeeshop 3
Good for trying space cake or hash brownies (no, not the English breakfast-style ones)…
Museums
Museum 1
Perhaps the most important museum for our city.
Museum 2
Well-known for their monthly expeditions.
Museum 3
This worldly museum will take you on a trip around the globe.
Parks/beaches
Park 1
A beautiful park to enjoy a view of the city.
Park 2
Great for running, hiring a canoe for the day, or just enjoying a picnic by the water.
Beach
Want to walk for hours, without seeing anyone? This beautiful hilly park is perfect for family outings and a large off-leash area for dogs.
COFFEESHOPS
Brody’s (formerly known as Cremers)
The biggest selection in town in both weed and hashish. There comes a good informal cafe with it. Good advice on what to choose too.
Space Ball
Open 9am till 1pm
The best buy for your money and still a nice menu to choose from. I’m not too wild about their lounging space.
Waterworld
Near the center of the Hague and serving the best Hya hash from Morocco (don’t take the cheapest variety). Not a very cozy place to have your smoke though.
MUSEUMS
Mauritshuis
Great art from the Dutch Golden Age. Do take your time to gaze at all the pieces; it takes you half a day to get a real good impression. If you have less time (or money), try the Willem the 5th gallery, next to the Prisoner’s Museum for a real good impression of Golden Age art.
Esther in the Palace
An interesting modern artist from last century, who made mathematics into fine art. It’s situated in the old Winter Palace of the Dutch of the Royal Family. Save a maximum of two hours for a visit.
Museum Beelden aan Zee
Opens at 10am.
In our seaside resort Scheveningen, there is a beautiful museum of sculptures, with expositions both inside and outside. Have a walk on the boulevard afterwards, visit the Kurhaus or enjoy the dunes and/or the beach.
Panorama Mesdag
A painting, 14 meter high and 120 meters circumference depicting our seaside resort Scheveningen in the early days. It’s the earliest form of VR I ever encountered. A visit of an hour and a half will do.
PARKS / BEACHES
Het Haagse Bos
In front of Central Sation, walk up to the trees and take a right. A short walk will take you to the ‘Haagse Bos’. There are some small patches of pristine forest, untouched by humans to be found here. You can’t get lost, as the forest is bordered by roads, but do try to do so. It’s one of these rare places on earth that are much bigger from the inside than from the outside.
Park Clingendael
Enjoyable in every season, with all the ancient trees and different gardens. In spring and fall, the oldest Japanese Garden in Europe is open and really worth a visit. So are the blooming rhododendrons in spring. I suggest taking a picnic basket to enjoy there.
As the Hague is situated along the North Sea, the dunes and beaches are worth visiting all year round. Go to Scheveningen (take tram no 1 to Scheveningen) for its boulevard and the healing house ‘Kurhaus’. Do take a look at the classic inside and maybe have a drink there, with a view on the North Sea. Go to Kijkduin, as the locals do, to have a walk in the dunes and some refreshments at one of the cozy beach shacks.