Oskar’s personal recommendations for The Hague

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 😉

Restaurants
Lunch Places
Bars
Shopping
Coffeeshop
Museum
Parks / Beaches

Oskar’s Golden Tip

Are you here on a typical Dutch rainy day? Don’t dispair! We Dutch love sitting outside on a terras with a big parasol to keep us dry, beer in hand and some fried food to still the hunger! It is sure to put you in a good mood. Try out Plein, Grote Markt or Plaats and you’re sure to find a nice spot to wait out the rain!

Restaurants

Foodhallen
Located in the Haagse Bluff in the centre, Foodhallen is the ideal place for an indecisive company to find a dinner place. If one wants to eat pizza, the other dumplings and yet another wants to eat burgers, that’s not a problem! This restaurant boasts many different restaurants inside along a central and stylish seating area. The bar at the centre even sells their own special Foodhallen beer, made here in The Hague! Visit website

Fat Mermaid
If you happen to end your lovely day in The Hague with a swim or a stroll on the beach, the Fat Mermaid is the ideal location to have an easy dining experience, with great views of the setting sun! It’s located on the Scheveningen Boulevard, close to the quaint Keizerstraat, the oldest part of Scheveningen. Their menu is varied, as plenty of options and all of their food and beverages are made with love and care and is almost entirely organically and sustainably sourced. My favorite is ordering their nachos and a cocktail while sitting on a lazy chair in the sand watching the sun go down! Visit website

Poentjak
Authentic Indonesian restaurant might look unassuming, but it is frequently visited by important politicians. The Dutch prime mister chose this restaurant to have an important meeting with none other than President Emmanuel Macron. This really is one of my favorite spots to have dinner. The cosy and very old interior has a genuine charm which can’t compete with modern interior design. The restaurant is tightly furnished but with plenty of nooks that offer cozy privacy. An amazing selection of full menus with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options (just ask the waiter).

Lunch places

Plenty
Plenty has a laid back atmosphere and is the perfect lunch pit-stop after a morning strolling through the city. This lovely little coffee spot has a wide selection of sweet pastries and sandwiches as well as great coffee (all vegan). It’s located in the hip neighborhood Zeeheldenkwartier, and short stroll away from Paleis Noordeinde. Visit website

Bookstor Cafe
Bookstor is the ideal lunch and coffee place for book and art lovers. This charming cafe, neighboring to Paleis Noordeinde, is the perfect place to re-energize after a long day of sightseeing. The cafe doubles as a book store and is filled with charismatic antique furniture, beautiful book and art from local artists. In the summer, the garden is a perfect little urban jungle retreat to relax and unwind. Visit website

Greens in the Park
Greens in the Park is a restaurant located in the beautiful and sprawling park area of Westbroekpark and Scheveningse Bosjes. The beautiful modern glass building gives allows the visitors to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, while having a relaxing lunch. Visit website

Bars

Heart Beach Restaurant
Also a great place to get food, the large and idyllic beach terrace of Heart Beach Restaurant is the ideal place to get a drink and watch the sun go down. The restaurant is connected to one of the biggest surf schools in the Hague, and it’s always bustling with activity. Visit website

Pavlov
II would recommend going to Pavlov if you want to find a unique little spot to have drinks with amazing views. Nestled in the corner of the gardens of the beautiful historic Nieuwe Kerk church, and across from the monumental modern city hall and soon to be completed Amare culture complex, home to a.o. the Nederlands Dans Theater, and the Royal Conservatory. The perfect combination of modern and old architecture, perfectly capturing the spirit of The Hague. Visit website

Bleyenberg (& Grote Markt)
Bleyenberg, located on the Grote Markt, which is generally a great hotspot for bars, has one big selling point: a rooftop terrace. The perfect place to enjoy afternoon or evening drinks with a view of the old city center. Visit website

Shopping

Passage & Bijenkorf
Right in the city centre, my favourite places to go (window) shopping are the Passage and the Bijenkorf. Both buildings are beautiful, if you join the tour you will learn a bit more about the Passage. The Bijenkorf is an upscale department store built in the Haagsche/Amsterdamse School architecture tradition. The beautiful wooden staircase with stained glass windows is certainly worth checking out!

Zeeheldenkwartier & Weimarstraat
The Zeeheldenkwartier district in the Hague, with the Prins Hendrikstraat & the Weimarstraat boasting many local cafes and shops. The neighborhood is a trendy and alternative area with many students, young people and artists livening up the place. A bit further out from the crowded city centre these streets are the perfect place for an easy dinner or lunch and provide plenty of shopping opportunities.

Frederik Hendriklaan
Frederik Hendriklaan is the mainstreet going through the upscale Statenkwartier Neighbourhood in the borough of Scheveningen. Elegant houses and tree lined streets provide the perfect opportunity to do some (window shopping) outside of the main city. In addition, this neighborhood is close to the international area with Europol, the World Forum, the OPCW and many other peace and justice related institutions, as well as the Kunstmuseum. On the other side of the neighbourhood, you are not too far from Scheveningen Haven, the harbour of The Hague.

Coffeeshop (no coffee; Weed)

The Canna Club
Canna Club is personally one of my favorites because of the way they present the produce. All displayed neatly in a glass display below glass covers, it almost looks like you’re entering an upscale cupcake shop, but instead of cupcakes they sell various strands of cannabis. Visit website

Museums

Mauritshuis
After the Kunstmuseum, Mauritshuis is the most visited museum in The Hague and the 14th most visited museum in the Netherlands. This is no surprise, since the museum holds some of the finest paintings from the era typically referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. While there are many top pieces on display from this era, the most notable is the famous ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring’ by Johannes Vermeer. On top of that, the building itself is richly decorated, with two renovations in the past 25 years restoring the building to its former glory. Visit website

Escher in het Paleis
Escher in het Paleis is a personal favorite of mine. The museum is housed in the former residence of Queen Emma, with much of the original interior preserved. The museum, as the name suggests, is dedicated to the works of Escher, who is world famous for his works intertwined with optical illusions. The works are very family-friendly and it’s a great museum to visit both for adults and kids! Visit website

Kunstmuseum
Kunst Museum is the most visited museum in The Hague and 9th most visited in the Netherlands. The building is designed by Berlage, arguably the most famous Dutch architect of the last century, introducing modern architecture styles on a grand scale in the Netherlands. While the museum contains predominantly modern art works, ranging from household names such as Mondriaan, Piscasso and Monet, it also houses many contemporary up and coming artists. Furthermore it has a vast collection of applied art works, ranging from chairs, lamps and vases to entire kitchens and rooms meticulously preserved. Visit website

Parks/beaches

Haagse Bos
The Haagse Bos is the oldest protected natural area in the Netherlands, protected by the still active Act of Redemption established in 1576 by William of Orange. Since 1815 it has also been the home of the Dutch royals, with Paleis Huis Ten Bosch hidden away in the heart of this vast forested park area. The current layout of the park is designed in the English landscape garden tradition. The park is ideal for a nice walk and picnic as well as a cycle. Starting from the Haagse Bos, a cycling route called the Landgoederen Route also takes you through the forests for The Hague and Wassenaar for 5km along various country palaces, castles and other grand estates.

Landgoed Clingendael
Landgoed Clingendael is a beautiful country estate with sprawling gardens boasting English landscape gardens, traditional Dutch gardens and a Japanese garden.

Scheveningse Bosjes
Scheveningse Bosjes & Westbroekpark are two large parks connecting the centre of The Hague to Scheveningen. With plenty of trails, beautiful vistas and landscapes changing from dunes, forest, open fields, spectacular bodies of water and a world class rose garden, you can easily spend an entire day walking through these parts. In a tucked away corner of the rose garden in Westbroekpark you can even rent rowing boats to explore the park across its streams and lakes. Afterwards, have a nice glass of wine at Greens in the Park and your day is complete!