The Hague

The Hague is a city of contrasts that fit together unusually well: government offices and royal history occupy the same centre as intimate art museums, while the North Sea is close enough for a beach afternoon. Dutch speakers call it Den Haag; the municipality also retains the formal name ’s-Gravenhage. Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, but parliament, ministries and the royal seat are in The Hague. For visitors, that distinction explains why a compact walk can move from medieval political architecture to international courts, then out to a former fishing village on the coast.

From a count’s court to a modern city

The city grew around the Binnenhof, the courtyard complex beside the Hofvijver pond. In 1248, William II, Count of Holland and elected King of the Romans, began building a more suitable castle there. His son Floris V completed important parts, including the Ridderzaal, or Hall of Knights. What began as a courtly residence became the centre of Dutch political life. The buildings have been altered over centuries, so the Binnenhof is not one palace from a single period but a layered complex at the heart of the city.

The Hague never developed into a walled fortress town in the same way as many medieval European cities. Its position as a residence and administrative centre mattered more than formal city walls. Over time, that left a distinctive urban pattern: palaces, government buildings, broad avenues, quiet squares and neighbourhood streets sit close together. The city is also a working capital of diplomacy and law. The official distinction is worth keeping in mind: Amsterdam is the constitutional capital, while the national parliament and government operate from The Hague.

Coastal Scheveningen adds another history. It was once a fishing village, later transformed into a seaside resort, and is now a district of The Hague rather than a separate day-trip town. The beach, harbour and boulevard give the city a second centre of gravity. That blend is part of the appeal: the same visit can include a parliamentary courtyard, a museum of Dutch painting and a long walk by the water without treating them as disconnected destinations.

Peace Palace, courts and art

The Peace Palace gives The Hague its best-known international image. The first Hague Peace Conference in 1899 helped establish the Permanent Court of Arbitration; a second conference followed in 1907, when the foundation stone for the palace was laid. The building was formally handed over in 1913. Today it houses the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, the Hague Academy of International Law and the Peace Palace Library. The institutions are distinct, even though they share one historic address.

One common source of confusion is the International Criminal Court. It is not based inside the Peace Palace: the ICC has its own permanent premises at Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, in The Hague’s international zone. The distinction matters when planning a visit because these institutions do different work and have separate visitor arrangements. The Peace Palace itself is not a walk-in attraction; entry to the palace and gardens is by guided tour when tours are available.

The Peace Palace Visitors Centre is a more straightforward stop. It is free to enter and offers an audio tour of about 30 minutes, with material on the building’s history and the institutions inside. Its published hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Monday and Tuesday are closed. The centre is in the entrance building at Carnegieplein 2. Check the official site before going, since access to the palace, gardens and tours is limited and should not be assumed from a visit to the centre.

For art, the Mauritshuis is a compact museum beside the Binnenhof, known internationally for Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and for Dutch and Flemish painting of the age of Rembrandt. Its current published hours are Monday, 1–6 p.m., and Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The standard adult ticket is €21, visitors under 19 enter free, and online booking of a time slot is recommended. As of 4 October 2026, the museum’s own visit page says Girl with a Pearl Earring and other favourites are not currently on view. Check the live display information rather than assuming that a famous work will be in the gallery on your date.

Visiting the Binnenhof during its renovation

The Binnenhof itself remains closed to ordinary visitors while major renovation work continues. In September 2026, the project’s official update said the complex had stayed closed even during Open Monumentendag because of construction activity. That does not leave visitors with nothing to see. A temporary viewing tower on the Buitenhof rises 28 metres and gives a 360-degree view across the historic complex and the modern city beyond. The tower is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, and does not require a ticket or reservation; it closes in extreme weather and has no lift.

A short walk away, the Binnenhof Renovation Information Centre at Plaats 22 is also free. It presents the site’s roughly 800-year history, archaeological discoveries and current restoration work. Together, the viewpoint and information centre turn a closed construction site into a useful stop: one gives the skyline and a view over the roofs, the other explains what is being repaired and why. Do not plan on entering the Binnenhof or the Ridderzaal unless an officially announced public event or tour specifically says access is available.

Plan a city-and-sea itinerary

The centre is walkable, with the Mauritshuis, Hofvijver, the Binnenhof viewpoint and the old streets around Plein and Lange Voorhout close together. The Peace Palace sits farther west; allow time for the walk or use local public transport. From Den Haag Centraal and Hollands Spoor, trams and buses connect with the centre, Scheveningen and Kijkduin. The exact line and journey time depend on the stop and service that day, so check HTM’s current trip planner before setting out.

Scheveningen is easy to combine with a city visit, but give the coast enough time of its own. The boulevard, harbour and beach have different rhythms from the government district, and weather changes the experience. A useful sequence is the historic centre in the morning, a booked museum slot or the Peace Palace Visitors Centre after lunch, then the coast in the late afternoon. If the sea is rough or the beach weather is poor, the city’s museums and covered shopping passages make a natural alternative.

The Hague rewards a visitor who looks beyond the familiar labels of “royal city” and “city of peace and justice.” Its story is also one of a court that grew into a national seat, an old fishing village folded into a modern municipality, and public institutions that continue to shape the streets around them. Check access before travelling, distinguish the Peace Palace from the ICC, and treat Scheveningen as part of the city rather than an afterthought. That is how a short stay becomes a fuller portrait of the Dutch seat of government by the sea.