Public Transport in The Hague: HTM Trams, OVpay and 2026 Fares

Working out public transport in The Hague is one of the easier parts of moving to the Netherlands, because the city runs on a dense tram network rather than one metro line. HTM runs the trams and buses, RandstadRail links you to Zoetermeer and Rotterdam, and NS trains put Schiphol within an hour of Den Haag Centraal. Nobody buys paper tickets now; you tap in and out with the card you use for groceries. Here is what public transport in The Hague costs in 2026 and where it lets you down.

Trams, buses and RandstadRail: the shape of public transport in The Hague

HTM runs all city trams and buses, and the trams are what you will actually use: long, frequent lines rather than fast ones. Tram 1 goes from Delft Tanthof to Scheveningen, tram 9 from Vrederust to Scheveningen Noord, and tram 11 from Den Haag Hollands Spoor to Scheveningen Haven. Live along those corridors and the beach is one ride away.

RandstadRail confuses newcomers: it is light rail rather than tram, and HTM runs lines 3, 4 and 34 on it out to Zoetermeer. Tram 3 links Loosduinen with Zoetermeer Centrum West by way of Den Haag Centraal, Grote Markt, Spui, HMC Westeinde and Voorburg ‘t Loo. The same infrastructure carries RET metro line E from Rotterdam Slinge to Den Haag Centraal, so the two cities are joined by a metro, not only by train.

Buses cover the residential edges and business parks on the same readers and tickets, which is what makes public transport in The Hague one system rather than three. Plan with the HTM app or the national 9292 planner: track works are near constant and only the apps show them.

What it costs: OVpay, the OV-pas and 2026 fares

Paying for public transport in The Hague now mostly means tapping a contactless bank card, phone or smartwatch on the reader. That is OVpay, and HTM states plainly that you pay the same as with an OV-chipkaart, with no surcharge. One card is one traveller, so a couple needs two. One beep means checked in, two checked out, and the fare leaves your account overnight. There is no flat city fare.

If you would rather not hand your everyday bank card to a ticketing system, a euro card from Wise or Revolut taps like a Dutch debit card and keeps foreign transaction fees off each ride.

The card alternative is the OV-pas, successor to the OV-chipkaart. It costs €6, is valid up to five years, and you order it at ovpay.nl or in the OVpay app, or buy one at an HTM Service Desk or a Primera shop. An OV-chipkaart still costs €7.50. Either way you travel on credit and need a boarding balance: €4 for bus, tram and metro, €20 for an NS train. Setting up public transport in The Hague takes five steps.

1. Tap your contactless card on any HTM reader. One beep and you are done.
2. If it fails, order an OV-pas at ovpay.nl or collect one at the HTM Service Desk in Den Haag Centraal.
3. Install the HTM app for live departures and 9292 for door-to-door routes.
4. Log a fortnight of journeys, then compare the total against Regio Vrij.
5. If you are 65 or over, or buying for a child aged 4 to 11, ask about the reduced tariff.

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Trains: Den Haag Centraal, Hollands Spoor and leaving the city

Trains are where public transport in The Hague stops being a city service and becomes a national one, and the two main stations are not interchangeable. Den Haag Centraal is the terminus in the government district, where most intercity trains to Amsterdam and Utrecht end. Den Haag HS, short for Hollands Spoor, sits on the through line and is often better for Rotterdam and Belgium. Trams link them in minutes, but confusing the two costs you a train.

NS runs the trains and OVpay works on them, with the same tap-out discipline. That €20 boarding balance is a train-only rule that surprises tram regulars. NS lists Den Haag to Schiphol Airport from €11.10 one way on its own route page; fares move, so check the live price at ns.nl rather than trusting any article, this one included.

Airports: Schiphol and Rotterdam The Hague Airport

Two airports serve the city and public transport in The Hague reaches both without a car. Schiphol is the default, with direct NS trains from either station all day and most of the night.

For arrival day, a pre-booked driver from Welcome Pickups removes the one trip where getting ticketing wrong is most expensive. After that, the train is cheaper and faster.

Bikes, night buses and the honest limits of public transport in The Hague

The bicycle is not an alternative to the network here, it is part of it. NS runs OV-fiets from stations nationwide: the subscription is free, you unlock a bike with your OV-chipkaart, and you pay per 24 hours rather than by the hour, with €9.80 a day after the first three and a seven-day maximum. The current per-rental price is in NS’s own price list at ns.nl. For longer, BikesBooking compares the rental shops.

Now the limits. Frequencies drop hard in the evening, and beyond the weekend Nachtbus at €6.50 little runs between roughly one and six in the morning. Sunday mornings are thin, and a line you depend on will be bus-replaced by track works this year. None of that means you need a car in the city; commute to an inland business park and it starts to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an OV-chipkaart, or can I just use my bank card?

A contactless bank card, phone or smartwatch works on every HTM reader through OVpay, at the same price as an OV-chipkaart and with no surcharge. Buy a card only if you want transport kept off your bank account or need a reduced tariff.

What happens if I forget to check out?

You are charged the instaptarief of €4.00 for that journey instead of the real fare. It is the most common mistake on public transport in The Hague, whether you tapped in with a card or a pass. Tap out before you walk away, including when changing between tram and train.

How much is a day of unlimited travel?

An HTM day ticket is €8.60 in 2026, a two-hour ticket €4.85 and a child day ticket €1.50. For two short trips, tapping a card and paying the €1.16 base fare plus €0.201 per kilometre is usually cheaper.

Is public transport in The Hague good enough to live without a car?

Inside the city, yes, and most residents within the tram network do exactly that. Trams cover the centre, the coast and Scheveningen, RandstadRail handles Zoetermeer, and metro line E plus NS cover Rotterdam and Amsterdam. It gets harder on an industrial estate or with unusual hours.

How do I get from the airport to my address on arrival day?

From Schiphol, take a direct NS train to Den Haag Centraal or Den Haag HS and tap in with a contactless card. From Rotterdam The Hague Airport, take bus 33 to Meijersplein and metro line E onwards. With heavy luggage, a pre-booked transfer is easier.

Expat Essentials for The Hague

A few quick wins make settling into The Hague easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.

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Written by FinePassport team