18 Best Things to Do in The Hague (2026 Guide)

The best things to do in The Hague split into two lists: the free ones you will repeat every week once you live here, and the ticketed ones worth planning a whole day around. This is a resident’s rundown: the beach and the markets alongside the Girl with a Pearl Earring and a miniature Netherlands. Every price, address and opening time below was checked against the venue’s own website in 2026, but Dutch museums move their hours often, so confirm before crossing town.

Free Things to Do in The Hague

A great many things to do in The Hague cost nothing, which matters in a city where one museum ticket runs past 20 euro. Start at the Hofvijver, the pond with the parliament buildings mirrored in it, then walk the Lange Voorhout, an avenue of embassies, terraces and a summer sculpture route.

The Binnenhof is the sight every old guidebook still sends you to, and it is shut. It has been closed for renovation since October 2021, and the government now expects visitors to walk across it again in summer 2031. The free substitute is good: the Binnenhof renovation information centre at Plaats 22 covers the history, the archaeology and the works, open Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday 12:00 to 17:00.

For everyday life, learn the Haagse Markt on Herman Costerstraat. More than 500 stalls make it one of the largest open air markets in Europe, trading Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00, and the produce undercuts the supermarkets. Add the Peace Palace visitors centre at Carnegieplein 2, where entry is free and a 30 minute audio tour explains what the International Court of Justice next door does. Guided tours of the palace run at weekends from May to October, 17.50 euro inside or 13.50 euro outside.

The Museums Worth the Ticket Price

The paid things to do in The Hague start at the Mauritshuis, Plein 29, which holds Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring in a townhouse you can see properly in two hours. Adult entry is 21 euro, under 19s go free, and it opens 10:00 to 18:00 daily except Monday, when it opens at 13:00. The useful 2026 change: from 1 January, admission is only 4 euro in the last two hours, 16:00 to 18:00, the best value ticket in the city.

The Kunstmuseum Den Haag at Stadhouderslaan 41 holds the world’s largest Mondrian collection: 22 euro, under 19s free, students aged 19 to 25 pay 12 euro, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, with a surcharge on some exhibitions. Escher in Het Paleis at Lange Voorhout 74 fills a former royal palace with the optical illusions: 14.50 euro adult, 11 euro ages 13 to 17, 8 euro ages 7 to 12, free under 7.

Panorama Mesdag at Zeestraat 65 is a 360 degree painted cylinder of 1881 Scheveningen viewed from a dune of real sand. Under 18s enter free; check the adult price on panorama-mesdag.nl. For timed entry, compare museum tickets on tiqets.com.

Things to Do in The Hague With Kids

Children reshape the list of things to do in The Hague, and the anchor is Madurodam at George Maduroplein 1, the miniature Netherlands built at 1:25 scale. It opens every day of the year with seasonal hours, under 3s go free, dated tickets cost 23.50 euro and flexible online tickets start around 18 euro. The gate price is the expensive one.

The Louwman Museum at Leidsestraatweg 57 is the surprise hit even with people who do not care about cars, running from the earliest motorised carriages to film cars. Adults pay 20 euro, ages 5 to 18 pay 10 euro, under 4s free, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00. For family tours and day trips to Delft, browse experiences on klook.com.

Scheveningen, the Pier and the Coast

The coast is why residents forgive the weather. Scheveningen gives you kilometres of North Sea sand and a boulevard of beach clubs. Take tram 9 towards Scheveningen Noord from Den Haag Centraal, or bus 22 for stops along the coast; bus 24 reaches the quieter dunes at Kijkduin. The sand is free.

De Pier at Strandweg carries a Ferris wheel over the water, a zipline running at up to 70 km per hour from a 55 metre tower, and the country’s only bungy jump, 60 metres above the sea. Behind the boulevard, Museum Beelden aan Zee at Harteveltstraat 1 hides a sculpture museum inside the dune, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00; call 070 358 58 57 for prices. Cycling the coastal path to Kijkduin is one of the best cheap things to do in The Hague, and rentals are easy to compare on bikesbooking.com. Arriving before check in, leave bags at a radicalstorage.com point.

Getting Around and Paying Less

Trams and buses are run by HTM and you no longer need a Dutch transit card: tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone through OVpay. A day ticket for unlimited HTM travel starts at 8.60 euro. From 1 August 2026 you can no longer buy a ticket or top up on board, so sort payment before you board.

Two cards decide how expensive the things to do in The Hague get. The national Museumkaart costs 75 euro a year for adults and 39 euro up to age 18 and covers over 500 museums nationwide; the Mauritshuis, Kunstmuseum, Escher and Louwman alone come to 77.50 euro, so it repays itself in one weekend. TheHaguePass costs 7.50 euro, lasts a year and gives smaller discounts at museums, theatres and restaurants. Short stay visitors should sort connectivity and transfers first: an eSIM from airalo.com gets you online before leaving Schiphol, and a fixed price transfer from welcomepickups.com removes the leg where a meter hurts.

1. Walk the Hofvijver, Lange Voorhout and Plaats on your first morning, all free.
2. Do the Mauritshuis at 16:00 for 4 euro.
3. Give day two to Scheveningen: tram 9, the beach, De Pier, Beelden aan Zee.
4. Buy the Museumkaart only once four museums are on your list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best free things to do in The Hague?

The Hofvijver and Lange Voorhout, the Scheveningen and Kijkduin beaches, the Haagse Markt, the Peace Palace visitors centre and the Binnenhof information centre are the free things to do in The Hague that fill a weekend without a ticket.

Can you still visit the Binnenhof and the Ridderzaal?

No. The Binnenhof has been closed to visitors for renovation since October 2021 and the government expects it to reopen in summer 2031. The free information centre at Plaats 22 is the substitute, Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday 12:00 to 17:00.

What are the best things to do in The Hague when it rains?

The indoor things to do in The Hague are the Mauritshuis, the Kunstmuseum, Escher in Het Paleis, Panorama Mesdag and the Louwman Museum. A wet week is when the Museumkaart pays, since four visits cost more than the annual card.

Do I need a car to get around The Hague?

No. Trams and buses reach the beach, the museums and Madurodam, OVpay lets you tap in with a bank card, and a day ticket starts at 8.60 euro. A bicycle covers the rest faster than a car.

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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