The Hague

Customs / Culture
The Hagues culture is defined by the many museums the city has – over 30! Besides the many museums The Hague also has quite a few other cultural institutions; like galleries, music halls and exhibition houses. Unfortunately the lack of a university also reflects on The Hague’s nightlife which isn’t as rich as in other Dutch cities. During summer however, Scheveningen holds much lively activity thanks to tourists and the warmer temperatures.

Traditions
A true Hague tradition is the festival of Koninginnenacht (Queens Night). It is a festival held the night before Queens Day, with it there is a free open-air music festival.
Other traditions in the Hague that are National traditions: Queens Day (30th April), Vlaggetjies Dag (Saturday before Whitsunday), Prinsjesdag (3rd Tuesday of September) and Sinterklaas (5th December).

Religion
The Hague is in the traditionally catholic part of the country. A recent survey showed that the majority of people in the Netherlands claim that they don’t belong to any denomination. Nonetheless there are 5 churches in The Hague and a mosque. The Kloosterkerk, the grote Kerk, the Citylife church, the American protestant church of The Hague, the Triumfactorkerk and an Islamic mosque.

Airports / Car rental
The two nearest airports to The Hague are Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Schiphol (20km resp. 50km) Schiphol is the busiest airport in all of the Netherlands and the Rotterdam The Hague Airport is the third. Getting to The Hague is best done by flying to the latter as the Airport is better connected to The Hague.

Public transport
The Hague is a vibrant city. Therefore the roads in the city and in the area are often very busy. Also in the inner city there is heaps of traffic. Fortunately, the city of The Hague has good and modern public transportation that quickly and reliably takes you to your destination.

Train
By train you can travel quickly and easily from The Hague to other cities in the Netherlands and back again e.g. half an hour to Amsterdam or Rotterdam. You can also use the train to travel from one district to district. Tickets are available at the station.

Bus
The bus gets you to your destination in The Hague and in the surroundings. Often, several buses run within the hour. So you don’t need to wait long for the next bus. From the bus stop to your destination, walking times seldom exceed 15 minutes. When traveling with the bus you pay with a so called strippenkaart. You can get them at the bus/tram station, at most newsstands and in bookstores.

Tram
The trams go from the center of The Hague to all the districts and back again. Most of the time you only need to wait for a few minutes for you tram to arrive. From the center of The Hague to Scheveningen, the tram is the most recommendable form of public transport. Just like in the bus you pay with the strippenkaart.

Taxis / Infrastructure
At both of the airports taxis are available for transfers to the city. Also in the city taxis are readily available at the taxi ranks of Den Haag Centraal and Den Haag Hollandse Spoor, or on demand by telephone. Specialized taxi services, like the airport shuttle, are also available.
For your parking pleasure there are many parking lots/garages in the center and a Park&Ride garage; Hoornwijk bij Yppenburg.

Events

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• Koninginnenacht (Queens Night) and Koninginnedag (Queens day) are celebrations held on the birthday of the former Dutch Queen, whereas Queens Night is a celebration were the young gather and party the night before. Also on this night, the largest open air in the Netherlands is open in The Hague.
  
• Vlaggetjesdag: A celebration commemorating the first herring of the year arriving.
  
• Tong Tong Fair: the largest Eurasian cultural festival in all of Europe, concentrating on the Indonesian culture.
  
• The Hague Jazz Festival in June.
  
• Milan: the biggest open air event in Europe.
  
• Prinsjesdag: the Dutch State Opening of Parliament. The Queen holds a speech from her throne. The day is extremely popular among monarchists and tourists wanting to see Queen Beatrix and the Royal Family in the “Gouden Koets”(Golden Carriage).
  
• During June and August there are weekly fireworks as part of the international fireworks festival/competition.
  

Culinary Specialties
In The Hague you will most certainly find a restaurant that caters your need; from Dutch to Italian, from Japanese to Indonesian. Here are some restaurant, café and bar recommendations to get you started:

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• European food: Restaurant Drieluik, Bistroquet Restaurant, Fouquet, Jill's Restaurant.
  
• Italian food: La Lanterna Italiaans Restaurant
  
• Asian food: Lung Fung Chinees-Surinaams, Keraton Damai, Oni Japanese Dining
  
• Argentinian food: Los Argentinos Restaurant
  
• Bars: Café Gabor's, De Posthoorn Bodega, Rootz Café
  

Lifestyle
The Hague is a very busy city, you will find more cars in The Hague than in other big cities in the Netherlands. Of course there are also many cyclists around, just as Dutch lifestyle demands it. So you still need to be careful for those bicycles.

Sights


Museums
In The Hague there are over 30 museums. Some museums are world famous and visited annually by thousands of tourists. The most famous of them is the Mauritshuis. There, you can view the paintings of the famous artists Vermeer and Rembrandt. For example: "Girl with the Pearl Earring" and "The Anatomy of Dr. Tulp." There are also organized exhibitions in the Mauritshuis.
Other famous museums are: the Gevangenpoort and the Panorama Mesdag. The municipal museum is also highly recommendable for a visit. The famous painting "Victory Boogie Woogie" by the artist Mondrian is exhibited there.

Architecture
For all lovers of architecture, The Hague is a paradise. Classical buildings and Art Nouveau buildings are interspersed with modern architectures. Many houses in The Hague still have original features. Take a look in the shopping streets to the top. On many fronts are still beautiful ornaments and painted motifs.

Other Sights
Next to the many Museums and the great architecture there are other sights in The Hague; such as the many impressive government buildings on the“plein” (Square) or the town houses next to the Lange Voorhout (a large tree). Just outside of the city there is also the Royal Palace, although it’s not open to the public it is still impressive to look at the building and the garden. Just in between The Hague and Leiden there is the popular Dutch water park Duinrell. Other entertaining sights are the Archeon, the Aqua Zoo Leerdam and FutureLand.