Day trip from Amsterdam The Hague
The seat of the Dutch government and home of the Mauritshuis, with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, 49 minutes by direct train from Amsterdam.
Is The Hague worth a day trip from Amsterdam?
Go for the Mauritshuis. Full day.
Go if you care about Dutch painting. The Mauritshuis holds Girl with a Pearl Earring and costs € 21, with no extra charge for exhibitions. It is open every day, but on Mondays only from 13:00 to 18:00, so do not turn up on a Monday morning. Direct trains take 49 to 53 minutes and a single is € 15.30. The museum needs two hours; the Peace Palace and the tram ride to the beach at Scheveningen fill the rest. Without the museum, the city centre alone is a thin reason to spend € 30 on trains.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 49 minone way · Trainline (NS timetable and fares)
- Transport
- Direct Intercity
- Self-guided cost
- € 51.60Train return (2 x € 15.30) + Mauritshuis ticket (€ 21) · Mauritshuis
- Tour price
- From € 57Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 5–8 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- None (Monday opens at 13:00)
- Best time
- All year; Tue-Sun for a morning visitDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth a full dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in The Hague
- 01
Mauritshuis
A 17th-century town palace with about 250 paintings on two floors, including Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vermeer's View of Delft and Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson. Two hours covers every room.
- 02
Hofvijver and the Binnenhof
The parliament complex is under renovation for years and closed to visitors. The view that counts is free anyway: the old buildings reflected in the pond, seen from the Lange Vijverberg side.
- 03
Peace Palace
The seat of the International Court of Justice, 20 minutes on foot or a short ride on tram 1. You see the facade through the gates and a small visitors centre. Interior tours are rare.
- 04
Scheveningen beach
A wide North Sea beach with a pier and a long boulevard, 15-20 minutes from the centre on tram 1 or 9. Walk north past the pier for a quieter stretch of sand.
- 05
Escher in Het Paleis
M.C. Escher's prints in a former royal winter palace on the Lange Voorhout, with an optical illusion floor at the top. Allow an hour. It is closed on Mondays.
Good forArt and museumsCoast and islandsOld towns and villages
How to spend the day
Take a direct Intercity from Amsterdam Centraal around 9:00 and arrive at Den Haag Centraal before 10:00. The Mauritshuis is a ten-minute walk away. Stay until noon and eat nearby. In the afternoon walk to the Peace Palace or take a tram out to Scheveningen beach. Trains back run about four times an hour; leave around 17:30 and you are in Amsterdam by 18:30.
The Hague in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustThe beach turns this into two trips in one. Do the Mauritshuis in the morning, then take tram 9 to Scheveningen, where the beach pavilions serve food on the sand from March to October. On hot weekends the trams and the boulevard are packed by noon, so go on a weekday or reach the coast after 16:00.
Winter
December to FebruaryThe museum is the whole reason to come, and it is at its quietest on winter weekdays, when you can stand alone in front of the Vermeers. The beach pavilions are taken down, though a windy walk on the sand still works for half an hour. With dark at 16:30, a five-hour visit is enough.
How crowded it gets
Busy- Busiest
- Mauritshuis 11:00-14:00 at weekends and in school holidays; Scheveningen on sunny summer weekends
- Quietest
- Mauritshuis at 10:00 or after 16:00, Tuesday to Friday
The room with Girl with a Pearl Earring is small and clogs at midday. Book the first slot of the day and go straight up to it, then see the rest. Outside the museum the city centre is never crowded.
How do you get to The Hague from Amsterdam?
Train
- Travel time
- 49-53 min
- Frequency
- About every 15 min
- Cost
- € 15.30 each way
- Departs from
- Amsterdam Centraal
Take a direct Intercity to Den Haag Centraal, not Den Haag HS, which is further from the museum. No supplement and no reservation. Tap in and out with a contactless bank card. The Mauritshuis is about ten minutes on foot from the station.
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 9 hours round trip
- Cost
- From € 57
- Departs from
- De Ruijterkade 34a, Amsterdam Centraal
The coach tour stops at the Peace Palace in The Hague, then goes on to Rotterdam and Delft. It does not leave time for the Mauritshuis. Take it for an overview of three cities, not if the museum is your reason for going.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
City clothes and comfortable shoes are fine for the centre. For Scheveningen bring a windproof layer in every season, since the sea breeze drops the temperature by several degrees. The museum has free lockers for coats and bags.
What to eat
The Hague is the Dutch city for Indonesian food, a legacy of colonial families who settled here, so look for a rice table of many small dishes. At Scheveningen harbour, eat raw herring or fried fish from a stall. Lunch near the museum centres on the Plein square.
What you will spend
Trains cost € 15.30 each way and the Mauritshuis is € 21, which together make almost the whole budget. The Hofvijver view, the Peace Palace gates and the beach are free. Add a small tram fare for Scheveningen and money for lunch.
How to get the most out of the day
- Delft is about 15 minutes away by train or on tram 1. Leaving The Hague at 14:00 still gives you an afternoon there.
- The Mauritshuis sells timed tickets online. In school holidays the morning slots go first, so book a few days ahead.
- Trams 1 and 9 both reach the beach. Tram 9 leaves from Den Haag Centraal itself, so use it if you skip the centre.
- Photography without flash is allowed in the Mauritshuis, but the crowd in front of the Vermeer makes a clean shot unlikely after 11:00.
How long do you need in The Hague?
Plan 5–8 h on site, plus 49 min of travel each way from Amsterdam.
When is The Hague closed?
None (Monday opens at 13:00). Best time: All year; Tue-Sun for a morning visit.