The Hague Travel Guide with Hotel Indigo The Hague
The Hague wasn’t on our bucket list and I’m sure it’s not on yours because, after all, Amsterdam and Rotterdam steal all its attention. Why we were even happy and what The Hague has to offer, we show you in our The Hague Travel Guide.
Although The Hague is not the capital of the Netherlands, it is nevertheless the political center. Here, the Dutch king has his residence and also the two chambers of parliament and the government are located in The Hague. Since Amsterdam and Rotterdam are not far away and attract the majority of tourists there, you won’t find the big tourist crowds in The Hague and even on weekends there aren’t many people in the city center.
The Hague’s first building is the 800-year-old Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) which actually looks more like a sacred building from the outside. Here is the throne of the king and here he reads his throne speach once a year. Over the centuries, the Binnenhof (inner court) was built around the Knights‘ Hall. This is surrounded in all directions by buildings that house the two chambers of parliament and the government. In the Binnenhof almost the whole political life of the Netherlands takes place. But it also makes a lot of architectural sense. With the red bricks on the walls and on the floor, the backdrop of the large waters in front of the buildings and last but not least because the Binnenhof is accessible free of charge, it should be on on the list at every visit. This was the first time we realized how few tourists were in The Hague, because we are sure that this place would be overcrowded in any other city.
If you leave the Binnenhof through the northeast gate, you are directly in front of the Mauritshuis. In this museum there are some of the most famous Dutch paintings, such as „The Girl with a Pearl Earring“ by Jan Vermeer or the one or the other paintings by Rembrandt or Rubens.
But we got stuck on the square in front of the Mauritshuis, because there a flea market with very beautiful live music always takes place on the first weekend of the month. We found a 60 year old advertising poster for a Leica camera there!
If you walk a bit further in this direction, you come to the skyscrapers which are directly behind the central station (The Hague Centraal). Of course, as a political capital many companies and service providers are represented here, and of course they need impressive skyscrapers.
Hotel Indigo The Hague
We stayed at Hotel Indigo The Hague – Palace Noordeinde. As part of the boutique hotel brand of the InterContinental Hotels Group, great emphasis has been placed on exceptional design combined with regional authenticity.
The hotel is very centrally located – opposite the Royal Palace – in an old bank building, in which the Dutch central bank once was. The history of the building has been taken up in the spectacular interior design. The marble on the floor and on the walls bears witness to the bank’s prestigious past. Impressive are the large windows in the staircase. In the hotel’s own Brasserie Stocks And Bonds with regional cuisine the old vault doors were simply left on the walls and used as a design element.
Our room was – as usually boutique hotels in the middle of the city are – not very large, but very tastefully decorated and of high quality. There are oak paneling behind the bed, as they used to decorate the offices of bank employees. In addition to the marble bathroom but the big vault was clearly the highlight. In it there are a coffee maker, a mini bar and a safe.
If you do not stay in this hotel, you should drop in, because there is a bar we have never seen before. The Gold Bar is located in part in the old money storage of the bank. Seeing the huge, old safe door with the locking bolts reminds of old Heist movies from the 50s. It’s easy to imagine how money or gold was stacked there once. Fittingly, there is also the furniture from the past: massive, brown leather sofas, velvet armchairs and a counter in the style of the 50s.
In the streets around the hotel there are many relaxed cafes and restaurants. We really liked the Indonesian restaurant Garuda with its many green plants and the Bookstore Café. Here you can sit in a very cozy atmosphere for hours and read books or buy them.
For those who do not read a lot but are rather sporty, walk a few meters, because in Lola Bikes & Coffee you can rent a bike and ride through the city after having enjoyed your coffee.
The Hague Beach
At the best directly to the beach, because The Hague has a several kilometers long, very beautiful, fine sandy beach. In the Scheveningen district there is the largest seaside resort in the Netherlands with a large pier as known from American films.
At the best directly to the beach, because The Hague has a several kilometers long, very beautiful, fine sandy beach. In the Scheveningen district there is the largest seaside resort in the Netherlands with a large pier as known from American films.
Back to the Binnenhof
If you leave it through the north-eastern gate, you will find yourself directly in front of the Mauritshuis. This museum contains a few of the most famous Dutch paintings, such as “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Jan Vermeer or one or two pictures by Rembrandt or Rubens.
But we ended up in the square in front of the Mauritshuis, because there is always a flea market there on the first weekend of the month with great live music. We found a 60-year-old advertising poster for a Leica camera there!
