With kids · The Hague · Netherlands
The Hague with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The Hague is one of the easiest Dutch cities for families: beaches, Madurodam, the pier's ferris wheel, Escher's illusion rooms and dune parks are all close together, and trams are step-free. Top picks: Madurodam, Scheveningen beach and pier and Escher in Het Paleis. Families usually base themselves in Statenkwartier.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Statenkwartier
- Rainy-day options
- 2
Best things to do with kids
Theme park · Statenkwartier
1.Madurodam
A miniature park of Dutch landmarks at 1:25 scale, from Amsterdam's canal houses and the Rijksmuseum to Schiphol, the Delta Works and the Port of Rotterdam, with interactive models children can operate.
Visit late in the afternoon in summer, when the crowds thin and the models are lit.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Iconic
- Outdoors
Beach · Scheveningen Bad
2.Scheveningen beach and pier
Scheveningen's wide sandy beach runs for kilometres in front of the boulevard, with seasonal beach pavilions from spring to autumn. The pier extends into the North Sea with a ferris wheel at its end, and the 1885 Kurhaus hotel dominates the seafront.
Ride the ferris wheel at sunset for views along the coast and back towards the city.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Views
Museum · Hofkwartier and Noordeinde
3.Escher in Het Paleis
The former winter palace of Queen Emma on Lange Voorhout displays M.C. Escher's prints and drawings, from early Italian landscapes to his famous impossible staircases and tessellations, with optical-illusion rooms.
Older children enjoy the illusion rooms on the top floor.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Mariahoeve
4.Louwman Museum
A private collection of several hundred historic cars, from early steam carriages and 19th-century motor cars to racing cars and cars of film stars and royalty, displayed in a purpose-built museum near the Clingendael estate.
The museum is outside the centre near the Clingendael estate, so allow time for a tram, bus or bike ride each way.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
Nature · Wassenaar
5.Meijendel dunes
A large dune nature reserve north of Scheveningen with walking and cycling paths through dunes, woods and lakes to the beach at Wassenaarse Slag. It is also a drinking-water catchment area, so paths are well marked.
Cycle here from Scheveningen along the dune paths and continue to the beach.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
Gallery · Zeeheldenkwartier
6.Panorama Mesdag
Painted in 1881 by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and others, this 360-degree panorama of Scheveningen's beach and village, about 120 metres around and 14 metres high, is viewed from a central dune platform that tricks the eye into seeing the real coast.
Stay for a few minutes on the platform; the illusion strengthens as your eyes adjust.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Rainy-day ideas
- Escher in Het Paleis — Older children enjoy the illusion rooms on the top floor.
- Louwman Museum — The museum is outside the centre near the Clingendael estate, so allow time for a tram, bus or bike ride each way.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families, culture and quiet stays
Statenkwartier
The Statenkwartier is a well-to-do district of late-19th-century houses around the Frederik Hendriklaan shopping street, near the Kunstmuseum, the Fotomuseum and the Museon. The Scheveningse Bosjes woods and Madurodam are close by, and trams run to both the beach and the centre.
- Good
- Calm and leafy; Between the centre and the beach; Museums on the doorstep
- Watch out
- Few hotels; Tram needed for evenings in the centre
- Nearby
- Kunstmuseum Den Haag, Madurodam, Scheveningse Bosjes
Family travel tips
- Children under 4 travel free on public transport.
- Kijkduin's beach is calmer and less crowded than Scheveningen for small children.
- Combine Madurodam with the Scheveningse Bosjes woods and the beach on the same day.
- Pack windproof layers; the beach can be cool even in summer.
- Pancake houses are an easy family lunch.
Day trips for families
- Keukenhof (About 45–60 minutes by train and bus) — Keukenhof's spring gardens near Lisse show millions of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, usually from late March to mid-May, with the bulb fields flowering around it.
- Gouda (About 20 minutes by train) — Gouda's Gothic town hall, the Sint-Janskerk's stained glass and the summer Thursday cheese market make an easy half-day.
- Kinderdijk (About 1–1.5 hours by train and waterbus) — The UNESCO-listed group of 19 windmills along polder canals, two of which are open as museums, is the best place to see traditional Dutch water management.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–September. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is The Hague good for kids?
The Hague is one of the easiest Dutch cities for families: beaches, Madurodam, the pier's ferris wheel, Escher's illusion rooms and dune parks are all close together, and trams are step-free.
+What can kids do in The Hague?
Madurodam, Scheveningen beach and pier, Escher in Het Paleis, Louwman Museum and Meijendel dunes.
+Where should families stay in The Hague?
Statenkwartier: Grand townhouses and museums between the city and the dunes.