Scheveningen is the seaside district of The Hague, about an hour from Amsterdam. It has a long, wide sandy beach, a pier with a Ferris wheel and a bungee tower, a working fishing harbour, and the grand Kurhaus hotel looking out over the North Sea. In summer the beach clubs and promenade are busy. In winter it is a place for long walks in the wind and a plate of fish afterwards.
Scheveningen started as a fishing village in the 13th century, making it one of the oldest fishing communities in the Netherlands. In the 19th century it became a fashionable seaside resort, and both sides are still visible today: the harbour at one end, the Kurhaus and the boulevard at the other.
Here is what to see:
Our advice: Comfortable full day
Travel time from Amsterdam: 55 minutes each way.
Scheveningen is best combined with The Hague next door: a city and the seaside in one day.
The Scheveningen Pier opened in 1959 and runs 382 metres out over the sea. There are cafés and a restaurant on board, a Ferris wheel for the view along the coast, and a bungee jump tower for anyone who wants a closer look at the water.
The Kurhaus opened in 1885 as a concert hall and hotel, and after a fire was rebuilt in 1887 with painted ceilings that are still there. Kings and heads of state stayed here in its heyday, and in 1964 the Rolling Stones played a concert that ended with the band fleeing the building. Today it is the Grand Hotel Amrâth Kurhaus, and you do not need to be a guest to have a drink under the painted dome of the Kurzaal.
Ten minutes from Scheveningen, Madurodam shows the whole of the Netherlands at 1:25 scale: windmills and tulip fields, the canals of Amsterdam, the port of Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport with planes on the move. Many of the models are interactive, which makes it a good stop with children, and a useful way to see the country before you travel around it.
Built into the dunes behind the boulevard, Museum Beelden aan Zee is a museum dedicated entirely to sculpture, much of it about the human body. Some of the work is outside on terraces overlooking the sea.
During the Second World War the German army built the Atlantic Wall, a chain of bunkers and defences along the whole coast, and Scheveningen was part of it. The Atlantikwall Museum is inside one of those restored bunkers, with original rooms, tunnels and exhibitions about life in The Hague during the occupation.
The beach is wide and sandy, with beach clubs from spring to autumn where you can rent a sunbed, play beach volleyball or have dinner with your feet in the sand. Walk further from the pier, towards the dunes, and it gets much quieter.
Scheveningen is one of the most important fishing ports on the Dutch coast, and the thing to eat here is haring: raw, lightly salted herring with chopped onion and pickles. The Dutch hold it by the tail, tilt their head back and lower it in, but you can also have it on a small bread roll. From early summer the new season’s catch arrives, called Hollandse Nieuwe, and that is when it is at its best. Buy it from a fish stall on the boulevard or at the harbour and eat it looking at the sea.
Take the train from Amsterdam to Den Haag Centraal, around 50 minutes, then a tram to the beach, around 20 minutes. Door to door it is usually an hour to an hour and a quarter.
Yes. There are beaches with facilities, playgrounds, ice cream stands and Madurodam nearby, all of which work well for children, especially in spring and summer.
Yes, in summer, but the North Sea is cold and conditions can change quickly. Swim near the lifeguard posts and follow the local safety flags.
Late spring to early autumn is the most popular time, with warmer weather and the beach clubs open. In winter it is quiet and good for long walks on the beach.
Yes. Scheveningen is known for fish and seafood, from casual beach pavilions and fish stalls at the harbour to smarter restaurants, many with a view of the sea.
With difficulty, if you are not Dutch. It sounds roughly like skhay-ve-ning-en, with the first sound coming from the back of the throat. The sch is not pronounced like sh, but as a hard Dutch skh.
During the Second World War the Dutch are said to have used the word to tell locals from outsiders, because the pronunciation gave people away. Locals today are used to creative versions and will appreciate the effort.
