Scheveningen in April: What the Locals Know That the Tourists Don’t
People from outside Den Haag think of Scheveningen as a summer destination. They arrive in July when the beach is packed, the parking is impossible, and the Boulevard has the specific energy of a place that knows it’s being consumed. That’s fine. But the locals’ version of Scheveningen is the one that runs from March through May, when the North Sea is still cold and the crowds haven’t materialised and the city feels like it belongs to the people who live next to it.
I do a Sunday morning cycle most weeks — from Bezuidenhout through Haagse Bos and out to the Boulevard. I have done this in rain, in fog, in the thin March sunshine that gives everything a slightly forensic quality. Each time it is better than going in July.
The Boulevard itself (Strandweg, Scheveningen) in April is a different proposition from the summer version. The restaurants and beach pavilions that were closed over winter are opening up — gradually, not all at once. The ones that open first are usually the ones that cater to local trade rather than summer tourism, which means the quality is higher and the prices haven’t been adjusted for July.
Catch Beach Club (catchbeachclub.nl — Zwolsestraat 1, Scheveningen) is open year-round and is worth knowing about precisely because it doesn’t have the seasonal surcharge built in. Lunch is reasonable, the terrace faces the sea, and the crowd in April is a mix of locals, people who’ve cycled out from the city, and the occasional winter surfer looking cold and satisfied.
The fish stalls along the harbour at Scheveningen Haven (Dr. Lelykade, Scheveningen Haven) are the more important recommendation. Fresh herring, fried fish, the occasional mackerel when it’s running. This is where Den Haag’s Indonesian and North Sea food cultures overlap in a way that doesn’t happen anywhere else — you can have raw herring with onions and a fried snack in the same five minutes. The stalls are all year, but the spring fish is the best.
The point about April specifically: the light is good, the tourists aren’t there yet, and the city that lives on this coastline is visible rather than submerged. Come back in July if you want the summer version. Come now if you want Scheveningen the way it actually is.
