What Den Haag Looks Like From Brussels
James Okafor spent three days in Brussels for ICC coordination meetings. Coming back to Den Haag, he noticed something he hadn’t before.
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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…
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Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Moving to The Hague
The Mauritshuis has late afternoon tickets for €4. Iikea tram is line 1. The DigiD takes six weeks. Eighteen months of expat life in Den Haag, distilled.
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The Den Haag Nobody Puts on a Postcard
There is a version of Den Haag that exists on postcards, in tourist brochures, in the expat welcome packs that HR departments send out when you’re relocating for an international institution. It involves the Binnenhof, the Mauritshuis, the North Sea. All of it is accurate. None of it is the city I actually live in….
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The Jazz Night Den Haag Doesn’t Advertise
I almost didn’t go last Thursday. Late week at the ICC, the kind where you don’t really stop until someone turns the office lights off, and by nine o’clock the idea of sitting somewhere quiet with a drink felt more appealing than any live venue. But I’d been saying I was going to Paard van…
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The International City That Locals Actually Live In
The Hague has the ICC, the OPCW, Europol, and dozens of other international organisations. It also has a neighbourhood life that exists entirely separately. Here’s where those two worlds meet.
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The Den Haag Nobody Puts on a Postcard
There is a reception this Thursday at the ICC. Visiting African delegations, a few hundred people, drinks in one of the formal rooms with the long windows that look out toward the dunes. I have been to perhaps thirty of these in four years. I still find them remarkable — not because of the guest…
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Where to Stay in The Hague: Which Neighbourhood Actually Makes Sense
The centre is convenient but overpriced. Scheveningen is great if you want the beach. Here’s how I’d actually advise someone choosing where to stay in Den Haag.
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Getting Around The Hague Without a Car: The Honest Guide
The tram network is genuinely excellent. The cycling infrastructure is better than most cities will ever have. Here’s how it actually works, from someone who did it all wrong first.
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What I Wish I’d Known Before Moving to Den Haag
The BSN, the DigiD, the housing market, the Dutch directness, and the one thing about Den Haag that took me by surprise. An honest guide for anyone arriving from abroad.
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Where to Stay in Den Haag: A Neighbourhood Guide for First-Timers
Which neighbourhood, which budget, and which type of visitor goes where. An honest guide to staying in Den Haag from someone who had to figure out the city from scratch.
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Getting Around Den Haag: Everything I Wish Someone Had Told Me
The OV-chipkaart, the HTM trams, the two stations, and the thing that trips up every newcomer. A guide from someone who figured it out the hard way.
