The Hague and Scheveningen are a beautiful combination of city and beach. Especially around the city center you will find many large parks, where you can cycle through almost continuously. During this tour we follow the green route towards the dunes and then the beach. We have enjoyed this route several times (especially with nice weather) when we still lived in The Hague and would therefore like to share this bike tour with you.
You will be busy for about 3 hours including a stop for coffee and lunch . The cycling time itself is about 1.5 hours. Of course, you may decide to stay on the beach, explore the dunes further or visit Museum Voorlinden or Madurodam. This is of course not taken into account in the time indication.
1. The Hague Central Station
The cycle route starts at NS Den-Haag Central Station , where you can rent an OV bicycle. With a free subscription you can rent 2 bicycles per personal OV chip card. Please note: you must order this subscription via the NS website. You can pick up the bicycles in the bicycle cellar under the bus station, which is accessible from the central hall or via the outside at the tram stops.
We use the app 'Routiq' ourselves when we plan cycling routes. On this app you can create your own routes by clicking on various points on the map. While cycling, the app shows you how to ride. You can download our route via this link .
Because the route can be downloaded via the link above and it is too extensive to work out this in detail via this post, we will explain the route via the highlights that you encounter along the way. You can also navigate via Google Maps on these highlights if you do not want to use Routiq.
2. Huis ten Bosch
From NS Den-Haag Centraal Station, first navigate to the Huis ten Bosch palace . Make sure that the route goes via the 'Haagse Bos'. This park is one of the few remains of an old 'primeval forest' that ran all the way to Alkmaar. Besides the Haagse Bos, only the Haarlemse Hout is one of the few remains of this primeval forest. The Haagse Bos was once used as a hunting ground for the House of Orange, who therefore had a summer residence built here. This summer residence, Huis ten Bosch, is now the residential palace of Willem-Alexander.
The Haagse Bos was also part of the German defense line during WWII. From here they launched their V1 and V2 rockets to England. Bombardments by the Allies that did not hit their target caused considerable damage during the war, especially to the neighborhood east of the forest.
3. Clingendael Estate
Via the Leidsestraat, you cycle out of the Haagse Bos and cross the Benoordenhoutseweg to the Waalsdorperlaan. You cycle past the American embassy through the Clingendael park. This is a former French-style estate with many symmetrical patterns, hedges and country houses. You can also find the Japanese garden here, which is truly beautiful, but is only open for a short period of the year (May, June and October). The cycle route does not run directly along the estate and the garden, but you can certainly deviate at this point to visit these sights. You will also notice that there are many bunkers from WWII. Even the 'command bunker' for the highest German commander in the Netherlands can be found here.
4. Museum Voorlinden
Back on the route along the Clingendael estate, the tour continues towards Museum Voorlinden. You pass the racecourse, various sports facilities and the golf club. After you have passed the N440, you have arrived in old Wassenaar. In the Golden Age, many wealthy residents of The Hague built their country houses here. And that is also visible! Beautiful villas in green streets alternate, one more beautiful than the other. And all this in a serene landscape situated on the edge of the dunes. Life seems to always stand still here. You can choose to visit Museum Voorlinden . If you are not into modern art, it is still worth visiting the building and especially the surrounding area. As the museum itself says, this is an oasis of peace in the busy Randstad.
5. Meijendel
From Museum Voorlinden the tour continues towards the dune area Meijendel. Navigate at the Meijendel parking lot. You first cycle a bit through Wassenaar and then enter the dunes, where you really enter the nature reserve after the parking lot. The nature park is very varied with differences in height, ponds, sand hills and vegetation. It is good to stay here, in the summer we regularly made dinner at home to eat it here in the dune area with a good glass of rosé.
6. Scheveningen beach
Via the nature park you will arrive at the northern side of Scheveningen at the so-called Zwarte Pad. We think this is by far the nicest part of the beach of the seaside resort because there are far fewer tourists here. But even here it is still very busy when the weather is nice, because there are many nice beach bars such as Barbarossa . Many tourists from home and abroad visit Scheveningen and flock to the iconic pier. Our advice is not to go there or at least not to stay here for long. If you want to see more of Scheveningen, we advise you to cycle to the harbor and get fish there at the classic fish restaurants or to dine a little more luxuriously at 't Gouden Kalf. When we do not come for the food, but really as beach visitors, we always hang around the Zwarte Pad.
7. Peace Palace
We continue our way from the Zwarte Pad back towards the city centre. You cycle towards the Zwolsestraat which turns into the van Alkemadelaan and turn right onto the Pompstationweg. You cycle to the end of this road and then turn left onto the Badhuisweg which turns into the Plesmanweg. After you have passed the roundabout and the water, you will find Madurodam on your right. However, the route continues straight through the park 'de Scheveningse Bosjes', over the dr. Aletta Jacobsweg, until you reach the built-up area again and head towards the city centre via the Bankastraat. The embassy district is by far our favourite neighbourhood in The Hague and it exudes great grandeur. From the Bankastraat, turn right onto the Burgemeester Patijnlaan towards the Peace Palace. You can find extensive information about this formidable building on the walking route ' City walk through The Hague '.
8. City Center (Binnenhof)
From the Peace Palace you cycle via the Anna Paulownastraat, the Anna Paulownaplein and into the city centre. We turn left onto the Hogewal and then right onto Noordeinde. See here again ' City walk through The Hague' for various nice tips for coffee shops, lunch places or restaurants and for information about, for example, the Royal stables and the Palace Gardens . If you cycle on the Noordeinde you will pass the nice coffee shop ' The Bookstor Café ' and the working palace of the King, Noordeinde Palace. Via the Heulstraat and the Kneuterdijk the cycle route ends at the Hofvijver and the epicentre of Dutch politics, namely the Binnenhof .
Are you looking for nice tips regarding dinner , lunch or coffee ? Then check out our blogs with names of the same name for this nice city. The culinary offer is great!
Also check out the blog with city walk, which shows you more of the city center and goes into more depth about this beautiful city. We hope you enjoyed the bike route!
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