Few cities make day trips as easy as The Hague. Trains are fast and frequent, Delft is on the tram line, and in spring the bulb fields begin just north of the city. Here are the trips we recommend, with honest travel times.
Delft — the classic
Delft is the perfect half-day or day trip: a small, beautiful canal town of brick houses and hump-backed bridges. See the Nieuwe Kerk on the Markt, burial place of William of Orange and the Dutch royal family, and climb its tower; the Oude Kerk with its leaning tower and Vermeer’s grave; the Vermeer Centrum; the Prinsenhof museum; and Royal Delft, the earthenware factory founded in the 17th century. A short canal boat trip shows the town from the water.
More trips at a glance
Times are approximate journey times by public transport from Den Haag Centraal or HS.
| Destination | Travel time | Highlights | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delft | ≈10–15 min (train), ≈30–40 min (tram 1) | Canals, Nieuwe and Oude Kerk, Vermeer, Royal Delft | Train or tram |
| Leiden | ≈10–15 min | University town, canals, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Hortus botanicus | Train |
| Rotterdam | ≈25 min | Modern architecture, Markthal, Cube Houses, Erasmus Bridge, harbour | Train or metro line E |
| Keukenhof (spring only) | ≈45–60 min | Tulip gardens and bulb fields | Train + seasonal bus, or car |
| Gouda | ≈20 min | Market square, town hall, cheese | Train |
| Kinderdijk | ≈1–1.5 h | Historic windmills (UNESCO) | Train to Rotterdam + bus or water bus |
| Amsterdam | ≈50 min | Canals, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum | Train |
Leiden
Just north of The Hague, Leiden is the oldest university town in the Netherlands and Rembrandt’s birthplace, with lovely canals, almshouse courtyards, a botanical garden and the national museum of antiquities. It combines well with the Keukenhof in spring.
Rotterdam
The opposite of Delft: a bold, modern port city rebuilt after 1940, with the Markthal, the Cube Houses, the Erasmus Bridge and one of Europe’s biggest harbours. Trains take about 25 minutes, so an afternoon there is easy.
The Keukenhof and the bulb fields
For a few weeks each spring the Keukenhof gardens near Lisse show millions of flowering bulbs, and the surrounding fields turn into stripes of colour. Seasonal buses run from nearby stations; tickets and transport combinations sell out at peak times, so book ahead and check this year’s dates.
Kinderdijk and Gouda
Kinderdijk’s row of 18th-century windmills is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reached via Rotterdam. Gouda, with its Gothic town hall and cheese market traditions, is an easy train ride and pairs well with Kinderdijk on a longer day.
Closer to home: the dunes and the coast
You do not have to leave the city for nature: the Meijendel dunes north of Scheveningen and the quieter beach at Kijkduin make a fine day out by bike.
Booking day trips
Most of these trips are easy to do independently by train. If you prefer a guide, GetYourGuide sells Royal Delft tickets and a Delft canal boat, and guided day tours that cover Rotterdam, Delft and The Hague from Amsterdam. When we checked, we did not find a well-reviewed guided Keukenhof tour departing from The Hague itself, so we suggest going independently or with a tour from nearby Leiden.
