The Hague / The verdict
Is the Peace Palace worth it?
Depends. The free visitor centre and the Andrew Carnegie-era facade are worth a short stop on any Hague trip, but the celebrated Great Hall of Justice only opens on limited weekend tours that require your original passport and run just May to October, when the courts allow.
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The The Hague story
The Hague is the Netherlands' buttoned-up coastal city: Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring inside the Mauritshuis's walkable 17th-century palace, the Binnenhof's parliament buildings on their pond, the Peace Palace's world-court grandeur behind Carnegie gates, and then a proper seaside suburb at Scheveningen, pier, rebuilt boulevard, herring stands and all. Diplomats' restaurants line the elegant streets, and Madurodam packs the whole country into 1:25 scale with working trains and boats.
The verdict in 30 seconds
It depends
Depends. The free visitor centre and the Andrew Carnegie-era facade are worth a short stop on any Hague trip, but the celebrated Great Hall of Justice only opens on limited weekend tours that require your original passport and run just May to October, when the courts allow.
Go if
- law, history and politics enthusiasts visiting the seat of the UN's highest court
- travelers wanting a free, low-commitment stop between the centre and Scheveningen
- photographers after the Andrew Carnegie facade and its famous gates
Skip if
- you want guaranteed interior access: inside tours run only on weekends from May to October, and only when the courts allow
- you travel light on documents: entry requires an original passport or EU ID, copies refused
- you are visiting off-season on a weekday, when only the visitor centre may be open
What it costs
- Peace Palace Visitors Centre entry and audio tour: €0 (free with optional donation; open Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 17:00; audio tour in 10 languages takes about 30 minutes). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Inside the Palace guided tour: €17.50 (weekends May to October only, 50 to 60 minutes, groups of 20, original passport or EU ID required, no bags or phones). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Outside the Palace guided tour: €13.50 (weekends May to October, covers the grounds and artworks in Dutch or English). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Garden tour: €13.50 (about 60 minutes, offered in Dutch only; not suitable for wheelchairs). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Attending an ICJ public hearing: €0 (free with a passport or ID card on a first-come basis; arrive about 30 minutes early). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 13 traveler reports (Apr 2025 to Sep 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.
What people like
- the Andrew Carnegie facade and gates are repeatedly called a highlight photo stop
- the free visitor centre and its audio guide get warm marks from student visitors for explaining the courts without a ticket
- inside tours that do run are described as impressive, especially the Great Hall of Justice
- student groups single out meeting ICJ judges and clerks inside the palace as a highlight
What people complain about
- interior access is scarce: weekend tours May to October only, and only when the courts allow
- the grounds stay fenced, so outside a tour you see the palace only through the gates
- the visitor centre keeps afternoon hours, and one pair of visitors arrived too late to get in
- one visitor found the building imposing but questioned how much practical impact the work inside has
How to do it right
- Walk or tram to Carnegieplein 2 and start with the free Visitors Centre: the 30-minute audio tour covers the palace's history and the courts inside
- If you want the inside tour, check the online calendar about two weeks out: tickets release in batches and weekend slots go fast
- Bring your original passport or EU ID card; copies and photos are refused, and everyone passes a metal-detection gate
- Leave bags, cameras and phones behind or plan on the lockers in the visitor centre; they are not allowed inside
- For a chance to see the court in action, check the ICJ hearings schedule and arrive about 30 minutes early with ID for free seats
- Time it to September's Just Peace Open Day, when the city programme opens doors that are normally shut
The trap to avoid
Showing up on a weekday expecting to go inside. The palace is a working court complex: the interior only opens on weekend guided tours from May to October, released roughly two weeks ahead, with 20 seats, airport-style security and no photography. The free visitor centre is the reliable part of the visit.
What to do instead
Why this verdict
It depends on how much Peace Palace you want. The free part is easy and good: the Visitors Centre at Carnegieplein 2 opens Wednesday to Sunday afternoons with a free audio tour in ten languages, the Andrew Carnegie facade and the famous gates photograph well, and the eternal peace flame sits right by the entrance. Student visitors praised the free centre’s audio guide and the neo-Renaissance architecture, and a 4K walk video shows exactly what a no-ticket visit looks like: the facade, the gates and the flame, plus the wish tree and mosaic benches a solo traveler looped when the inside proved shut.
The inside is the hard part. The palace is a working court complex housing the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, so interior access means a guided tour, weekends only, May to October, 17.50 euros, groups of twenty, and only when the courts allow. Security is real: an original passport or EU ID, a metal-detection gate, and no bags, cameras or phones inside. The tours that do run get described as impressive: student groups report the Great Hall of Justice, the library, the Japanese Room and the judge’s bench, some met ICJ judges, and one delegation called the visit the highlight of their Hague day.
Ways in that cost nothing
Public ICJ hearings are free to attend with ID, first-come seats, arriving about 30 minutes early. And each September, the city’s Just Peace Open Day opens spaces that are normally closed, the easiest planned look inside all year.
Worth knowing
Plan the palace around the weekend tour or treat it as a high-quality exterior stop between the centre and Scheveningen. Either way it pairs naturally with the centre loop and the museums, and costs nothing if you keep to the visitor centre. The grounds stay fenced: one visitor could not get close without a tour and walked around it taking photos, and a visitor who arrived too late for the centre still admired the facade through the gates.
Book or check times
Peace Palace visit and tour ticketsInside the Palace tour detailsICJ public hearings scheduleJust Peace Open Day programme
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Questions
Can you go inside the Peace Palace?
Only on a guided tour, and only on weekends from May to October when the courts' schedule allows. Tickets cost 17.50 euros, release about two weeks ahead, and groups are capped at 20 people.
Is the Peace Palace visitor centre free?
Yes. The Visitors Centre at Carnegieplein 2 is free with an optional donation, open Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 17:00, with a free audio tour in ten languages taking about 30 minutes.
What ID do I need for a Peace Palace tour?
An original passport or EU ID card or driving license. Copies and photos are not accepted, everyone passes a metal-detection gate, and bags, cameras and phones must go in lockers.
Can you watch an International Court of Justice hearing?
Yes, public hearings are free on a first-come basis. Bring a passport or ID card and arrive about 30 minutes before the sitting; the schedule is published on the court's site.
Is the Peace Palace worth it if no tour is running?
Yes for the visitor centre, the facade and the gates. Student visitors praise the free audio guide, and travelers who only saw the outside still found the facade worth the walk. The interior, including the Great Hall of Justice, is what requires the weekend tour.
What is Just Peace Open Day?
The Hague's annual programme around the International Day of Peace in late September, when institutions including the Peace Palace open spaces that are normally closed. The 2026 edition ran on September 20.