The Hague / The verdict
Is Scheveningen Beach worth it?
Yes, and 2026 is a good vintage. Queen Máxima reopened the rebuilt boulevard in April 2026 after a two-and-a-half-year project, the strandtenten are back, and the 4.5 km of sand itself costs nothing and is one tram ride from Den Haag Centraal.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team. We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict.
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
Go
Yes, and 2026 is a good vintage. Queen Máxima reopened the rebuilt boulevard in April 2026 after a two-and-a-half-year project, the strandtenten are back, and the 4.5 km of sand itself costs nothing and is one tram ride from Den Haag Centraal.
Go if
- beach days without a car: tram 9 runs from Den Haag Centraal to the boulevard
- shoulder-season walkers, since the new boulevard and promenade carry the visit even when swimming is off
- families and surfers: the strandtenten, the Pier and the Noorderstrand surf break all sit on one stretch
Skip if
- you want a quiet, undeveloped coast; Scheveningen is the resort end of the Dutch beach
- you are chasing the New Year's Day swim: the 2026 edition was cancelled for wind and it is never guaranteed
- you want the full beach club scene in winter: the strandtenten are seasonal and taken down in autumn
What it costs
- Scheveningen beach and boulevard entry: €0 (the public boulevard and beach are free; strandtenten and the Pier's attractions price separately). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- HTM two-hour ticket for the tram or bus to the beach: €4.85 (covers tram 9 or bus 22 each way with transfers). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- HTM day ticket: €8.60 (unlimited HTM trams and buses for a calendar day, worth it from a second return trip). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Tourist Day Ticket for the wider region: €17.50 (covers HTM, RET, RandstadRail and Waterbus; only pays off if the day also covers Rotterdam or Delft). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 12 traveler reports (Jan 2025 to Oct 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 2 were negative.
What people like
- easy tram access from Den Haag Centraal makes it a simple day out from the city
- the seafront sculptures, cycle tracks and long beach carry a full summer day
- eating by the sea is a highlight, from a beach pavilion lunch to cheap herring at the harbor
- residents point to the stretches toward the harbor and Noorderstrand as calmer
- off-season visitors describe a quiet, slow winter beach
What people complain about
- it is a resort beach: one Dutch blogger finds it far too crowded in good weather, and residents call the Pier stretch the busiest
- the Pier itself strikes one blogger as faded glory, worth it mainly for the view
- off-season the strandtenten are gone and sea wind can spoil even a sunny day
- stormy weather shuts marquee events, as the cancelled 2026 New Year swim showed
How to do it right
- Take tram 9 from Den Haag Centraal to the Kurhaus stop; the ride is about 15 minutes and ends at the boulevard
- Walk the new boulevard first: it reopened in April 2026 about ten metres wider with more greenery and new stairs by the Kurhaus
- For quieter sand head north past the harbour to Noorderstrand; the busiest stretch is between the Pier and the harbour
- Count strandtenten into your evening plan; they are rebuilt each spring and serve straight on the sand
- Check Beelden aan Zee's reopening schedule: the sculpture museum on the boulevard reopened in June 2026 after renovation
- Keep a wind plan: the New Year swim and heavy-surf days get cancelled or restricted when storms come in
The trap to avoid
Eating on the boulevard terraces. Travelers find them overpriced and steer readers to the herring stalls at the working harbor, and the reason to come is the boulevard, the strandtenten and the sand.
What to do instead
Why this verdict
Go. Scheveningen is the Netherlands’ resort beach, 4.5 kilometres of sand fifteen minutes by tram 9 from Den Haag Centraal, and it just had its biggest upgrade in decades: Queen Máxima reopened the rebuilt boulevard on April 2, 2026, after a two-and-a-half-year project that widened the promenade by about ten metres, added greenery and hid a stronger sea defence underneath. Reports frame it as an easy day out from the city: a couple fleeing Amsterdam’s crowds reached it by train and a short tram, and a returning visitor spent a full summer day praising the seafront sculptures and the cycle tracks.
The shape of a visit is simple. Walk the new boulevard between the Kurhaus and the Pier, drop onto the sand, and end up in one of the strandtenten, the beach clubs rebuilt every spring that give Scheveningen its eating-on-the-sand culture. The Pier has the SkyView wheel running; one family found the wheel’s rocking cabin terrifying in sea wind, and a Dutch blogger calls the Pier faded glory worth it only for the view. For quieter sand, walk north of the harbour to Noorderstrand, the stretch locals claim; residents who live within earshot of the waves advise going earlier, walking further from the always-busiest Pier stretch and picking a strandtent out toward the harbour, where the working herring stalls also undercut boulevard prices.
The real caveats
This is a resort rather than wilderness: the Pier stretch packs out on hot weekends, and recent news includes a seafront riot in May 2025 and a harbour smokehouse fire that triggered an NL-Alert in June 2026, and one Dutch blogger finds the beach far too crowded in good weather. Off-season, the strandtenten are gone and the wind takes over; the 2026 New Year swim was cancelled hours before it started, and even bright April sun can come with a spoiling sea wind. A Christmas-Day visit found the winter beach quiet and slow, exactly the solitude one Amsterdam couple wanted. The Beelden aan Zee sculpture museum on the boulevard, reopened in June 2026, is the best backup plan.
Costs stay low: the beach is free, an HTM two-hour ticket at 4.85 euros covers the tram, and the 8.60 euro day ticket pays off from a second return; drivers should know Gevers Deynootweg turns into car-park central in high summer.
Book or check times
Buitengewoon Scheveningen, official boulevard projectHTM tram tickets and day passesRoyal House report on the boulevard reopening
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Check SkyView de Pier ticketspartner site
Questions
Is Scheveningen Beach free?
Yes. The beach and the new boulevard are public and free; you pay only for food, the strandtenten and attractions like the Pier's SkyView wheel.
How do you get to Scheveningen from The Hague centre?
Tram 9 from Den Haag Centraal reaches the Kurhaus and boulevard in about 15 minutes. An HTM two-hour ticket at 4.85 euros covers the trip; the 8.60 euro day ticket makes sense from a second return.
What changed on the Scheveningen boulevard in 2026?
After a two-and-a-half-year rebuild, Queen Máxima reopened the boulevard on April 2, 2026: about ten metres wider, greener, with new stairs near the Kurhaus and storm-safe structures underneath.
When do the strandtenten open?
The beach clubs are temporary: they are rebuilt each spring, run through the season, and are taken down again in autumn, so off-season visits see a bare beach.
Is the Scheveningen New Year swim still held?
Not reliably. The January 2026 Nieuwjaarsduik was cancelled at the last moment because of strong winds, and editions depend on weather.
Is Scheveningen safe?
It is a normal busy resort beach, but it has had incidents: a seafront riot in May 2025 and an NL-Alert over a herring smokehouse fire in June 2026 both made national news. Crowds and wind are the everyday issues.