How about visiting The Hague with children? We’ve done it multiple times, and there are so many children’s activities in The Hague that two or three days aren’t enough. In the summer, we often combined The Hague with a visit to the beach in Scheveningen, while during visits in November and December, we explored many of the children’s museums.
Our favorite is One Planet where you can easily spend a day with various tests, workshops, and learning about nature and science. If you’re going with a toddler to The Hague, the Children’s Book Museum is recommended. Meanwhile, teenagers will be happy with the extensive shopping opportunities in the city.
Practical tips for your visit to The Hague with Children
If you are visiting The Hague with children for the first time, realize that you would about five days for everything we recommend here. Our tips are based on several visits and weekend stays in The Hague with children of different ages. With 2 or 3 days, you can still get a nice feel for the city.
The Hague, also known as Den Haag, is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. It has an charming historical centre and is close to the beach. The city boasts beautiful parks, fascinating museums, and a rich cultural scene.

The Hague has excellent transportation connections, with direct train services to other major cities in the Netherlands. Getting around is easy with the tram system. Also many of the museum we suggest are withing walking distance of each other.
There are plenty of family-friendly hotels and restaurants in The Hague, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable stay for visitors of all ages.
Unfortunately, there is currently no The Hague Pass available, so you will have to pay entrance fees at all the different museums. If you are staying in the Netherlands for a longer time you could get a dutch Museumcard.
Activities in the Hague with kids
Madurodam
Madurodam is a true Dutch institute. This miniature park located in The Hague was established in 1952 and features intricately detailed miniature replicas of famous Dutch landmarks, cities, and landscapes. The park offers visitors the opportunity to explore and interact with these miniatures, providing a unique perspective on the country’s culture, history, and architecture.

In the last years Madurodam has tried to change it image to more than just a miniture park. There are now several (indoor) attracties that are especially focused on families with schoolage kids.
In for example the “Dutch Masters” area, you walk, jump, and climb through a themed world full of art. You can take funny photos in an Amis room where it seems like the people on one side of the room are much larger than on the other side of the room. You can ‘cut through’ each other or create other strange looks.

You can visit “The Court of the Netherlands,” where you can sit at the table of the First Free State Meeting in 1572, quite an exciting story. Next to this attraction is “New Amsterdam.” Here, you embark on a ship to discover the origins of New York and can fire cannons.
One Planet
We consider One Planet to be the most enjoyable children’s museum in The Hague. In fact, we think it’s one of the most child-friendly museums in the whole of the Netherlands. We particularly love places that are interactive and allow you to explore on your own, and One Planet offers exactly that. This is a museum where you can spend a whole day.

One of the highlights of the museum is its interactive exhibits, which allow visitors to explore topics such as climate change, biodiversity, and renewable energy through hands-on experiences and multimedia displays.
If you really want to engage with science in a fun way, be sure to check out the shows and their timings. For over forty minutes, our five-year-old daughter, like the other kids, was captivated watching a gentleman make science tangible with experiments during the Science Show.

Art museum The Hague
The Kunstmuseum Den Haag is located next to One Planet, making it convenient to combine visits to both attractions. While primarily an art museum, it does offer some activities for families. Such as rooms where children can create art using digital tools. Prefer to work with paper and paint? Then visit on a Sunday when the children’s studio is open.
The Kunstmuseum Den Haag also features several historical rooms that provide a beautiful contrast to the otherwise quite industrial-looking building. Here, you’ll also find an enormous dollhouse.

Children’s Book Museum
If you’re visiting The Hague with a toddler or preschooler, you can’t miss the Children’s Book Museum. Upon entering, there’s already a huge line of parents with impatient kids at the ticket counter. On weekends, especially in winter, it gets busy here, actually too busy for my liking.
The activities for young children are on the upper floors, and they’re really fun. There are several themed playrooms. Our daughter crawls like The Very Hungry Caterpillar through an apple, searches for Miffy, and plays with Frog. All characters from well-known children’s books come to life here.
On the lower floors are area’s designed for children aged 7 and up and lot’s of books to read.

The Hague Historical Museum
The Hague Historical Museum is located in the center of The Hague. This turns out to be a surprisingly fun museum for families. Make sure to visit on weekends or during holidays, as some parts may not be open otherwise. We go on a spider safari with Simon Smalpoot.
It’s a scavenger hunt for children aged 6 and up and a discovery attic. There are beautiful coloring pages, a dollhouse to play with in the attic.
The Hague Historical Museum cannot be compared to the larger museums you can visit in The Hague with kids. But if you don’t have much time and/or just want to stay in the city center, then it’s really worth it.

Beeld en Geluid museum (Image and Sound)
Beeld en Geluid Den Haag is a very fun, modern, and interactive museum suitable for children aged 8 and above. In the heart of the museum, various activities are offered throughout the week. For example, there’s the opportunity for live programming, where you can use a tablet to control a drawing robot.
Each floor is themed and provides explanations about communication while showcasing collection items that demonstrate various communication methods. The second floor for example, named “Update,” focuses on the most important developments in communication. There’s a wall full of emojis that you might recognize from WhatsApp, but do you know their meanings?

Rijksmuseum de Gevangenpoort (The Prison Gate)
Rijksmuseum de Gevangenpoort (The Prison Gate) is an intriguing museum in The Hague to visit with older children. There’s a special audio tour designed for children aged 8 and above. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend visiting with much younger children due to the topics covered in the museum.
The Gevangenpoort, was a prison. In the museum, you can experience what it’s like to walk with a ball and chain attached to your leg. You’ll also see medieval torture devices such as thumb screws. During the children’s audio tour, we hear stories from the past. For example, what happened if you were accused of poisoning your employer. The audiotour for children is educational and engaging, and although the museum isn’t very large, we spent over an hour there.

Mauritshuis
The Mauritshuis is a wonderfully beautiful historic building housing paintings by famous Dutch artists. It offers a varied program of fun and educational activities for both young and old, such as workshops and guided tours, especially during school holidays.
Even when there are no special activities, visiting the Mauritshuis with children can be enjoyable. Children are often fascinated by the amusing paintings of Jan Steen and the overall unique atmosphere of the museum.

Escher at the Palace
Escher in het Paleis (Escher at the Palace) is located on Lange Voorhout, near the Binnenhof. Upon entry, we’re immediately handed a scavenger hunt. My daughter eagerly searches for the images she needs to match with the paintings.
The questions are fairly easy once you can read, such as “What is the name of the painting?” Finding the pictures, however, is quite challenging. Escher’s illusions are filled with optical illusions like the infinite staircase. The building itself is very beautiful.

Museum Sophiahof
Museum Sophiahof explores Indonesia from the past to the present. The story is told through an audio guide and narratives from various families. The changing exhibition space sometimes features interesting exhibitions tailored for families.

Panorama Mesdag
Panorama Mesdag is a unique attraction in The Hague that showcases an impressive 360-degree panoramic painting of the sea, dunes, and the city of The Hague. The painting was created by the Dutch artist Hendrik Willem Mesdag and his wife, Sientje Mesdag-van Houten, along with several assistants. The painting stands over 14 meters high and has a circumference of 120 meters. What makes Panorama Mesdag special is that the painting is displayed on a cylindrical canvas, giving the illusion of being immersed in the scene.

Louwman Museum
The Louwman Museum is a car museum. There isn’t much for kids to do besides looking at the cars. You’re not allowed to touch anything. The signs provide explanations about the history of the cars. We only recommend this museum if your kids truly enjoy looking at special cars.
Drievliet Themepark
Drievliet is a amusement park that is open from spring to autumn. While it is not so populair as for example the Efteling it is still a fun day out for families.
Little ones can ride along with their parents on the tugboats, the flying fish carousel, or the flying doggies. They can also play in the sand, climb the lighthouse, and bounce on the bouncy castle. Moreover, the singing stable, where animals start singing after pressing a button, is certainly a favorite among the little visitors. Climbing, crawling, and sliding are activities the little ones can enjoy in the toddler playground.
For older children there are also thrilling attractions for older children, such as the “Kwal,” a super-fast spinning ride that goes upside down. There’s also the spectacular copper mine roller coaster.

Westfield Mall of the Netherlands
The Westfield Mall of the Netherlands is in Leidschedam on the edge of The Hague. Besides shopping there are also some familyfriendly activities here.
Everyone with children knows Peppa Pig. The series is extremely popular among toddlers and preschoolers. There is a Peppa Pig ‘World of Play in the mall.
The playground is divided into 12 play zones featuring familiar characters and objects from the series. You can interactively jump in mud puddles (everyone loves jumping in mud puddles!), visit the Big family’s house, and reenact Peppa’s adventures in a theater.

The Beach at Scheveningen
Combine The Hague with the beach town of Scheveningen. Scheveningen is easily accessible from The Hague. Once you arrive, head straight to the beach! Scheveningen boasts a long, sandy coastline where you can sunbathe, swim, or take a leisurely stroll along the promenade. For more information read our blog about Scheveningen with kids.
Childfriendly Hotel The Hague
Stayokay – Stayokay Den Haag is centrally located, close to the city center and just a 5-minute walk from Hollands Spoor train station. The rooms are simple yet spacious, bright, and clean. Check availability and prices for Stayokay Den Haag here.

The Hague Teleport Hotel – Are you looking for an affordable hotel in The Hague with a family room? Perhaps The Hague Teleport Hotel is something for you. We also stayed here for a night. This hotel has a somewhat peculiar location in an industrial area, but you can park for free right outside, and it’s only a 6-minute bus ride to The Hague Central. For families, there are three maisonettes on the top floor. The view is a big plus. Moreover, you have a separate bedroom, and the kids can sleep on the sofa bed downstairs. We found the price-quality ratio to be really good. Check availability and price here.