Summer break here runs six weeks, and most of it happens on the North Sea sand. Families dig and paddle from Scheveningen to the dunes at Wassenaarse Slag, ride the gondola wheel on the pier, or glide under low bridges on an open canal boat. When it rains, there are the indoor slides at Duinrell's Tikibad. Here's what we checked, from Kijkduin to the zip line at Speeltuin Westerpret.
Vlaggetjesdag is Scheveningen's yearly harbor party, billed by its organizers as the biggest herring party in the Netherlands. The quay fills with flags and crowds.
Kids can look at the boats, try herring and soak up a local tradition. It suits families happy in a busy outdoor crowd; toddlers who dislike crushes may find it a lot.
De Parade is a theater festival that sets up in the Westbroekpark with a full program of shows, workshops and activities for kids and grown-ups alike.
Between shows, kids can take a ride on the Zweef, rock in the swing boats and bake their own poffertjes. Many shows are marked "No Dutch Required", so it works for families still learning the language.
A wide, sandy North Sea beach in front of the Kurhaus and the 382-meter Scheveningen Pier, a two-deck pier with a bungee jump on top. Kids dig and paddle at the waterline, and older ones can try a lesson at the surf school on Strandweg. Beach clubs line the sand, with the boulevard's restaurants just behind.
Kijkduin is the smaller of The Hague's two seaside resorts, a sand beach below a long line of dunes on the city's southwest side. A boulevard runs along the top of the dune, with shops on the town side and cafes facing the sea.
Several beach entrances lead down to the sand, and the Jutterskeet van Ome Jan, a beachcombers' museum, sits by entrance 5.
Zuiderstrand is the stretch of North Sea beach between Scheveningen harbor and Kijkduin, backed by the protected Westduinpark dunes. Walking and cycling paths cross the dunes to several beach access points, past World War II bunkers and grazing Scottish Highland cattle.
At access point 5 stands a beachcomber's shed decorated with washed-up finds, known as the Strandjuttersmuseum.
Wassenaarse Slag is a sandy North Sea beach at the end of a road through the dunes, part of the unbroken shore that runs from Scheveningen to Katwijk.
Behind it lie the dunes of Meijendel. The Wassenaarse Slag entrances lead into the Ganzenhoek woods in the north of the reserve, with many walking paths, and Dunea, which manages the dunes, points visitors here for a quiet walk.
Madestein is a large recreation area on the city's southwest edge, laid out from 1969 on old polder land across from Loosduinen. Together with Ockenburgh and De Uithof it forms one long green belt.
Inside is Heempark H.J. Bos, an educational garden that recreates the plant life of different dune landscapes, and the rebuilt foundations of a 13th-century stone house, left on view for visitors.
Duinrell is an amusement park in a national park of woods and dunes, with more than 40 rides. Older kids take on the Falcon coaster, with its loop and vertical drop; families share the Splash boats, Ferris wheel, bumper boats and toboggan run.
In the middle sits the Tiki Pool, an indoor water park with 21 slides and Playa, a kids' area with small slides and a heated toddler pool.
Tikibad is the indoor water park at Duinrell, with 21 waterslides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a whirlpool and Turkish baths, in water above 30°C.
Playa, the kids' water park, has child-friendly slides, a heated toddler pool and water no deeper than 15 cm, so small children can splash without a swimming certificate. In summer an outdoor area adds a heated pool, five slides and a water play house.
SkyView de Pier is a 50-meter Ferris wheel on the Pier of Scheveningen, set 8 meters above the North Sea. Its 36 gondolas are closed and air-conditioned, and each group rides alone. From the top, kids can pick out the beach, the boulevard, the sea and the city in a full 360-degree view. It works best as a calm add-on to a beach day, not a thrill ride.
De Ooievaart runs guided trips in open boats along The Hague's old canal ring, dug as a city defense in the early 1600s. A volunteer guide tells the city's story from the water, and the route passes the Royal Stables and the royal gardens.
The bridges are too low for a roof, so the boats stay open. It suits kids who can sit for a long ride more than toddlers.
Westbroekpark is an 18-hectare park between Madurodam and Scheveningen, built around one big central lawn. Its showpiece is the International Rosarium, where about 20,000 rose bushes bloom in summer on some 300 beds.
A trail of 17 sculptures by 20th-century Dutch artists runs through the park, including a bronze Puss in Boots for kids to find. Two World War II bunkers still stand in the grounds.
Natuurspeelplaats Zuiderpret is a nature playground at the edge of the big play meadow in the Zuiderpark. A fast-flowing stream runs through an open area between the bushes, and kids cross it on stepping stones, logs, swinging ropes and footbridges.
A footbridge between the hills leads to a lookout tower, a crawl tube runs through another hill, and a separate section is set aside for children under 6.
Speeltuin Westerpret is the outdoor playground of the Westerpark bowling and recreation center, and its operator calls it the biggest in the Zoetermeer area. Kids climb, slide, bounce on trampolines, swing and ride a zip line, and there is water play and a separate toddler zone.
Mini golf and kart rides are paid extras inside the grounds.
Summer break here runs six weeks, and most of it happens on the North Sea sand. Families dig and paddle from Scheveningen to the dunes at Wassenaarse Slag, ride the gondola wheel on the pier, or glide under low bridges on an open canal boat. When it rains, there are the indoor slides at Duinrell's Tikibad. Here's what we checked, from Kijkduin to the zip line at Speeltuin Westerpret.
Vlaggetjesdag is Scheveningen's yearly harbor party, billed by its organizers as the biggest herring party in the Netherlands. The quay fills with flags and crowds.
Kids can look at the boats, try herring and soak up a local tradition. It suits families happy in a busy outdoor crowd; toddlers who dislike crushes may find it a lot.
De Parade is a theater festival that sets up in the Westbroekpark with a full program of shows, workshops and activities for kids and grown-ups alike.
Between shows, kids can take a ride on the Zweef, rock in the swing boats and bake their own poffertjes. Many shows are marked "No Dutch Required", so it works for families still learning the language.
A wide, sandy North Sea beach in front of the Kurhaus and the 382-meter Scheveningen Pier, a two-deck pier with a bungee jump on top. Kids dig and paddle at the waterline, and older ones can try a lesson at the surf school on Strandweg. Beach clubs line the sand, with the boulevard's restaurants just behind.
Kijkduin is the smaller of The Hague's two seaside resorts, a sand beach below a long line of dunes on the city's southwest side. A boulevard runs along the top of the dune, with shops on the town side and cafes facing the sea.
Several beach entrances lead down to the sand, and the Jutterskeet van Ome Jan, a beachcombers' museum, sits by entrance 5.
Zuiderstrand is the stretch of North Sea beach between Scheveningen harbor and Kijkduin, backed by the protected Westduinpark dunes. Walking and cycling paths cross the dunes to several beach access points, past World War II bunkers and grazing Scottish Highland cattle.
At access point 5 stands a beachcomber's shed decorated with washed-up finds, known as the Strandjuttersmuseum.
Wassenaarse Slag is a sandy North Sea beach at the end of a road through the dunes, part of the unbroken shore that runs from Scheveningen to Katwijk.
Behind it lie the dunes of Meijendel. The Wassenaarse Slag entrances lead into the Ganzenhoek woods in the north of the reserve, with many walking paths, and Dunea, which manages the dunes, points visitors here for a quiet walk.
Madestein is a large recreation area on the city's southwest edge, laid out from 1969 on old polder land across from Loosduinen. Together with Ockenburgh and De Uithof it forms one long green belt.
Inside is Heempark H.J. Bos, an educational garden that recreates the plant life of different dune landscapes, and the rebuilt foundations of a 13th-century stone house, left on view for visitors.
Duinrell is an amusement park in a national park of woods and dunes, with more than 40 rides. Older kids take on the Falcon coaster, with its loop and vertical drop; families share the Splash boats, Ferris wheel, bumper boats and toboggan run.
In the middle sits the Tiki Pool, an indoor water park with 21 slides and Playa, a kids' area with small slides and a heated toddler pool.
Tikibad is the indoor water park at Duinrell, with 21 waterslides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a whirlpool and Turkish baths, in water above 30°C.
Playa, the kids' water park, has child-friendly slides, a heated toddler pool and water no deeper than 15 cm, so small children can splash without a swimming certificate. In summer an outdoor area adds a heated pool, five slides and a water play house.
SkyView de Pier is a 50-meter Ferris wheel on the Pier of Scheveningen, set 8 meters above the North Sea. Its 36 gondolas are closed and air-conditioned, and each group rides alone. From the top, kids can pick out the beach, the boulevard, the sea and the city in a full 360-degree view. It works best as a calm add-on to a beach day, not a thrill ride.
De Ooievaart runs guided trips in open boats along The Hague's old canal ring, dug as a city defense in the early 1600s. A volunteer guide tells the city's story from the water, and the route passes the Royal Stables and the royal gardens.
The bridges are too low for a roof, so the boats stay open. It suits kids who can sit for a long ride more than toddlers.
Westbroekpark is an 18-hectare park between Madurodam and Scheveningen, built around one big central lawn. Its showpiece is the International Rosarium, where about 20,000 rose bushes bloom in summer on some 300 beds.
A trail of 17 sculptures by 20th-century Dutch artists runs through the park, including a bronze Puss in Boots for kids to find. Two World War II bunkers still stand in the grounds.
Natuurspeelplaats Zuiderpret is a nature playground at the edge of the big play meadow in the Zuiderpark. A fast-flowing stream runs through an open area between the bushes, and kids cross it on stepping stones, logs, swinging ropes and footbridges.
A footbridge between the hills leads to a lookout tower, a crawl tube runs through another hill, and a separate section is set aside for children under 6.
Speeltuin Westerpret is the outdoor playground of the Westerpark bowling and recreation center, and its operator calls it the biggest in the Zoetermeer area. Kids climb, slide, bounce on trampolines, swing and ride a zip line, and there is water play and a separate toddler zone.
Mini golf and kart rides are paid extras inside the grounds.
