Den Haag has two main railway stations, a large tram network, and a direct tram and light-rail link to Zoetermeer and Rotterdam. The tram is the everyday way to get around the city. For longer trips, take the train.
1. Getting around the city
The trams are run by HTM. The network is dense in the centre and runs on to the coast and to neighbouring towns. The lines a newcomer uses first are:
In the centre, lines 2, 3, 4 and 6 run through a tunnel under the Grote Marktstraat, with underground stops at Grote Markt and Spui. Get off at Spui, Centrum, Kalvermarkt-Stadhuis or Nieuwe Haven for the old centre.
RandstadRail is the light-rail link from Den Haag to the region. Line 3 runs from Loosduinen to Zoetermeer Centrum-West, line 4 from De Uithof to Lansingerland-Zoetermeer, and line 34 from De Savornin Lohmanplein to Lansingerland-Zoetermeer. All three are run by HTM and pass through Centraal Station. Line E is the RET metro between Den Haag Centraal and Rotterdam Slinge. Den Haag has no metro of its own: line E is the Rotterdam metro, which ends in Den Haag.
Where the tram does not go, the HTM bus does. Bus 22 runs to Scheveningen. Bus 24 runs from Kijkduin, through the Statenkwartier and the centre, past Centraal Station to Mariahoeve station. Bus 26 runs from Kijkduin, through Loosduinen and Escamp, past Moerwijk station and Hollands Spoor station to Voorburg.
Cycling is a normal way to get around Den Haag. The centre is compact and easy on foot. The ride from Scheveningen to the centre is an ordinary bike trip, not an outing.
- Tram 1: Scheveningen Noord, through the centre and past Hollands Spoor station, to Delft Tanthof.
- Tram 2: Kraayenstein, through the centre, to Leidschendam.
- Tram 6: Leyenburg, through the centre, to Leidschendam Noord.
- Tram 9: Scheveningen Noord, past Madurodam and Centraal Station, through the centre and past Hollands Spoor, to Vrederust.
- Tram 11: Hollands Spoor station, past the Haagse Markt and the Statenkwartier, to Scheveningen Haven.
- Tram 12: Duindorp to Hollands Spoor station.
- Tram 17: Statenkwartier, past Centraal Station, to Wateringen.
2. Getting to and from the city
Den Haag has two main stations, and it matters which train belongs to which station.
Den Haag Centraal is the terminus of the railway line from Gouda. Every train that arrives there turns back there. The station is close to the centre.
Den Haag Hollands Spoor (HS) stands on the old Amsterdam–Rotterdam line. More trains towards Rotterdam and Leiden leave from HS than from Centraal. Trains between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, including international trains towards Brussels, stop at HS.
From the two stations, intercity trains run towards Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven, among other directions, and sprinters serve smaller stations in the region. Laan van NOI station, where RandstadRail and metro line E also stop, is a third interchange in the city.
By road, Den Haag is connected to Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. The A12 runs to Utrecht, the A4 towards Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Den Haag has no airport of its own. The nearest airports are Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Plan the trip with the NS journey planner.
3. Commuting in general terms
For the daily commute, the tram is the backbone of the city: it links the residential areas with the centre, with Hollands Spoor and with Centraal Station. People who work outside the city usually take the train or RandstadRail: to Zoetermeer on line 3, 4 or 34, to Rotterdam by train from HS or on metro line E from Centraal.
Inside the city, short trips are often fastest on foot or by bike, especially in the centre and between the centre and Scheveningen. Trams and trains are busier at rush hour than in the middle of the day. Car commuters should expect busy approach roads at rush hour.
4. What a newcomer needs to know first
- With HTM you check in and out with OVpay: hold your contactless bank card, credit card or phone against the reader when you board and again when you get off. Always use the same card or the same device, or you will pay too much. One card is valid for one person.
- HTM day tickets and multi-day tickets are sold at the HTM service points at Den Haag Centraal and Hollands Spoor and in the HTM app. For the train, buy a separate ticket or use OVpay at the gates.
- Check current times and fares on htm.nl and in the NS journey planner before you leave. Timetables change during roadworks and in holiday periods, and fares change regularly. This page therefore gives no fares or departure times.
- On Friday and Saturday nights, HTM night buses run from Den Haag Centraal. Check htm.nl for which night bus serves your area.
- Mind the difference between the two main stations: a train to Rotterdam or Leiden usually leaves from Hollands Spoor, while a train from Gouda and Utrecht ends at Centraal. Check your ticket or the planner for which station your train leaves from.
- This page is general information. The site does not check timetables, fares or operators, and guarantees nothing about a particular connection on a particular day.