Public transport

Published: 04 January 2011 Modified: 13 February 2012

The Hague boasts an excellent public transport system. Over 30 bus and tramlines will take you quickly and safely to your destination in and around The Hague.

City maps

Visit our section on maps of The Hague to download detailed area maps of the city centre, Scheveningen and Kijkduin.

Bus and tram

The principle operators of bus and tram services in The Hague region are HTM, Connexxion and Veolia Transport. The Hague's public transportation company also operates a night bus.

RandstadRail

RandstadRail is a light rail link between The Hague, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam. The network mainly uses former train and existing tram tracks, with a new viaduct in The Hague and a new tunnel in Rotterdam. It is meant as a serious alternative to the car for journeys of between ten and 30 kilometres.

Train

The Netherlands has an extensive network of railways. The Nederlandse Spoorwegen, or NS, is the Netherlands Railway company and one of the most modern in Europe. Travelling by train has many advantages: trains in the Netherlands are most often on schedule, they are very comfortable and clean and most of the staff speaks English. The NS operates a night train, which stops at the Hollands Spoor station.

ProRail takes care of maintenance and extensions of the national railway network infrastructure, allocating rail capacity and traffic control.

Paying for public transport

The OV-chipcard is the most common system of paying for trams and buses throughout the Netherlands. The Strippenkaart is being phased out and the OV-chipcard became the standard in May 2011. If you do not have an OV-chipcard, you can pay in cash.

Travel planner

Use the 9292OV door-to-door journey planner for your door-to-door itinerary by public transportation.

Air travel

In addition to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the Netherlands has five other international airports spread throughout the country, including in Rotterdam, Groningen, Eindhoven, Enschede and Maastricht.

Taxi

The Taxi Act lays down the rules that apply to taxi operators and as of 2008 a transparent rate structure was introduced throughout the country.

No special night rates apply in The Hague. It is often possible to hail a taxi in the street but you will also find special taxi stands at the train stations and various points throughout the city, or you can reliably order a taxi by telephone. You can find a complete listing of taxi companies on Taxi Belle. If you wish to file a complaint about poor taxi service, you can visit the website of Taxiklacht.

One taxi company, RegioTaxi Haaglanden, offers a price which is between that for normal public transport and a taxi. You can use the service seven days a week between 6.00 and 1.00 hrs. RegioTaxi is available to everyone but is specially equipped for handicapped and less mobile passengers.

gCabs

gCabs are new European 'green' taxis now being tested in The Hague. The gCab is a fully electric vehicle, which is clean and virtually silent in use. It's also possible to hire these special taxis for a 1-hour city tour.

Tuk Tuks

In 2007 taxi scooters known as Tuk Tuks came into operation around The Hague. During the winter (1 November to 1 April) the tuk tuks can only be hired for events from Tuk Tuk Den Haag. During the rest of the year they are available as street taxis for up to three passengers and offer competitive prices.