Although it’s been a while now that I moved to The Hague, I still feel like there is so much to explore that I didn’t see yet. And if I learned one thing from my time in Munich then it’s that you get used to a city quicker than you think. Once you get used to the city, it’s not exciting anymore and in your every day life, you kinda stop exploring new places and rather stick to the ones you know. I don’t want that to happen in The Hague, so I figured a good way to avoid it is to put together a bucket list. It’s surely not complete yet and will be extended sooner or later, but it’s a first step towards getting to know my new hometown as well as possible.
☐ Visit the Mauritshuis
I am not really a museum person, but if there is one I really want to visit soon, it’s the Mauritshuis. Not only because of the famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring, but it surely is one of the reasons.
☐ Take a boattour on the canals
This one might be a little touristy, but I really wanna take the time to explore The Hague by boat this summer.
☐ Spend a night on the beach
Well, not literally on the beach, cause I think that’s forbidden. But there are little beach houses in which you can stay overnight, and I really would love to do that. I very much enjoy being by the sea, regardless the weather, and look forward to spending a lot of time on the beach anyways.
☐ Find a running route in the dunes
Since I started running again, I am constantly looking for new routes close to home as I want to avoid to get bored from the repetition. Next on my list is definitely finding a route through the dunes, because I feel like that might become a favourite.
☐ Visit the Sky Bar in the Hague Tower
First of all, visit a bar with friends is always a good idea and I really want to find new places to go. And second of all, I really love having a good view over a city, as you might know from previous posts. So I guess the Sky Bar in the Hague Tower might be just the right place for the next night out with friends.
☐ Take the time to find new photo spots across town
I currently really enjoy taking photos of buildings or cities in general again. And it also requires you to really pay attention to your surroundings while walking through the city, so I guess this is one of the best ways of exploring. Also, I’d love to find some standard photo spots for outfit shoots!
☐ Visit the Peace Palace
Because no, I haven’t been yet although it’s probably one of the most famous signs of The Hague and I have been living here for a few months already.
☐ Visit more museums in general
There are quite some museums I would love to visit in The Hague and surroundings, for example the Escher Museum or the Corpus. It also is a good alternative to going outside when the weather is not very good, so it might keep me from staying home all day and motivate me to even explore the city when it’s raining cats and dogs outside.
☐ Discover new bars, cafés and restaurants
Although I love testing new places and try new things, I have the tendency to go to the same place over and over again, just because it’s convenient. I really want to find some good places to go to when I don’t have the time to look for something new, but I also want to keep discovering new places here in The Hague.
☐ Try a new sport
Okay, this would obviously work in any city in the world, but as I moved to The Hague, it’s gonna be here. Not sure what, but I really wanna go play tennis again and maybe find a yoga studio to go to every now and then.
☐ Explore the different areas by bike
This might sound strange to every Dutchie, but I kinda got used to not biking and now find it weird to always hop on a bike. I rather walk a bit than taking the bike, and after all those years without even owning a bike while living abroad, I find it difficult to get back to it. So I set the goal to explore some areas of The Hague by bike – this will hopefully get me back on track.
☐ Learn to surf in Scheveningen
I wanted to learn how to surf for quite a while now, but for some reason never did. Living close to the sea, although it is the North Sea which is not necessarily famous as a good surfing spot, I really wanna try it this summer!
Do you have any tips what I definitely should try or do during my first year in The Hague? Or is there anything in particular that you would like to read about on the blog concerning the city? Make sure to let me know in the comments below!
