De Vulkaan is the highest peak of The Hague’s picturesque Westduin Park, located to the west of the city and one of my all-time favourite lookout spots in The Hague. This 33-metre-high hill, which is actually a dune, is basically on top of the foundations of an old Atlantic Wall bunker. It’s a short hike up the top (you need to walk the last bit on foot rather than bike because the ground can be soft and sandy), rewarding every visitor with a breath-taking view over the dunes, the sea and The Hague’s city centre in the background.

If you stand on top of De Vulkaan facing the ocean, you’ll see Kijkduin (often with many kitesurfers in the water) to your left and Scheveningen’s Ferris wheel to your right. De Vulkaan isn’t only a secret viewing platform but also serves as a “counting spot” for bird migrations: locals and ornithologists say the best time for bird-watching is mid-September to mid-November. So far over 280 different species of birds have been spotted from this lookout point. I’m a little bit short-sighted, so I mostly prefer looking at the coastline, marvelling at the beauty of The Hague’s sandy beaches. As De Vulkaan is located in a huge park/woodland area, it’s open and accessible round the year, day and night.