Between the city and the beach, The Hague has one fantastic extra asset: the dunes. Apart from being one of the most beautiful natural parks in our country, the dunes are a fantastic place to take a walk, ride your bicycle, or just have a pick nick and relax. The dune area can be found both on the south and the north side of The Hague. The ones on the north side are extremely vast. I prefer to take my bike there, the biking lanes are endless and reach all the way to Katwijk, some 16 kilometers to the north.

These dunes are called the ‘waterleiding dunes’, in English: the water pipe dunes. This is where the water company of The Hague purifies its water. It’s stored in large dune lakes and is filtered in a natural way by the sand. Proud inhabitants of The Hague (I’m one of them!) claim we have the best drinking water in the country.

It’s only logical that this is a protected area. No swimming in the lakes, no strolling from the paths. However, you can get a taste of the water system. Just a short walk into the dunes you’ll find the old water tower with next to it a small restaurant with a beautiful sunny terrace. The perfect place for a coffee, before you get your bike and conquer the sandy hills!