Scheveningen

Scheveningen was a fishing village that became a bathing resort from 1818, when the first bath house opened, and it is now the largest seaside resort in the Netherlands - a long boulevard with the Kurhaus of 1885 at the centre, a grand hotel with a domed concert hall where the Rolling Stones played in 1964 and the audience wrecked the interior, an event the Dutch still talk about. The pier, rebuilt in the 1960s after fire and storm, carries a Ferris wheel over the water and a bungee tower. The beach runs for kilometres with beach clubs, and the sea here is used for surfing, kitesurfing and a New Year's Day plunge that draws thousands. It is also where the fishing harbour still works and where herring comes ashore for Vlaggetjesdag, the flag day marking the start of the season.

What you actually see

• The Kurhaus of 1885 - the grand hotel and concert hall on the boulevard.
• A pier with a wheel - the rebuilt structure with a Ferris wheel and bungee tower.
• Kilometres of beach clubs - the seasonal bars and restaurants along the sand.
• A working fishing harbour - with Vlaggetjesdag opening the herring season.

When to go

May to September. A day.

Honest expectations

Very crowded on hot days and the trams are packed. The North Sea is cold and has rip currents - swim between the flags. The boulevard is heavily commercial. Parking is expensive and fills early.

Nearby

Beelden aan Zee is on the boulevard; The Hague centre is twenty minutes by tram.