Guide to The Hague - Leisure activities

Museums and Galleries

A trip to a museum is a popular outing for the Dutch, perhaps combined with coffee and cake in the local café afterwards. There are over 600 museums in the Netherlands, covering every topic imaginable. Art, Music, Transportation, Nature, History, whatever your interests, there is bound to be a museum to intrigue you. Many are very child friendly.

It is possible to buy a Museumjaarkaart giving you free entry to over 400 museums for one year. It can be obtained immediately at most major museums and costs just € 35 (€15 for anyone under 25 years old).

Nederland Museumland is a guide, listing over 1100 museums, castles and other sites by area. It gives the opening times, prices, and whether the museumjaarkaart or discounts apply. It is in Dutch, but if you know the days of the week and a few other words you will be able to decipher the information you might need.

Libraries

There is a wide choice of public libraries called openbare bibliotheek. You can become a member and borrow books for a small annual fee (children are free).

The Hague Public Library, Spui 68, The Hague, 070 353 4455 allows you to consult its books on the spot for free. Web: www.bibliotheekdenhaag.nl It has a good selection of English books as well as German and French and a special section for children. The music department may require proof of identity.

Your town hall will provide you with the telephone number of the public libraries in the city where you live and you will often be amazed at the wide range of English books on display.

The American Women’s Club and the British Club in The Hague have a combined private library.
American Women’s Club Library and the British Club Library:
Nieuwe Duinweg 25
070 3506007
Special libraries possess specialised collections and can be of great value to students conducting research. An increasing number of these special libraries are making their collections accessible through the Internet. For example, the Royal Library (Koninklijke Bibliotheek ) is the national library of the Netherlands and has two versions of its catalogue available on the Internet. The Royal Tropical Institute (Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen - KIT) in Amsterdam owns an extensive library with collections on the issues and problems of developing countries. Its public catalogue is available on the Internet. KIT Library & Information Services offer one of the world largest collections of scientific and popular books, periodicals, articles and maps concerning developing countries.

For reference, the book ‘Here’s Holland’ by Sheila Gazaleh-Weevers gives an extensive list of all libraries.

Expatriate Archive Centre
Website: www.xpatarchive.com
Email: welcome@xpatarchive.com

Arts and Crafts

Enhancing creativity

The Dutch are fond of hobbies and you will undoubtedly find people who share your interests. If your activity requires a great deal of equipment, think carefully about bringing it, as you might not have the storage space in a traditional Dutch house. Also beware that the instructions for locally purchased crochet or knitting packs, needlework patterns, craft sets will very often be in Dutch only! The needles are sized in millimeters and the fabric is measured in the metric system.
The following craft shops stock a good selection of tools and supplies for a wide variety of arts and crafts:

Artifac Tekenen en Schilderen
Specialised in quality drawing and painting material. Also available on-line.
Noordwal 17
2513 EB The Hague
http://www.artifac.nl/

Rolf Goedman
Equipment for artists.
Prins Hendrikstraat 51
2518 HJ The Hague
070 345 1324
www.rolfgoedman.nl

Goedman Academie Shop
Equipment for artists.
Prinsessegracht 4
2514AN The Hague
070 345 9299

De Beeldhouwwinkel
Material and tools for sculpting stone, clay, wood etc. Also available on-line.
Dr. Lelykade 10
2583 CM The Hague
070 306 0655
www.beeldhouwwinkel.nl

De Vulpen
Frederik Hendriklaan 179
The Hague
070 355 6067

If you are interested in art courses please ask Outpost The Hague for the latest list.

Clubs/Associations

The numerous international clubs of The Hague offer membership of various creative activity groups for a small fee or for free once you have paid your annual membership.

Sports

Starting up a new life in a foreign country is clearly a challenge. We need as much help/support as possible and we need to “ fit in” as soon as possible. A really good way can be to join a fitness/sport club.

Contact Outpost The Hague for the 'Welcome to the Hague' booklet that contains an extensive list of sport clubs and facilities.

Alternatively, you can have a look on the website of the City of The Hague: www.denhaag.com.

There is also Sport Infoline from A to Z that you can call from Monday to Friday 08:00-17:00 hrs, in order to have all kinds of information regarding your favorite sport: “De Sport-info-lijn: voor sport vragen van A - Z telefoonnummer: Tel: (070) 353 7272. E-mail: sportinfo@denhaag.nl

Social Clubs and Organizations

There is a vast choice of clubs, associations and international communities in and around The Hague. They are really active and always looking for new members. Here some examples:

The Hague area

Anglo-American Theatre Group
www.aatg.nl

Accueil des Francophones de la Haye
Zoutmanstraat 23P
2518 GL The Hague
070 365 0563 accueil.fr@gmail.com
www.accueillahaye.com

Alliance Française de La Haye
Kettingstraat 2
2511 AN The Hague
070 3621523 Fax: 070 3621743
www.aflahaye.com

American Women's Club
Nieuwe Duinweg 25
2578 AB The Hague
070 3506007
www.awcthehague.org

Australian and New Zealand Women's Club
anzwcnetherlands@hotmail.com
www.anzwc.nl

LÁmitie
070 3870112 info@amite-clubthehague.nl
www.amite-clubthehague.nl

The British Club
Nieuwe Duinweg 25
2587 AB Den Haag
070 3461973 info@britishclubthehague.nl
www.britishclubthehague.nl

Canadian Women's Club
P.O. Box 89 2240 AB Wassenaar
070 3264488

Club Scandinavia
www.clubscandinavia.com

Connecting Women
The Hague
070 365 25 43
/www.connectingwomen.nl

Deutscher Klub in den Niederlanden
P.O. Box 65786, 2506 EB The Hague
070 3914107 info@deutscherklub.nl
www.deutscherklub.nl

German Library
Deutsche Bibliothek The Hague
Witte de Withstraat 31-33 2518 CP
070 3559762 Fax: 070 3559762

Images International Photography Club
www.imagephotoclub.com

International Cultural Exchange (ICE)
www.icenl.org

International Women's Contact
Vierloper 10
P.O.Box: 84 404
The Hague
070-355 8863

ITC Club Clingendael
www.itc-europe.org

Legal Aliens - Expats Social Group
http://www.legalaliens.eu/

Netherlands English Scrabble Club
www.nesc.nl

Nigeria Shell Community in The Hague (NSCH)
Contact Mr Adeleye Falade
adeleye.falade@shell.com
070 447 7762

Petroleum Wives Club
A fun, social, and international group.
Membership is eligible for wives of oil company employees and or those working in the petroleum related service industry.
P.O. Box 655 2240 AT Wassenaar
06 3490 7185 (Marja Chapman)
www.pwc-thehague.com

South African Expats
http://www.sawcnl.com/

The Decorative & Fine Arts Society of The Hague
The Hague
070 3246763
www.dfas.nl

The Hague International Network
Koningskade 30 2596 AA The Hague
070 3062211 Fax: 070 3587921

Theotherhalf
www.theotherhalf.info

TheHagueOnLine Social Club
www.thehagueonline.com

Toastmasters of The Hague
www.toastmasters.nl

Rotterdam area

In Touch
www.intouchnl.com

Pickwick Women's Club of Rotterdam
English speaking womens club
www.welcome.to/pickwick

Leiden area

Leiden Expats Club
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Leidenexpats/

Delft area

Delft Mama - Support Group for International Mothers in Delft www.delftmama.nl

Information for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender

Generally speaking, the Dutch are very tolerant. The following websites give information about meeting, going out and support for the homosexual community in The Hague area:
www.gaydenhaag.nl
Lesbian Community in The Hague www.listening-in.com/LCthehague/

Shell Networks

(Some are only available within the internal Shell network)

AWARE (At Work As Responsible Employees)
AWARE is a global employee network focussed on improving 'self awareness' and 'interpersonal effectiveness' and assisting in stress reduction using yoga and meditation based tools. AWARE programs are open to all Shell staff and so far have connected over 400 employees in Shell. http://sww.shell.com/health/employees/stress/aware.html

Bump, Baby & Toddler Group ( for Shell partners)
Meet usually on the 3rd Tuesday morning of the month.
Contact is Kelly Oxley: koxley@iinet.net.au


Christian Fellowship Group The Hague
A great opportunity to meet up with Christian colleagues in the workplace.
The group meets every Tuesday from 12.00-13.00 in the Meditation Centre in The Hague office (C16) to share experiences, study a weekly biblical devotional and spend time in prayer. Currently they use CBMC's Monday Manna as a starting point for discussion.
www.cbmcint.org/resources/monday_manna>
Coordinator: Jaap Van Der Helm, 070 377 1768 j.vanderhelm@shell.com or Henna Ruiter 070 377 3888 Henna.Ruiter@shell.com

New Professionasls Network Rijswijk (Mostly new recruits)
http://sww.shell.com/ep/technology/networks/npm_netherlands/

Nigeria Shell Community in The Hague (NSCH)
Contact Falade, Adeleye G SIEP-EPT-PO adeleye.falade@shell.com
070 447 7762

Outpost Russian speaking group:
Coordinator: Tatiana Simonova
tesimona@yahoo.com 06 5102 6415
Project Better World
Project Better World is a voluntary organisation run by Shell employees and contractors. Our mission is to build awareness and understanding of sustainable development throughout Shell, to create a cultural shift in the organization toward a sustainable future. This is done by offering the Shell community opportunities to promote sustainability in tangible projects, at their locations and around the globe, and thereby to contribute to a better world.
sww.shell.com/pbw/

Russian speaking Shell employees network:
Lunch every Friday at 12:00 in the Head Quarters and Rijswijk canteens.
Coordinator: Eduard Potemkin
070 447 4288 Eduard.Potemkin@shell.com

Shell African Network
To raise awareness within the Shell community of the positive attributes possessed by employees of African and Caribbean heritage which enhance their capacity to contribute meaningfully to the growth aspirations of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group.
The Network will be recognised as a catalyst for change, a knowledge source for competitive advantage and an invaluable asset to Shell in upholding excellence in standards and performance
For more info: http://sww.shell.com/san

Shell Asia-Pacific Employee Network Group (SAPENG)  
The network group aims to empower Shell's Asian Pacific employees and other employees who have interests in the business and culture of Asian Pacific region, to fulfil their professional aspirations by leveraging diversity of our different backgrounds, and build a culture of inclusion to support business growth and performance. Our network is inclusive.  It is open to all Shell employees of Asian Pacific background as well as employees and contractors with interests in the vision and mission of this network .  We also provide support in various aspects of working and living in the Netherlands. 
If you are interested in joining our network, please let us know by subscribing to our SAPENG-NL's distribution list . Shell partners are invited to join upcoming 'off-working hour' social activities.
http://sww.shell.com/ep/human_resources/global_businesses_hr/D_and_I/Rijswijk/SAPENG-NL.html .

Shell Experienced Hire Network (EHN)
http://sww.shell.com/nl/experiencedhire/welcome.html

Shell Women's Network (SPWN)
http://sww.shell.com/nl/swn/  

Shell Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Network (GLBTN- Pink Pearl) http://sww.shell.com/nl/glbtn/

Social Coffee Morning (for Shell partners)
Every last Wednesday of the month at 't Hof van Eten from 10.00 till 11.30.
For more info: outpost@shell.com and www.hethofvaneten.nl

Spanish speaking Shell employees network:
Lunch every Wednesday at 12:30 in the Head Quarters canteen.
Coordinator: Juan Carlos Carrillo E-mail: Juan-Carlos.Carrillo@shell.com
Tel: +31 70 377 2576

Young Shell Partners Group (for Shell partners)
The YSPG organises events and meetings for Young Shell Partners and provides opportunities to make new friends, to learn more about where you live, to network, share experiences and have a good time.
Contact: outpost@shell.com

Workshops and Courses

Kreative Synapses helps you find your inner spark www.kreativesynapses.nl

Need Computer or Web Courses www.megasuwito.nl

Sculpting courses www.anatratzabi.nl

Expatriate Archive Centre workshops www.xpatarchive.com

Access Job Club Series workshops www.access-nl.org

International Art Club in The Hague www.internationalartclubdenhaag.org

Course on International Politics at the Clingendael Institute. The course is open to anyone with a specific interest in international political developments, more specifically for spouses and partners of those who will be working in international positions. The lectures are given in Dutch. For more information see http://www.clingendael.nl/cdsp/training/cip/

Photography courses: www.thefotofactory.nl

Presentation Skills workshop: www.metamorphosisconsulting.nl

WINE FOR FUN www.wineforfun.nl

Art classes, Design classes, Birthday parties hivonck@hotmail.com / 070-364 25 45

Writing and Career workshops: www.thebookcooks.com

Writer's workshops: www.englishbookshop.nl

Parent Education workshops: passionateparenting@gmail.com

Tap dancing: olivia.parker@britishschool.nl

Communication courses: www.powertalkinternational.com

Jewellery making classes: hybridgems@hotmail.com / 06-532 62 022

Going out

Restaurants
The international atmosphere of The Hague is reflected in the many restaurants with their French, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Greek, Chinese and Indonesian cuisine. Well over twenty nationalities, each with their own cuisine, are represented in The Hague. One of the liveliest parts of The Hague is the historic district around Denneweg. The small stores, galleries and antique shops can be visited during the day and the many cafe’s and restaurants offer plenty of opportunities for an evening out.

For a more comprehensive list of restaurants see the following links:
List of restaurants in The Hague: www.denhaag.com
List of restaurants in the Netherlands: www.iens.nl/english

Cinemas
The largest cinema chain is Pathe. Please see their website: www.pathe.nl. You can book a reservation on line. Movies are shown in the native language and subtitled in Dutch.
Another option is Filmhuis Den Haag (foreign language films with Dutch sub-titles):
www.filmhuisdenhaag.nl

For the complete list of cinemas check: www.holland.com

Night clubs
Nightclubs change regularly therefore check: www.denhaag.com for the latest up to date information.

Shopping
Leidsenhage - shopping center in Leidschendam www.leidsenhage.nl

Jumbo - Big outlet in the "Kop van Zuid" (Rotterdam) open 7 days a week www.jumbosupermarkten.nl

Agency offering VAT free shopping in The Netherlands: if you are a resident outside Europe and visiting The Netherlands you can claim back the VAT: www.vatfree.nl

Online shopping service for British expats and their families living abroad: www.expatessentials.com

Dutch Promotional Gifts www.dutchheritage.eu

Portrait / Family Photographer: Jacques Studios www.jacquesstudios.com

Cachot Antique furniture: Maliestraat 18, 2514 CA 's-Gravenhage, 070 3659979 ? (Shell employees are offered a 10% discount)

British food supplies: Thomas Green www.thomasgreen.nl (Shell employees are offered a 5% discount)

Expat food supplies: Kelly's Expat Shooping: http://www.kellys-expat-shopping.nl/

English language books on The Netherlands www.hollandbooks.nl

Products from Iran: Gazaar, Boekhorststraat 50, phone 070-380 79 80

Website for recommended shopping in The Hague: www.virtualtourist.com

International newspapers and magazines: www.bobbe-online.nl

Travel

Out and about inThe Netherlands
Check what is on offer within The Netherlands by visiting the Outpost office. A calendar of events is available, plus plenty of places to visit, from quaint villages, to museums, activity parks and much more.

It is also useful to visit the Dutch Tourist Association (VVV) office. There is one in every city:
• Stationsplein 10, 1012 AB Amsterdam Tel: 0900 4004040
• Hofweg 1, The Hague Tel: 0900 34035051
• Coolsingel 67, 3012 AC Rotterdam Tel: 0900 4034065
and you will find touring maps, restaurant and theatre guides and lots more.

Also check: www.holland.com

Children

Boarding School/University Club

For boarding school club activities during the Summer please email Jane Denby at janedenby@hotmail.com .

Bumps and Baby Group every Friday 10.30 - 12.30 hrs

Held at Church of St John & St Philip (the English Church situated on the corner of Ary van der Spuyweg and Rioustraat)

Courses for Children

Parent Education workshops: passionateparenting@gmail.com

Courses for parents and babies (3 months to walking)

Babies sing, babies dance! www.katjamaria.com

Baby signing classes: kandfcurtis@planet.nl / 070-354 75 42