London to The Hague: Train, Ferry and Coach Compared

Which route suits your trip: train, ferry or coach at a glance

The train wins for one to four days. Eurostar and NS run around ten services a day from London to Den Haag Centraal, taking 3h 55m at the fastest and 4h 57m on average, with one change and fares from £112.04 one way when booked in advance. With a first train around 06:16 and a last around 19:34, check the timetable for the day you plan to travel if you need a late Friday arrival.

The coach is the budget choice. FlixBus runs from London Victoria to The Hague about four times a week, with tickets typically €45–70 and a journey of roughly 10h 10m. Four departures a week is thin, so the coach works only if the timetable fits your dates rather than the other way round.

The ferry sits between the two on cost and at the far end on time. A crossing as a foot passenger from Harwich to Hoek van Holland takes most of a day, leaving on a 9am sailing and arriving in the late afternoon, before the onward journey to The Hague. That is a day of your break gone in each direction.

By train from London to Den Haag Centraal

Book through a single journey search from London to Den Haag Centraal, which combines the Eurostar leg with the onward NS connection. There are no direct trains, so you change at least once. Advance fares start from £112.04 one way and rise towards the departure date, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.

Arriving at Den Haag Centraal puts you on the edge of the city centre, a short walk or tram ride from the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis. Station lockers let you drop bags before check-in, which makes a morning arrival workable even with an early hotel check-in time.

The main trade-off is cost. A late-booked ticket costs noticeably more than the £112.04 starting figure, and a return is charged per person each way plus your journey to London St Pancras. If your dates are flexible, compare a midweek return before committing, because the gap between advance and walk-up fares can be wide.

By ferry via Harwich to Hoek van Holland

The ferry route is a same-day journey from London: a Greater Anglia train to Harwich International, the morning crossing, then a bus from the Hoek van Holland terminal towards The Hague. A Rail and Sail ticket can cover the train and the ferry in one price, with fares starting at £49, and one traveller paid £71.70 from London. Treat that as a reported fare rather than a fixed tariff, since it depends on your departure station and sailing.

The sailing leaves at 9am with check-in closing at 8:15am, so an early start from London is unavoidable unless you stay near the port the night before. On board there is wifi, a sun deck and picnic tables, which makes it a pleasant way to work or read through the crossing rather than a dead loss. The boat reaches Hoek van Holland around 5pm local time.

From the terminal, the onward bus stop is just outside and the ride into The Hague can take about twenty minutes. Check current ferry-operator policy on taking bikes across before you plan a cycling arrival, and otherwise plan on hiring in the city. The route suits travellers who value the journey itself and have at least three days in the city, not a weekend dash.

By coach from London Victoria

The coach leaves from London Victoria and arrives in The Hague after roughly ten hours, which is a full waking day on the road and, on an overnight or early service, a tired first afternoon. FlixBus is the operator on this route, running about four times a week, so the timetable is the deciding factor rather than the price.

At €45–70 for a ticket, the coach is the cheapest way to reach The Hague and the easiest to justify for a longer stay where a lost day matters less. For a two-night break it is hard to recommend: you would spend almost as long travelling as you would in the city. A traveller with a fixed tight budget and flexible dates is the realistic audience.

Fares compared: what a return trip realistically costs

Set the train against the alternatives as a return, not a one-way. Trainline quotes a starting fare each way, so a return for one person begins at roughly double that, plus the cost of getting to London St Pancras at the UK end. Coach tickets each way work out cheaper per person, and the Rail and Sail figure paid by one traveller is a single journey including the train to the port.

Two people travelling together shift the balance towards the train, because the time saved is multiplied and the fares scale per person anyway. A solo traveller on a tight budget shifts towards the coach. Neither figure includes accommodation in The Hague or local transport once you arrive, which is where a short-break budget is really made.

How the arrival point shapes your first afternoon

Den Haag Centraal is the most useful arrival point: it sits on the edge of the city centre, so you can walk in, leave bags and still see the Binnenhof or the Mauritshuis before closing. It is also the city's main railway station, handy for lockers and onward transport, which keeps a short break simple.

Ferry arrivals reach The Hague in the early evening, so the first day is a transfer day: drop bags, eat, and walk the canals rather than attempt a museum. Coach arrivals from Victoria usually land after a long haul, which rules out anything ticketed on day one.

Whichever route you take, plan your first afternoon around a single anchor sight rather than a list. The Hague itinerary sets out a sensible sequence for one to four days, from the Binnenhof and Mauritshuis to the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, and shows where a late arrival fits.

Filling one to four days in The Hague once you have arrived

With two days you can cover the historic centre, one major museum and a walk along the Scheveningen district without rushing. With three, add a half-day by bike to the Zuiderpark or the dunes. Our guide to how many days in The Hague sets out what each length of stay realistically covers, which helps you decide whether the train or the coach timetable fits.

A weekend in The Hague is enough for the Mauritshuis, the Binnenhof and the streets around Noordeinde, with a Saturday market if your dates line up. If you are travelling by coach, the thin weekly schedule may mean a longer stay than a weekend, so check the timetable before booking anything else.

If you are weighing The Hague against a stop in Rotterdam on the same ticket, the train route makes both easy and the comparison is mainly about mood rather than distance. The Hague gives you government buildings, museums and a quieter centre; Rotterdam offers the waterfront and modern architecture.

Should you book the train or the coach?

Book the train for any break of three days or less: the £112.04 one-way starting fare buys you most of a day back in each direction, and Den Haag Centraal sits on the edge of the centre rather than out in the suburbs. Choose the coach only if your dates fit the limited weekly departures and the €45–70 fare is the deciding factor.

Take the ferry if the crossing is part of the holiday and you can spare a day each way. Once your transport is settled, the rest of the planning is about how you spend the days, and our guide to The Hague attractions covers the museums, squares and quarters worth building an itinerary around.