The Hague Market: The Haagse Markt and What to Expect
The Haagse Markt is The Hague's big open-air market, with food, flowers, clothes and fabric stalls. Here are the market days, hours and what to expect.
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The Haagse Markt is The Hague's large open-air street market, held Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00. It sells food, flowers, clothes, shoes and household goods across a site that rewards an unhurried couple of hours. This guide covers where it sits in the city, which day to pick from a short trip, and what to expect from each section.
It is a different proposition from the sleek shopping streets of the centre: a working multicultural market where Dutch produce sits beside ingredients for many other cuisines. Treat it as a half-morning out of your schedule rather than a quick stop, and pair it with the rest of your things to do in The Hague.
What the Haagse Markt is and where it sits in the city
The Haagse Markt is a large open-air market along Herman Costerstraat in The Hague. It is one of the largest open-air markets in the Netherlands and ranks among the largest multicultural markets in Europe. That scale is the reason to come: the goods on sale reflect the multicultural population of the city rather than a curated tourist offer.
Plan on it being a destination in its own right, not something you stumble across between sights. If your trip is built around the museums and the Binnenhof, the Haagse Markt slots in as a morning that shows you a very different side of The Hague.
Market days and hours
The market runs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, each day from 09:00 to 17:00. If the market matters to you, arrange your days so that a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday is free — a weekend break built around Saturday alone still gives you one market morning, but Sunday and Tuesday are not market days.
Those four days and times are the schedule published for the market, and they are the pattern to plan around. Check the market's own site close to your visit before you build a morning around it, particularly around public holidays. Pick whichever of the four market days fits your trip.
Getting there and how long to allow
Set aside at least two hours for the Haagse Markt. The site is big enough that a brisk pass through takes well over an hour, and the food and flower sections alone reward slow browsing. If you want to compare prices across the clothes and household stalls, allow closer to three hours.
Herman Costerstraat is reachable by public transport or by bike from the centre. Renting a bike in The Hague gives you a flexible way to reach it and to combine the market with the area around it.
The food section: Dutch produce alongside ingredients from many cuisines
The food aisles are the heart of the Haagse Markt. Dutch cauliflower and fresh fish sit alongside long beans, sharonfruit, baklava and fresh ketoembar, the coriander seed used in Indonesian cooking. That mix of Dutch and international ingredients is the reason to come with an appetite for browsing rather than a shopping list.
The fish stalls and the spice and herb stalls are where the market feels most like a working Dutch market with a global overlay. Bring a bag and buy what looks good for a picnic later; the produce is sold to be eaten, not admired.
Flowers, clothes, shoes and household goods
Beyond the food, the market has an extensive flower section and long runs of clothes, shoes and household goods. This is the part of the Haagse Markt that justifies the trip for shoppers: the stock is broad, the price range is wide and the atmosphere is brisk. It is not a design market, so come for volume and variety rather than for anything curated.
Allow time to walk the full length of the clothes and shoe stalls before you commit to a purchase. Sizes and quality vary from stall to stall, and the household goods section is where you will find practical items rather than souvenirs. Carry what you buy: plan on hauling your own bags back to the centre.
How it compares with the city's shopping streets and covered arcades
The Haagse Markt is the opposite experience to shopping in The Hague at De Passage and the streets around it: the arcades are for a polished afternoon of named shops, and the market is for open-air browsing and produce. A short trip can comfortably include both.
If you only have one free morning, the market gives you more atmosphere. The market is uncovered, so a wet morning is the wrong time to go. The shops in the city centre suit travellers who want to stay close to the city centre sights.
Practical points: crowds, cash and carrying purchases
Going early is the easiest way to avoid the worst of the crowds. The aisles between the clothes and food stalls narrow once the market fills, and a pushchair or wheeled suitcase can be awkward on a busy morning.
Bring a sturdy bag and be ready to carry your purchases, because the market is a walk-through site. If card acceptance matters to you, ask individual stallholders how they take payment before you commit to a purchase. Comfortable shoes matter more than a shopping trolley here.
Is the Haagse Markt worth a morning of your trip?
Yes, if you want to see The Hague beyond the museum quarter and the Binnenhof. It is a large, lively market with a genuinely mixed range of food and goods, and two hours there gives a short break a completely different texture. Skip it if your days are already full of things to do and you would rather spend the time in the city centre.
Build your plan around a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday, arrive around opening at 09:00 and keep the rest of the day light. That way the market is a pleasure rather than a detour, and you still have time for the canals and the old centre.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Haagse Markt open on Sunday?
No. The market's published schedule runs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, each day from 09:00 to 17:00, so Sunday and Tuesday are not market days. If a Sunday is your only free day, plan the market for a different morning.
How big is the Haagse Markt?
It is one of the largest open-air markets in the Netherlands and among the largest multicultural markets in Europe. That means a long site with a broad spread of stalls, so allow at least two hours to see the food, flower, clothes and household sections properly.
Is the Haagse Markt the same as the indoor market halls?
No. The Haagse Markt is an open-air street market on Herman Costerstraat. Covered market halls and arcades are separate places, so check which one you are heading for before you set out, since they serve different purposes.
Can I pay by card at the Haagse Markt?
Payment arrangements are set by individual stallholders rather than by the market as a whole, so ask before you commit to a purchase if card acceptance matters to you.
Sources
Notes for your next Dutch city break
Optional updates to our Netherlands guides.
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