Hotels The Hague ICC-Europol-ICJ-OPCW-World Forum

The city of Den Haag, is a Dutch city in the South Holland province and is at the heart of Dutch government. The Hague is close to the North Sea and the popular tourist resorts of Scheveningen and Kijkduin, but is not primarily visited by tourists.

Den Haag doesn’t have canals like Amsterdam, but has a continental flavour with wide boulevard streets lined with 18th century Baroque and classical palaces and mansions. Many of these have been converted into elegant, luxury and comfortable hotels, offering bed and breakfast, which are ideally located for the World Forum, Europol, ICTY, OPCW and the International Criminal Court.

If you’d rather stay in a more eclectic and slightly more Bohemian area for your visit, then neighbourhoods away from the city centre, offer 19th century and art-Nouveau architecture. Wherever you choose your hotels and accommodation in The Hague, you’ll find an excellent transport network of trams, buses and light railway, to take you quickly to your destination.

The city centre of the Hague is home to many UN institutions and organisations, and is the international city of peace and justice.

The World Forum is both a concert venue and convention centre, located in the city’s international zone area which is also home to among the International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and OPCW, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Part of the World Forum was demolished in 2006 and replaced by the Europol headquarters.

The International Criminal Court (ICC), is an international tribunal set up to prosecute individuals for genocide and war crimes, and crimes against humanity. It works to support and supplement existing judicial systems. 123 states are part of the Rome Statute of 2002 and thus members of the ICC.

The OPCW ensures that member states follow the Chemical Weapons Convention, banning the use of chemical weapons and working to ensure their destruction.

Europol, is the European Police Office, an organisation that handles criminal investigations and intelligence across the European Union, with the main aim of combating serious crimes which cross international borders.

Europol works closely with EU customs, border control, financial and fraud police and immigration services. Europol has a large international staff living in Den Haag, supplemented by a floating quota of temporary staff, working on individual cases.

Other major international organisations located in the city are the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HccH), The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), International Court of Justice (ICJ), Eurojust and The European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP).

If your visit to the Hague brings you to any of these organisations, you’ll find a good choice of independent and chain hotels to meet your needs in the area.

If your visit if for a longer period, consider other accommodation options, such as local apartments, which give you more freedom and flexibility, and the opportunity to feel more like a resident.

Both main railway stations, called CS Central Station and HS Holland Spoor are within easy reach of all organisations and the World Forum congress and convention center.

Air Connections — Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport (hotels), which is 40km (25 miles) away also serves the city of The Hague.

More Information — www.denhaag.nl, The World Forum