Living in Bezuidenhout, The Hague

Bezuidenhout - literally "south of the wood" - sits east of the Centrum, between Den Haag Centraal station, the Haagse Bos forest, and the Bezuidenhoutseweg axis. It is one of The Hague's diplomatic and government quarters: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (at Rijnstraat 8, next to Den Haag Centraal), several other ministries along the Bezuidenhoutseweg, and embassies and diplomatic missions cluster in and around the wijk, with the Beatrixkwartier office district at the south-eastern corner providing the high-rise face. The wijk also has substantial residential streets - Theresiastraat, Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië, Mariëndaal - with twentieth-century apartment buildings and townhouses.

Who lives here

An unusually international resident population. Diplomats and embassy staff, international civil servants, government ministry employees, multinational corporate professionals (Shell's main Dutch office is in nearby Carel van Bylandtlaan, though the group headquarters moved to London in 2022), and a smaller Dutch long-term layer in the residential streets. Apartments range from sober post-war blocks to renovated townhouses; the building stock is heterogeneous. International schools in the eastern districts (including a British School in the Netherlands campus in nearby Mariahoeve) draw international families.

What it's like during the day

Busy with working traffic. The Bezuidenhoutseweg and Theresiastraat carry constant commuter flows. The ministries and embassies generate civil-service and diplomatic traffic. Cafés along Theresiastraat are full at lunch. Streets feel more formal than central Hague - diplomatic vehicles, security at embassies, suits.

What it's like in the evening

Quieter than the working hours suggest. A few restaurants on Theresiastraat stay open until 10 PM. The Centrum is five minutes by tram or bike for evening life. By 9 PM the diplomatic streets are quiet, with embassy security still on duty.

Getting around

Excellent. Den Haag Centraal is on the western edge - six minutes' walk. HTM trams 2 and 6 cross the wijk, and the RandstadRail light-rail lines 3 and 4 run on the elevated viaduct through the Beatrixkwartier. NS Intercity to Rotterdam (30 minutes), Amsterdam (50), Utrecht (45), Schiphol (40). Cycling through Bezuidenhout is fast and well-served by bike lanes.

Eating and shopping

Practical and varied, with a slight international skew. The Theresiastraat is the wijk's main eating-and-shopping spine, with cafés, bakeries, Indonesian and Asian restaurants and embassy-area lunch spots. For groceries: Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Marqt within walking distance. The Centrum's restaurants are minutes away.

When NOT to pick it

If you want a strong Dutch neighbourhood character, evening life on the doorstep, or distance from working traffic. Bezuidenhout's formal diplomatic atmosphere is a real cultural signal - the streets can feel stiff compared to Amsterdam's neighbourhoods, and the international workforce concentration creates an expat-bubble feel. Apartment supply is mixed in quality. Bezuidenhout is at its best for international professionals connected to the embassies, ministries or multinationals - and for renters who value the easy connection to Den Haag Centraal and the wider Randstad.