Hints on Accommodation and Cost of Living in The Hague

By Megan Barnett, Intern 2007

The Hague is a very easy city to live in.  It has established itself as the "international city for peace and justice" and is heavily populated with expats from all over the world, who work in the many international courts, organizations and corporations that have based themselves there.  At last count, the ICTY employed people from over 82 countries alone, and practically everyone speaks English.

Accommodation Options

Accommodation, like most things in The Hague is expensive.  There are not many ways around this.  When  you get an internship with the ICTY, the Human Resources department will send you a list of accommodation options, regularly used by interns and ICTY staff.  Some apartments on this list tend to be quite expensive options, the prices have seemingly been inflated for the semi-tourist market.  But, renting a room in a share house (some of which are included on the provided list) is probably the cheapest option.  Try to get something in Den Haag itself. You will find a lot of accommodation is advertised in Scheveningen.  That's by the beach.  Its not too far from ICTY, but I think it is preferable to be closer to Centrum (the centre of town). Expect to have to pay between 450-550 euros a month.  If you find anything under 400 euros, take it!  I would not recommend doing what some interns seem to do, that is come over to The Hague and look for accommodation once you get there.  This is difficult and stressful as there is often a shortage of reasonably well priced accommodation. 

Transport

The best (and most fun) way to get around The Hague is by bike.  A bike should be a priority purchase item when you arrive. Everything in The Hague feels like only a 5 minute bike ride away, plus, it seems to be the preferred transportation choice of the Dutch so you will automatically feel like you are fitting in.  Bikes for sale are regularly advertised on the ICTY internal tribunet and email system, the many bike stores around town often sell second hand bikes, and there is an open market held every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday where bikes (and everything else).  Budget to spend around 80 euros on a bike (remember, you will have no trouble reselling it at the end of your internship). It is not recommended to buy a bike off anyone who will offer you one if you happen to be around the vicinity of the train station at night.  The ICTY Human Resources department operates a type of borrowing arrangement without cost, but you are likely to remain on a very long list for a very long time.  Immediately after you purchase your bike, you must purchase a very good lock; bikes get stolen all the time! No one wears helmets in Holland, its not law, but it is required that your bike has front and back lights, that must be used at night.  Otherwise you may face a pretty hefty fine from the police.

If you actually can not ride a bike, The Hague is serviced by an efficient tram system.  The most economical way to use the trams is to buy a stripenkart which is like a multi-ticket, that you electronically stamp once aboard. 

The Hague is stationed by two train stations, Central and Holland Spoor so it is easy to explore both other Dutch towns and European cities by rail.  Amsterdam, for example is a 45 minute train ride away, Paris is 3 hours on the fast train.  For traveling internationally on trains, the earlier you buy the ticket the better.  If you plan on undertaking a lot of train travel you can also buy a discount card.  Its 80 euros, which gives you a discount of 60% of fares within Holland, and up to 3 people traveling with you can receive the benefit of the discount.

Weather

Pack for all seasons in The Hague; the weather fluctuates more sporadically than even Melbourne.  It rains all the time, so never go anywhere without an umbrella.  In my 6 months there, I had snowball fights and sun baked on the beach. 

Other Interesting Stuff

The ICTY, especially as an intern, is an incredibly social place to work.  When I was there, there was always a couple of self-appointed-unofficial-intern-social-coordinators from the Office of the Prosecutor and/or Chambers, who regularly sent around mass emails to a mailing list (which you want to get on when you start work) advising of the various social functions, parties and weekend trips that were planned.  The best place to get coffee in The Hague is at a café called Crunch, on Piet Heinstraat.   Finally, its Europe, so everything is close and budget airlines abound.  As an intern, for every month you work you get 2.5 days annual leave, which many interns use to see a bit more of the continent.