The Pier SkyView Ferris Wheel Ticket Scheveningen The Hague

Scheveningen Pier, a seaside landmark

The Scheveningen Pier stretches several hundred metres into the North Sea from the boulevard of The Hague's seaside district. An earlier pier stood here from 1901 but was destroyed during the Second World War; the present two-level structure opened in the early 1960s, with an open upper deck for strolling and a covered lower gallery protected from the wind. After years of decline it was renovated and reopened in the mid-2010s, bringing new life to the seafront.

Today the pier holds cafes, viewpoints and attractions, with the giant wheel as its crowning feature. Is Scheveningen Pier worth visiting? Yes: even before you ride, walking out above the waves gives a rare feeling of being at sea while staying dry, and the views back to the beach are among the best on the Dutch coast.

The SkyView giant wheel ride

The wheel rises above the water at the tip of the pier and turns slowly, completing your ride in 12 to 15 minutes. Each gondola is fully closed and climate-controlled, so it stays warm in winter and cool in summer, and the large windows give a clear view in every direction. The gentle pace makes it suitable for most travellers, including those who are not fond of thrill rides.

Before boarding, show your ticket at the booth to collect a coffee or tea and a fresh apple pie or muffin, then take them with you into the gondola. Sharing a hot drink while the sea opens up beneath you is the simple pleasure that makes this one of the most popular things to do in Scheveningen, and the wheel ticket is valid for a single ride on your chosen day.

Views of the North Sea, the beach and The Hague

From the top you see the long sandy beach curving away towards the harbour and the lighthouse, the grand historic buildings along the boulevard and the dunes that protect the coast. Inland, the towers of The Hague rise behind the seaside district, and out to sea you watch ships heading for the ports along the coast and wind turbines on the horizon on clear days.

The best time to visit the Scheveningen ferris wheel is late afternoon or around sunset, when the sun drops into the sea directly in front of the pier and the sky turns gold and pink. Morning rides offer softer light and fewer people. In winter, stormy skies and white-capped waves give a dramatic, quite different view.

Around the pier: the boulevard and Scheveningen beach

The pier sits at Strandweg 156, in the middle of the Scheveningen boulevard, a long seafront promenade lined with beach pavilions, restaurants and shops. If you are wondering how to get to Scheveningen Pier, trams 1 and 9 run from the centre of The Hague to stops close to the boulevard in around twenty minutes, and the walk onto the pier takes only a few minutes.

Combine your ride with a stroll on the sand, a visit to the harbour with its fish stalls and seafood restaurants, or a speedboat trip along the coast. In summer the beach is busy with sunbathers and surfers, while in winter it becomes a wide, windswept space that is wonderful for a bracing seaside walk.