Entertainment

This is what May's ideal day in Scheveningen looks like

With a leading role for AIDA

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There are many advantages to outings in your own country. You don't pollute, or at least much less, save a lot of travel time and money, and you see your own country again through a different lens. Take The Hague and Scheveningen: it is right ON the beach, a unique feature. And when you're there, an ocean of coziness awaits you and you MUST go to AIDA, one of the most beautiful musicals I've ever seen.

Many people have a somewhat distorted view of Scheveningen, I notice, but it's amazing if you know the right spots. This is what my ideal day in Scheveningen looks like.

1. The Scheveningen Pier
Now you might think: faded glory, but ho ho, the pier has had a real glow-up. Inside, you'll find a food hall with all sorts of fun spots like Par Hasard, which according to Barts Boekje – and he knows his stuff – has the best fries in the country. And how fun: you can also zipline from the pier to the boulevard.

2. My favorite: musical AIDA
After visiting the pier and having something to eat, I prefer to go to the matinee performance. But if you prefer to shop during the day, you can of course go to the 8:00 PM show. The Scheveningen Circus Theater is definitely my favorite location. I've been able to watch so many beautiful musicals and attend premieres there (with all the awkward situations that come with it). At the last one, AIDA, I honestly didn't know what to expect – call me a culture barbarian. I was with my fourteen-year-old daughter, and she also wondered if it could match Tina Turner, who had completely blown us away. But in the end, we couldn't choose. Aida is such a love story that tears your heart apart. A Romeo and Juliet, Westside Story-esque love epic. They want to, they can't, they shouldn't, and yet it happens, with the most dramatic consequences. Not for nothing did Gaia Aikman win the Musical Award for best lead role, and wow, she is masterful in this role. And not just her: the dancers, the set, the layers of the piece; it's phenomenal and really fun to visit with kids (I would say: 8 plus). Parking is really right next to the theater, so if you want to bring your mother who has difficulty walking, that's no problem.

3. Beachclub Naturel
Is the favorite of one of the nicest women in The Hague, so believe me. If she says it's nice, then it is nice. So after that performance, I’ll have an Aperol here. What my Scheveningen informant also recommends is: a nice walk from the water tower through the dunes to the Point.

Beachclub Zuid is on the other side of the harbor at South beach. If you're already in the harbor, you could have lunch or dinner at Callao Cevicheria, a top-notch Peruvian restaurant in the harbor according to her.

4. Here comes Mark Rutte (and sometimes he brings Macron)
Restaurant Cru is the go-to for our Prime Minister, and he sometimes brings a friend like Emmanuel Macron. You have to like meat...

5. Culinary heaven
You can grab herring bites at Het Haringhuisje and your cappuccino at Tiger Shark. If a restaurant is called Appeltje Eitje, you just have to go there. Furthermore, my Scheveningen informant also mentions La Liguria in an old Scheveningen building and the new café Florian, which according to her really deserves to be mentioned, because of its potential. I don't know which restaurant I'm going to choose yet, but it will definitely be one of these.

6. You can quickly check out a museum
Beelden aan Zee is easy to visit; beautiful architecture and sculptures, both outside and inside.

7. Sleeping
After such an evening, you probably want to enjoy it a bit longer. Barts Boekje recommends Hotel Pistache and if it’s good enough for Barts Boekje…

And just a little more about AIDA: it’s such a piece that you carry with you for a year, really.