The Oranjehotel is a former WWII prison in The Hague where the German occupiers held more than 25,000 people for interrogation and prosecution.
This guide was updated in June 2026. You can book through GetYourGuide to plan around whichever time proves correct on the day.
Oranjehotel quick facts
| Address | Van Alkemadelaan 1258, 2597 BP The Hague, the Netherlands. |
| Opening hours | Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:30am or 11am to 5pm · Closed Mondays |
| Admission | Adult €12.50 · Youth (8–24) €7 · Family ticket €35 · Card payment only |
| Nearest transit | Bus 22 or 23 to Duinkerksestraat, 3 minutes’ walk |
| Typical visit duration | 1 to 1.5 hours |
Why book Oranjehotel tickets?
- 🏛️ The actual prison cells: walk through the same D-row cells where condemned prisoners spent their final night.
- 🎟️ Skip the desk: the museum takes cards only, so booking ahead avoids any payment hold-ups.
- 🌿 A free personal audio guide: hear letters, diaries, and memoirs narrated as you walk the route alone.
- 📜 In continuous use until 2009: one of few WWII sites that remained a working prison for over 60 years afterwards.
- 💰 Free entry for veterans and Museumcard holders: a meaningful gesture at a site built on sacrifice.
Oranjehotel opening hours
The museum is closed one day a week, with extended hours on several Dutch remembrance dates.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday to Sunday | 10:30am–5pm |
In 2026, the museum keeps standard hours on Remembrance Day (4 May), Liberation Day (5 May), Ascension Day (14 May), Pentecost (24 May), and Whit Monday (25 May), all 10:30am–5pm. It opens late, from 2pm–5pm, for its own Memorial Day on 19 September, and closes entirely on 25 December and 1 January.
Oranjehotel ticket prices
These individual rates exclude group pricing, which is handled separately for parties of 15 or more.
| Ticket type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | €12.50 |
| Youth (8–24 years) | €7.00 |
| Family ticket (2 adults + 2 youth) | €35.00 |
| Museumcard holders | Free |
| Donors and Protectors | Free |
| Veteran Card or ICOM holders | Free |
Every ticket includes a free audio guide for a self-paced, individual tour. The museum accepts cards only, no cash, so booking in advance through GetYourGuide is a sensible way to avoid any payment issues at the desk.
How to get there
By bus: Take bus 23 from Den Haag Laan van NOI station, heading towards Scheveningen Noord, or bus 22 from Den Haag Centraal. Get off at Duinkerksestraat, a 3-minute walk from the entrance.
On foot: The entrance sits at the corner of Van Alkemadelaan and Stevinstraat, in a quiet residential part of The Hague near Scheveningen.
Parking
On-site parking is very limited. Street parking nearby is paid from 10am, at €7 per hour with a 2-hour maximum. A more affordable option is the APCOA Parking Strand garage on Zwolsestraat, about 7 minutes’ walk away: buy a 4-hour parking voucher for €9.50 at the museum’s own cash desk, and you won’t pay anything extra if you stay within that time.
How long to spend at the Oranjehotel
Most visits last 1 to 1.5 hours, enough time to walk the self-guided route with the included audio guide and see the permanent exhibition in full.
Accessibility
The Oranjehotel is wheelchair accessible, with a number of parking spaces reserved for disabled visitors and a wheelchair available to borrow on site. The museum recommends visitors be at least 8 years old, given the weight of the subject matter; younger children can instead follow a dedicated Oranjehotel Junior route designed for them.
What to see inside the Oranjehotel
The permanent exhibition. Set in the former Service Apartments and a number of original cells, the exhibition covers prison life, the occupation, the Dutch Resistance, and how post-war society came to terms with what happened here.
Cell 601. Preserved in its original state since the end of the war, this cell on death row held prisoners on their final night, and still bears wall inscriptions left by those who stayed there.
The small gate. Condemned prisoners were led out through this gate towards the Waalsdorpervlakte, where more than 250 people from the prison were executed. A plaque quotes a line from a poem by former prisoner Anthonie Donker, and King Willem-Alexander opened the adjacent large gate ajar in 2019 to mark the museum’s opening.
The animated film. A short animation depicts 24 hours of daily life inside the Oranjehotel, illustrated with documents, photographs, and interviews.
“They were united” relief. Carved by Albert Termote and unveiled by Queen Juliana in 1950, this sculpture at the entrance shows chained prisoners gathered around an orange tree, a tribute to wartime solidarity.
Practical visitor tips
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bring a card, not cash | The museum only accepts card payments, with no cash option at all. |
| Plan around 11am to be safe | The site lists two different opening times; arriving after 11am avoids any confusion. |
| Use the free audio guide | It’s included with every ticket and narrates personal letters, diaries, and memoirs. |
| Pair it with Madurodam | Both sites connect through George Maduro, the resistance fighter held here before his death at Dachau. |
| Buy parking at the desk | A 4-hour Parking Strand voucher costs €9.50 at the museum and covers nearby parking in full. |
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the Oranjehotel wheelchair accessible? | Yes, with reserved disabled parking spaces and a wheelchair available to borrow. |
| Is it open on Mondays? | No, the museum is closed every Monday, plus 25 December and 1 January. |
| How much does admission cost? | €12.50 for adults and €7 for youth aged 8 to 24, with free entry for Museumcard and veteran cardholders. |
| Is there a guided tour? | Not for individual visitors; every ticket includes a free audio guide instead. |
| Should I book in advance? | Not essential, but advance booking is recommended given the museum’s card-only payment policy. |
Things to do nearby
Waalsdorpervlakte is the execution site linked to the prison’s history, a short drive or walk through the dunes nearby.
Scheveningen Beach offers a complete change of pace, with a long sandy beach and pier about 15 minutes away.
The Atlantikwall Museum Scheveningen explores the German coastal defences built along this stretch of coast during the occupation.
Madurodam is a short distance away and shares a direct historical link through George Maduro, who was imprisoned here before his death at Dachau.
The Kurhaus Hotel is a grand seaside hotel near Scheveningen, a pleasant stop for a coffee after a heavier morning.
What to visit tomorrow
These sites all explore WWII occupation history within reach of The Hague.
Anne Frank House, Amsterdam. The hiding place of Anne Frank and her family during the German occupation, about an hour away.
Dutch Resistance Museum, Amsterdam. A museum dedicated to the Dutch Resistance movement during WWII, also around an hour’s drive.
National Memorial Kamp Vught, Vught. The only SS concentration camp built outside Nazi Germany in occupied Western Europe, roughly 1.5 hours away.
Airborne Museum Hartenstein, Oosterbeek. A museum covering the Battle of Arnhem, housed in the former headquarters of British forces, about 1.5 to 2 hours away.
Nationaal Bevrijdingsmuseum 1944, Groesbeek. A museum on the liberation of the Netherlands, close to the German border, around 1.5 to 2 hours’ drive.
More Netherlands travel
Other Netherlands travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- How to see Vermeer’s The Girl With the Pearl Earring at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
- Practical guide to the Spido Rotterdam Harbour cruise.
- What to expect at the Museum Flehite in Amersfoort.
- How art-lovers can make the most of the STRAAT Museum and the Stedelijk Museum.
- See the finest castle near Amsterdam – Muiderslot in Muiden.
