What won’t you find in the shopping area around the stately working palace of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima? Hoogstraat, Noordeinde, Heulstraat and De Plaats are full of hotels, restaurants and cafés, but it’s also the place for fashion, jewellery, beauty, furniture and art.

"The common denominator is quality," asserts Tristan Marcillaud, chair of the Business Investment District Noordeinde (BIZ), and location manager of the Walloon Church."The entrepreneurs are in the higher segment – they know what they’re talking about. And that in a royal ambiance that invites 'slow shopping'. You can admire the most beautiful shop windows, enjoy the exceptional galleries and indulge in gastronomic delights." Needless to say, Marcillaud is passionate about “his” Noordeinde. "This area has distinctive qualities of its own through its location and royal history. If even a sprinkling of light falls on it, it sparkles like a diamond. That's what I try to emulate in my role, for example with events."

'Little Italy'

More about that later. First, he wants to talk about the offerings, which have changed a great deal in recent years. "A lot of hospitality establishments have appeared, such as two big hotels, both coincidentally in former bank buildings. But there are also many new lunch and coffee shops. And on Noordeinde, on Zeestraat side, 'Little Italy' has emerged, a cluster of restaurants where you can experience top-level Italian cuisine."

Kevin Gerrits behind the bar of the elegant new restaurant, Harper.

Kevin Gerrits of the stylish new Restaurant Harper on the Plaats knows what makes this part of the city so unique. "My business partners and I have been here with our restaurant Jamey Bennett for 14 years," he says as Marcillaud leads the way for a tour of the neighbourhood. "The Hague is the most beautiful city in the Netherlands and De Plaats is the most beautiful square in The Hague – the history of coming together here goes back to the Middle Ages. The mutual collaboration with other entrepreneurs is excellent too, it's a real hub. And above all, the visitors who come here are nice: cultured and they appreciate quality."

Hoogstraat, Noordeinde, Heulstraat and De Plaats are full of hotels, restaurants and cafés, but it’s also the place for fashion, jewellery, beauty, furniture and art.

More hospitality venues doesn't mean the range of fashion and accessories has diminished. Marcillaud comments, "Many new high-end women's fashion shops have opened on Hoogstraat. What also stands out is the increase in the number of vintage shops on Noordeinde, but here too: everything with class. Another trend is the rise in watch shops, therefore men's jewellery. So, you see, Noordeinde is still a shopping area for men as well."

Style

The extravagantly dressed Jerrel Manbodh owns one of these specialty shops, Manbodh Watches. "I’ve been coming to this area since I was 15. I previously worked for Boston Trader and Bendorff before starting for myself: first on Noordeinde and now on Hoogstraat. It’s an area with style, in part due to the many small independent entrepreneurs, each with their own identity," he says outside the door of his cinematic shopfront.

Jerrel Manbodh standing at the entrance of his cinematic shop, Manbodh Watches.

Interior, lifestyle and home decor enthusiasts can also indulge themselves on and around Noordeinde. "Sometimes Scandinavian in style, sometimes very flamboyant, but always high class," Marcillaud sums up. Arjan van Zanten proves this with Il Regalo. It is a joy browsing around his not-exactly-standard home furnishing shop. "I'm happy here," he says of his spot on Heulstraat. "The neighbourhood is sophisticated and at the same time the village feel is lovely."

Tirza van Munster is patinating a sculpture in the garden of the Smelik & Stokking gallery.

Lovers of interiors, lifestyle and decoration can also indulge themselves on and around Noordeinde. "Sometimes Scandinavian in style, sometimes very flamboyant, but always high class," Marcillaud sums up. Arjan van Zanten proves this with Il Regalo. It is a joy to browse around his not exactly standard home furnishing shop. "I'm right here," he says of his spot on Heulstraat. "The neighbourhood is sophisticated and at the same time the village feel is very nice."

Arjan van Zanten in his rather unconventional home furnishings store, Il Regalo.

Spa

Marcillaud continues, "And don't forget beauty. In terms of personal care, you can get practically everything in our shopping area. You can go to the spa and nail salon, get a filler treatment or pamper your feet with extensive hot stone and connective tissue massages."

All these unique businesses in the shopping area are linked by a well-filled programme of events. "The Noordeinde Nocturne in June, where art meets music, has been a rock-solid feature for years," Marcillaud declares. "It’s a cornerstone on the events calendar of the city centre of The Hague. And the Nocturne continues to grow, as more shops – also with fashion and jewellery, for instance – join the programme."

Situated around Noordeinde Palace, the shopping area naturally has a golden edge. Regularly on Wednesdays, new ambassadors present their letters of credence to the king, a ceremony surrounded by much pomp and circumstance. A carriage takes the ambassadors to the palace, where they are met by a guard of honour from the Military Band. "Not everyone knows about that, but it's a wonderful sight," Marcillaud says. "As is Prinsjesdag (Prince’s Day), when we have all kinds of festivities as part of Royal September. PrinsjesNach, for instance, an intimate musical pub crawl with indoor stages."

'Winter wonderland'

Marcillaud calls the period before Christmas "our flagship event". "Then it is a real winter wonderland here. That starts with turning on the Christmas lights and a public vote for the most lavish Christmas window display. Then we join in with the spirit of the Royal Christmas Fair on Lange Voorhout with Royal Christmas Cinema in The Walloon Church. Pure indulgence for visitors."

There is no shortage of ambition and attitude from the enthusiastic BIZ chair. "We want to underline our character by connecting the royal elements even more as 'The Royal Mile'. It’s difficult to collaborate with the palace on that, but I’m happy to embrace that challenge. And I would also love it if we could organise a nice event every month, year-round: small-scale, with music on the streets and supported by the entrepreneurs. And I’ll say it again: everything with class."

www.hetnoordeinde.nl/en