The Netherlands has culture and countryside in plenty, not only in Amsterdam. From miles of patchwork polders and caramel-colored sand dunes to elegant canal palaces and museums loaded with masterpieces
A charming canal lined with trees, a serene lake, or a picturesque harbor further is never far away because a sixth of the Netherlands was once underwater. From the Zeeland peninsulas with their whitewashed beach cottages to the wild Wadden Islands in the north, endless lengths of sandy beach parallel the coastline.
Regarding culture, this little nation gave the world some of the greatest artists, including Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Mondrian. You can load up on all three in Amsterdam before seeing the Unesco-listed canal district, which is a walking museum of spectacular 17th-century architecture and is only four hours by train from London.
Best Time to Go to the Netherlands
Go between early April and mid-May to see the magnificent flower fields in bloom with endless rows of tulips, narcissi, and hyacinths. Further, you can visit the superb Keukenhof gardens in the region between Haarlem and Leiden, or you can see Flevoland’s northeast polder for the greatest number of fields.
Further, plan your trip to coincide with King’s Day (April 27), when the nation celebrates the monarch’s birthday with an all-day street party with an orange theme.
However, come in the summer if you’re in the Netherlands for the boating. There are few things more pleasant than floating down a canal while the sun is shining.
Top cities and Regions in the Netherlands
Amsterdam
Beautiful Amsterdam currently draws a more diverse clientele than it did in the past when it was best known for its red-light district, coffee shops, and all-night drinking (it’s all still there if you want it). The enormous Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum are the two most popular art museums, making them major draws. The famed Anne Frank House, located in the city’s historic canal sector, should reserve well in advance by visitors. While across the IJ Harbour, beach cafés, street art, and fashionable new dining spots draw visitors to the rejuvenated North, here magnificent gabled homes paint a picture of Golden Age opulence. But without a doubt, the canals themselves are the biggest show-stopper. Further, you can have a self-guided tour of them by renting an electric boat, or you can observe them from a patio along the lake.
Den Haag
The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government, exudes an appropriately regal air. The lavish Hofvijver lake serves as the backdrop. The Binnenhof’s legislative buildings surround it, and it is ringed by museums, ranging from the medieval Prison Gate, which depicts grim tales of crime and justice, to the opulent Mauritshuis, which houses Vermeer’s well-known painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. The Kunstmuseum Den Haag, which has the largest collection of Mondrian paintings in the world, is one of many attractions in the city’s northwest.
The city’s limits vanish into magnificent sand dunes to the north and west. Scheveningen scattered between them. With its pier and Ferris wheel, it offers a classic seaside experience, and its little park, Madurodam, lets you view the best of Holland in scale models all at once.
Rotterdam
Yes, Rotterdam has changed its image by adding a lot of modern architecture, like the quirky cube houses in the Old Harbour and the stunning Depot Boijmans van Beuningen in the Museumpark, which is a big silver sphere with art by all the big names in Dutch art. Further, Rotterdam has turned the devastating bomb damage during the Second World War into its pièce de résistance.
Moreover, Grab a bite to eat beneath the Market Hall’s mirrored dome, take a harbor cruise from one waterside bar to the next, or, for something different, stroll through the Brutus Garden, a former meeting place for sex workers that is now a rustic outdoor gallery featuring Van Lieshout’s contentious kinky sculptures. And if you want to feel like you’ve been to the Netherlands, take a day excursion to the nearby Kinderdijk, where there are 19 windmills.
How Rotterdam’s eccentric, climate-adapted architecture is promoting tourism in the city
Further, cycling fans who want to spend a few days going from island to island by bike will find paradise on these islands, of which only five are inhabited. Several of the islands are also car-free. Even Texel, which is the biggest and easiest to get to, has a feeling of being far away. It has miles of empty golden beaches and rocky heathlands with wildflowers. Further, take a boat trip to see seals and porpoises, go to the strange Beachcombers Museum Flora to see all the strange things the North Sea has dumped on its shores, or climb the lighthouse’s six stories of steps for the best view of the island.
Best off-the-beaten-path locations
Wadden, Marker
The Marker Wadden in Flevoland is the newest and possibly most improbable nature reserve in the Netherlands. It is made up of five man-made islands that all built in 2018 with materials that were dug out of the Markermeer Lake. They are all off-grid ecosystem experiments. One is the Haveneiland, which is accessible to daytrippers arriving by ferry from Lelystad, guests arriving on yachts, and vacationers staying in one of the four eco-cabins. Wander through the sloping dunes, walk over the rich wetlands on boardwalks, see birds from an observatory, or take a bath on the island’s powdery beach. Few other sites are as calm as the night or have such a strong sense of the vital force of nature.
National Park of De Hoge Veluwe
This vast natural reserve in the province of Gelderland has 54 km2 of undiscovered woodland, heathland, and drift sands. In late August, when the purple hepatica blossoms, the area comes alive with color. De Pollen, a sizable desert in the center of the park, will make you think you’ve entered a different world. Go on a safari with a guide to look for the “big four” animals that make up the park: roe deer, red deer, mouflons, and wild boar. You might even see wolves, one of the Veluwe’s newest and most contentious inhabitants. The spectacular Kröller-Müller Museum also tucked away in this lush environment. It is home to one of Europe’s largest sculpture parks and a collection of Van Goghs that is only surpassed by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam but is blissfully uncrowded.
Limburg South
Limburg, the most southern province of the Netherlands, hangs pendulously from the bottom of the nation between Belgium and Germany, resulting in a distinctive cultural fusion. Make a beeline towards the south and take the spooky Skywalk in Vaals, a glass-bottomed lookout tower at the highest point in the Netherlands, to get a comprehensive view of all three nations. Spend a weekend in Maastricht soaking in the European vibe and admiring the basilicas, fine dining, and elegant architecture before exploring the surprisingly rolling countryside beyond in search of vineyards, caves, and copious amounts of vlaai, the local sticky fruit tart.
Best activities
Bike outside of Amsterdam
Just west of Amsterdam are some of the cutest tiny villages in the Netherlands; all you need is a bike. Cycling east from Amsterdam Noord will take you through Nieuwendam’s modest clock-gabled homes and onto Durgerdam, a former fishing community. If you still have the stamina, continue along the shore for another hour or two until you reach Marken, which formerly an island but is now joined to the mainland by a long road that runs through a lake. This picturesque traditional Dutch village made up of green, timber-clad buildings with gardens that are crisscrossed by canals.
Explore the Frisian lakes.
If it freezes enough in the winter, the famous Elfstedentocht ice skating marathon takes place on the lakes and rivers of eleven cities in Friesland. The vast body of water serves as a gorgeous playground for boaters for the rest of the year. Further, if you want to see the peaceful lakes surrounded by reeds and meadows, you could stay on a houseboat or rent a small motor sloop. Pea soup and smoked sausage, two typical Frisian dishes, will help ward off the chill.
Cross mud flats.
The messiest activity you may engage in in the Netherlands is called “Wadlopen,” or “mud flat walking,” which is also risky if you don’t have a guide. It’s a fun method to discover the animals and vegetation revealed during low tide, usually done on the north coast where the Wadden Sea washes between the mainland and the Frisian Islands. You may even go on a gourmet tour and gather your own seafood for dinner.
Getting Around
The Netherlands boasts a robust and dependable rail system, as well as trams and metro systems in many municipalities. Consider purchasing an OV-chipcard if you take public transportation frequently.
Although the Dutch cycling infrastructure is excellent, beginners may find it nerve-wracking to bike around the city. By virtue of the city’s modest size, accessible by foot from the center.
The well-maintained roads in the Netherlands are simple to drive on if you don’t mind driving on the right; just be careful of all the bikes.
Getting there
The most affordable method of transportation from the UK to there is frequently by bus. Several Dutch cities are served by FlixBus and Eurolines; the travel time from London to Amsterdam starts at 10 hours. Ferries that run between Harwich and the Hook of Holland, Hull, and Rotterdam, and Newcastle and IJmuiden can also be reasonably priced. In almost four hours, the Eurostar train moreover connects London with Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Although Rotterdam and Eindhoven airports also offer services, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam has the most regular flights to the UK.
Saving advice
If you purchase a digital City Card in Amsterdam, you can enter the majority of the region’s well-known attractions for free. A free canal tour, free bike rentals, free public transportation, and price breaks on a variety of tickets and restaurants are all included.
How is the weather today?
The Netherlands has a generally warm climate that is similar to the south of England, though its flat terrain and extensive coastline do make it more susceptible to wind. Extreme weather is rare, however, summer highs might reach 30 degrees and winter lows can fall below zero. Further Maastricht, which is located in the southernmost point of the nation, frequently experiences temperature differences of three to four degrees from the northern, wind-swept Frisian islands.
In which time zone is it?
CET (one hour ahead of the UK) (one hour ahead of the UK).
What kind of money do I need?
Euros.
