These are the 25 places we take guests to most, in the Netherlands and just across the border in Belgium. Zaanse Schans and Haarlem are only 25 minutes from Amsterdam. Bruges is three hours away and is better with a night there. Most of the others are an easy day out.
We run tours in every one of them, so each destination page tells you what is worth your time, how long to allow and how to get there. You can go on your own by train, or with one of our private guides, with a driver for the places that are awkward to reach by public transport.
The UNESCO-listed canal ring, Rembrandt and Vermeer in the big museums, and street art out at NDSM. Small enough to walk, as long as you know which streets to take.
One of the best-preserved medieval castles in the Netherlands, with towers, a moat and gardens on the river Vecht. Naarden, the star-shaped fortress town, is close by, so the two make a good half day.
25 minutes from Amsterdam
Marken, Volendam, Monnickendam, Edam and Broek in Waterland lived from fishing and trade on the old Zuiderzee. Wooden houses, small harbours and cheese, all within half an hour north of Amsterdam.
30 minutes from Amsterdam
Officially ’s-Hertogenbosch, founded in 1185. Take a boat through the hidden canals, look up at St. John’s Cathedral, and try a Bossche Bol, the city’s chocolate-covered cream puff.
65 minutes from Amsterdam
Blue-and-white Delft pottery, quiet canals and the Markt square, with the New Church at one end and the Town Hall at the other. Vermeer was born here, and the Vermeer Centrum tells his story.
60 minutes from Amsterdam
176 wooden bridges, thatched farmhouses and canals where you would expect streets. It gets very busy in summer, so it pays to go early and to know the quieter routes off the main canal.
About 1 hour 45 minutes from Amsterdam
The cheese market, stroopwafels, candles and the stained-glass windows of the Sint Janskerk. A real Dutch market town, with more to see than the cheese.
About 1 hour from Amsterdam
Often called Amsterdam in miniature, although it is older than the capital. Canals, cobbled streets, a windmill and the Grote Markt, 25 minutes away and an easy first day trip.
25 minutes from Amsterdam
The seat of the Dutch government, with the Binnenhof, Vermeer and Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis, and the North Sea beach at Scheveningen on the edge of the city.
50 minutes from Amsterdam
Kampen, Zwolle, Deventer, Zutphen, Harderwijk, Hattem and Hasselt grew rich on medieval trade with the rest of Northern Europe, and you can still see it in their merchant houses. Much quieter than the cities in the west.
About 1 hour 30 minutes from Amsterdam
Old sailing ships still line the harbour where Dutch East India Company ships once set out. Add the 17th-century merchants’ houses and the Westfries Museum, 40 minutes north of Amsterdam.
40 minutes from Amsterdam
Around seven million bulbs are planted by hand every autumn, and the park is in flower for about eight weeks. In 2027 it is open from 18 March to 9 May. The walled garden at Keukenhof Castle next door is worth adding.
50 minutes from Amsterdam
Nineteen windmills along the polder, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. A calm place, and a good one to see how the Dutch kept the water out.
1 hour 15 minutes from Amsterdam
Rembrandt was born here, and the Pilgrim Fathers lived here before sailing to America. The oldest university in the Netherlands, canals, a windmill, a big market and the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden.
35 minutes from Amsterdam
Founded by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago, on the River Meuse in the far south. Old city walls, cobbled squares and the Bonnefanten Museum, with a slower pace than up north.
About 2 hours 30 minutes from Amsterdam
A fortress town in the shape of a star, with its walls and moats still in place. Half an hour from Amsterdam, and easy to combine with Muiderslot castle.
30 minutes from Amsterdam
The oldest city in the Netherlands. See the Roman and medieval remains at the Valkhof, climb the Kronenburger Tower and walk through the old town, which a big student population keeps lively.
About 1 hour 20 minutes from Amsterdam
On 14 May 1940 almost the entire old centre was bombed, and after the war the city chose to build something new. Today it is the place for modern architecture, Europe’s largest port and big food halls.
60 minutes from Amsterdam
The seaside district of The Hague: a long sandy beach, a pier with a Ferris wheel, a working fishing harbour and the Kurhaus hotel looking out over the North Sea. Busy in summer.
55 minutes from Amsterdam
Less than 30 minutes by train, with canals on two levels. Down by the water, the old wharf cellars are now cafés and terraces, and the Dom Tower stands over the whole city.
30 minutes from Amsterdam
Three hundred years ago hundreds of windmills along the river Zaan sawed timber and ground spices and cocoa. More than ten still stand, among green wooden houses and craft workshops, 25 minutes from Amsterdam.
25 minutes from Amsterdam
Belgium’s second city and one of Europe’s big ports. The city of Rubens and the diamond trade, with a cathedral and some of the finest buildings in the Low Countries.
About 1 hour 30 minutes from Amsterdam
Start at the Grand Place and its gilded guildhalls, then wander the side streets full of cafés, chocolatiers and small shops. Belgium’s capital, and home to the main EU institutions.
About 2 hours from Amsterdam
Canals, cobbled lanes and medieval squares, three hours from Amsterdam. Too far for a relaxed day trip, so we usually suggest at least one night.
About 3 hours from Amsterdam
A university city with medieval towers, old guild houses along the river and plenty of modern art. It combines well with Bruges on a trip through Flanders.
About 2 hours 30 minutes from Amsterdam
Where you go depends a lot on when you come. Our trip planning tools for the Netherlands cover flower seasons, festivals, museum tickets and getting from one place to the next.
Most of them, yes. Everything in the Netherlands on this page is within about two and a half hours of Amsterdam, and many places are under an hour. The Belgian cities work better with at least one night away. Each location page gives the travel time and the best way to get there.
Yes. We run tours in every place on this page, mostly as private tours planned around what you want to see and how you are travelling.
Yes, and some pairs work very well: The Hague with Delft, Rotterdam with Kinderdijk, Bruges with Ghent. With a private guide and driver you can see two places in one day without worrying about connections.
Most of them are easy to reach by train or bus. Some countryside areas are simpler by car. Each location page has the practical details.
Haarlem and Zaanse Schans, both about 25 minutes by car. Haarlem has a historic centre, a windmill and a good market. Zaanse Schans has the classic windmills and wooden houses on the river Zaan. Utrecht and Leiden take 30 to 35 minutes and fill a whole day with canals, museums and cafés.
The train is the most comfortable option. It takes about three hours, with a change in Antwerp or Brussels, and trains run all day. By car it is two and a half to three hours, depending on traffic. We would plan at least one night there: a day trip leaves you with only a few hours in the city.
Yes, if you are here in spring. Keukenhof is open for about eight weeks a year (in 2027 from 18 March to 9 May), when more than seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are in flower. Go on a weekday morning to avoid the biggest crowds. The walled garden at Keukenhof Castle, next to the park, is open at the same time and much quieter.
For most people, April to June. The tulip fields and Keukenhof are at their best in April and early May, it is mild and the days are long. July and August are warm but busy in the popular places. Autumn has good light and fewer visitors, and the cities are worth a visit in any season. For cycling and walking, May and September are best.
