The Netherlands is a heavily populated nation partially submerged by the water and has around 50 percent of its land below sea level. Most visitors to the Netherlands come to see Amsterdam. However, Holland has much to offer outside of its capital city. The country’s flat terrain, crisscrossed by canals, is ideal for cycling and is dotted with ancient town centers.
Traditional windmills and other tourist attractions, mile after mile of protecting dunes and sandy beaches, surround the long coastline in the west and north.
The Netherlands flower gardens transform into popular springtime attractions offering a striking display of vibrant colors.
Please read our complete article Netherlands Travel Guide 2023 to organize your travel schedule.
Canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam boasts a thriving canal system, just like many other cities situated on water, including Venice. One of Amsterdam’s most popular attractions is the city’s picturesque waterways, which you can explore by boat tour or by taking a water taxi that allows you to bounce between different spots.
You may still take in the scenery of the canals if you want to avoid getting in the water by taking a stroll along the banks.
During the Dutch golden age in the 17th century, Amsterdam started constructing its renowned canals. There are 1,500 bridges, more than 100 kilometers, and 60 miles of canals. 1550 impressive structures border the main waterways.
Kukenhof
Keukenhof, commonly called the garden of Europe, is a riot of color with blossoms in every shade as far as the eye can see.
The national flower of this nation is the tulip, and the Garden of Europe, located just outside of Lis, is the biggest public garden in the globe. Beautiful flower shows restaurants and various flora, such as daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses.
It may be found on the 70 acres of the property, but in reality, Huguenhoff Gardens is a marketing tool for the Dutch flower trade. Some seven million flower bowls are planted yearly in the park, displaying tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and other springtime blooms.
The gardens are open from the last week of March until the middle of May. One of the most popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands is Keukenhof.
Zaanse Schans
You’ve found the ideal site if you want to go back in time and explore the 17th and 18th-century Netherlands.
Zantschens, about 15 kilometers north of Amsterdam, is designed to be an outdoor museum where visitors may stroll around a typical Dutch hamlet and learn about how ancient artisans would have lived and worked. A few of the sites are a shipyard, a grocery shop, a pewter factory, and a variety of attractive green wooden dwellings.
There are also some lovely windmills, albeit only five of the original 600 that once studied the area are now standing and open to the public. These include a famous sawmill and an oil mill and entertaining live performances like a clog-making session.
Village of Markan
Even though Markan is a small village, there are surprisingly many things to see there. All history buffs who want to learn more about this fascinating community must visit the marker museum. The original House of Market will allow you to see how the area’s first settlers lived. Markin is noted for its wooden dwellings.
Another important attraction in Markan is the ancient Pard van Marken lighthouse. There are a lot of activities to do in Markham besides the fantastic attractions the hamlet has to offer its tourists.
You can always take a guided tour of the village while donning one of its famous traditional costumes. Although Markan is a beautiful community today, it has also experienced tragedy, including a flood that claimed 51 lives. You can go to the wave to honor the lives lost in the conflict with the water.
Volendum
If you’re also visiting the nearby city of Amsterdam, corundum, located in the north of the Netherlands, is a fantastic day trip.
Volundum, a little fishing community, is brimming with typical Dutch treats like wooden buildings, clogs, and picturesque vistas. Due to Valentine’s beauty, renowned artists like Grenoir and Picasso painted it.
It also boasts a charming harbor that backs up to fishermen’s homes and additional canals. Just 12 kilometers north of Amsterdam is the lovely fishing village of Volundum other than Amsterdam.
This is one of the Netherland’s most lovely tourist destinations. It’s a must-visit location for foodies because of its fame for local specialties, fish and cheese. You wouldn’t be doing Volundum’s mouth-watering cuisine justice if you left without trying it.
Kinderdick
The village of Kinderdick, which translates to Children’s Dike and Dutch, is located between rotterdam and Dordrecht and has a picturesque setting on the river Nord.
The exquisite windmills from the 18th century are the main draw to this location, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The most extensive collection of windmills in the Netherlands, totaling 19, are located here and date from 1722 to 1761.
You may go there between April and October, and there are specific times of the year when the windmill sails rotate, and you can view them in all their splendor. There is still more than one zero-zero-zero antique windmills in the Netherlands.
The area close to the village of Kinderdick is where most Dutch windmills were located around 1740. 19 windmills were constructed to drain the excess water from the poulters located below sea level. They have survived to the present day in good condition and are now well-liked tourist destinations in the Netherlands.
Hoge Veluwe National Park
The Netherlands is frequently perceived as a small nation mostly comprised of hamlets and cities, yet it also contains some gorgeous national parks. The Hoge Veluwe National Park, situated halfway between Appeldorn and Arnhem, is the biggest and most well-known.
It covers 13800 acres and is ideal for day trips because it is so easy to get there. Red and roe deer are just some of the park’s residents, and other oddball attractions like a sculpture park. The park is covered in woodland.
Other locations include lovely dooms covered with heath, and if you enjoy bird watching, here is the location to see a wide variety of birds.
Lake Ijssel
The little hamlets along Lake Ijssel, a freshwater lake created when the outer seas sea entrance was closed, are some of the most picturesque communities in the Netherlands. When these cities had access to the Atlantic and were trading and fishing hubs, they thrived during Amsterdam’s golden age. However, as the ports grew siltier, their prominence declined.
They now rank among the most popular tourist destinations in the nation for photos of the fishing community and the seaports of Fallendam and Incosin, where many of the vibrant homes have been converted into museums and stores. Time appears to have stopped.
The Rijks Museum
The Dutch National Museum in Amsterdam has an incredible collection of artwork and relics from 1809. More than 7 million things are kept in the structure, boasting over 5,000 paintings across 250 rooms. There is a 35,000-book library here, and you may view some of the most magnificent works of art ever created by the so-called old masters.
Most of the museum is devoted to traditional Dutch antiques, such as old-fashioned crafts and sculptures from the Middle Ages, but there is also fascinating modern art. You may spend a whole day here investigating every nook and cranny. So make sure you give yourself plenty of time to see everything.
Leiden Canals
The oldest university in the Netherlands, Rembrandt’s birthplace, and Leiden’s lovely canals are all well-known attractions. The old rhine’s two branches approach lighten from the east and converge in the city’s center, which is also home to some minor canals.
The only more significant 17th-century town center in the Netherlands after Amsterdam is the historic center of Leiden.
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