A trip to Amsterdam is a life-changing experience. The Dutch capital is not simply a city — it is a constellation of art, history and vibrant culture waiting for you to discover it.
Imagine cycling alongside picturesque canals, exploring the historic windmills and spending hours in front of Van Gogh’s masterpieces. But Amsterdam offers so much more: cosmopolitan restaurants, traditional cafés, breathtaking museums and a nightlife that leaves no one indifferent.
Whether you are a first-time visitor or returning, this guide shows you how to live like a local, discovering the hidden gems and the residents’ favourite gathering spots. Get ready for the most exciting city in Europe.
The most bike-friendly country in the world, with cycle paths stretching over 32,000 km,
resembles a colourful kaleidoscope of blooming meadows, windmills, canals
and doll-like towns. But do not let the flowers and the fairy-tale houses of the
canals fool you. In the Netherlands innovation flourishes too, with the country always one
step ahead in architecture, technology and nightlife.
Hop on a bike and enjoy the journey!
To Amsterdam for the canals & the nightlife
The capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, is a destination with a character all its own
and plenty to offer. The network of canals on which the city is built, besides
beautifying the landscape, offers you the alternative of seeing the banks on a cruise
unlike any other.
Another way to see Amsterdam is, of course, the bicycle, the main
means of transport for the locals. Enjoy the ride at a relaxed pace, but pay attention to the
signs and stay on the cycle paths, which were built for this very purpose.
Perhaps the most beautiful neighbourhood in Amsterdam is the Jordaan district and the labyrinth
of the 9 Streets, which unfolds east of the Prinsengracht canal. The area is
full of alternative galleries, charming gardens and antique shops, which makes it just
the place for browsing and shopping without needing to look at a map.
Take your time at the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum on Museumplein, the
cultural-hub square in the recently renovated Oud-Zuid. In the summer
months the square fills with open-air markets, while in winter it is taken over by a
skating rink.
For those who came for the experience, the famous coffeeshops of Amsterdam are open all
day until 1 a.m., and at weekends until 3 a.m. Many bars keep similar hours,
as do the brown cafés, the traditional pubs of the Netherlands. On the outskirts of Amsterdam
are some of the best places for clubbing in the world, while in the centre the three
entertainment hubs are the Red Light District and the
Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein areas.
Tip: If you are travelling here in early June, do not miss the Holland Festival, the most important
and largest cultural festival held in the country.
To Rotterdam for futuristic architecture & a zip-line
Rotterdam, the major port and second-largest city in the Netherlands, has always been
one step ahead when it comes to innovation.
A trip to the ultra-modern Europort harbour is a must if you want to see the true
side of it. Better still, choose a boat tour to properly take in this
industrial masterpiece, and then visit the Maritime Museum to see the
evolution of the city over time.
One of the coolest places in Rotterdam for food, coffee, a drink or just a stroll
is certainly the Markthal. A building with a striking design ahead of its time, which
«encloses» within it offices and all kinds of shops. Curated by the
Dutch artist Arno Coenen, the space is decorated with an intriguing pattern
of flowers, insects, fruit and other plants.
Did you know that in Rotterdam you can try a zip-line? Indeed, on the last
Sunday of the month from May to September, at the Euromast tower you will experience the
adrenaline of the fastest zip-line in all of Europe! The tower is also open
outside those specific days for views over the whole city from its tallest building.
One of Rotterdam’s most distinctive sights is the eccentric complex
of yellow Cube Houses. It is astonishing, but there really are people
who live inside this eccentric structure. The Erasmus Bridge is another
timeless symbol of the wonderful city of Rotterdam.
Tip: The International Film Festival Rotterdam is one of the leading
film festivals in Europe (23/1–3/2).
To Utrecht for relaxed strolls in a fairy-tale setting
Utrecht has the advantage of combining the variety and buzz of a Dutch
metropolis with the friendly vibes of the provinces. It is as if it has the traditional
beauty of Amsterdam, without such intense tourism.
Although it is the fourth-largest city and the largest university town in the country,
its compact size and its extensive network of pedestrian streets will help you
see most of it on foot.
Where Utrecht truly stands out is its canals, the only ones with built-in
wharves. On its central canal, the Oudegracht, you will notice that there is a
separate level almost at the surface of the water. There, in the 13th
century, ships unloaded
goods from all over the world to be stored afterwards in the wharf cellars. These
warehouses today operate, renovated, as shops, bars, restaurants or even
clubs.
The historic centre of Utrecht is a medieval jewel. Among the various
Christian ecclesiastical monuments, the Dom cathedral tower stands out, the zero-point
of the centre and the tallest church monument in the Netherlands, at 112.5 metres.
What is certain is that in this bohemian city of intellectuals, students and its
one-of-a-kind canals you will see authentic traditional Dutch
beauty.
To Eindhoven for sights beyond the clichés
The city may not be a usual stop on a trip to the Netherlands, but if
you think there is nothing to see in Eindhoven, you are mistaken.
How would you like to cycle through Van Gogh’s «Starry
Night»? The famous painting has come to life in Eindhoven in the form of the
Roosegaarde cycle path, created with stones that reflect sunlight.
When fully charged, the self-illuminating path gives off an otherworldly green-blue glow that
echoes the painting’s colour palette in striking fashion, innovating in
the use of technology in public works.
At the Evoluon exhibition centre, the experimental ’60s meet the future. The
futuristic building strongly resembles a UFO from the outside, composing a scene from a
science-fiction film, attracting many people who come to see it and
photograph it.
If you are a fan of the anarchic comedy team Monty Python, you simply must
visit Eindhoven’s central station. On its walls you will see utterly madcap
murals sponsored by the «Ministry of Silly Walks»,
showing the «Minister» John Cleese in every possible walking pose. A work
that honours the legacy of the famous British comedians.
Just half an hour from Eindhoven, in the town of Hertogenbosch, the church once
dedicated to St James now operates as the Art Centre of the…
sacrilegious Hieronymus Bosch. Take a look at the «skewed» and frightening art of the Dutch
artist through the replicas of his works displayed here.
Tip: Less than an hour’s drive from the centre of Eindhoven lies the sound forest of
Klankenbos. A unique sound-archive installation of wooden structures that
have been placed at strategic points to distort the sounds of the
surroundings for the sake of art, creating a surreal effect.
To Leiden for open-air poetry & walks along the Rhine
The charming Leiden, on the banks of the Rhine, is a historic university town, birthplace
of Rembrandt and an important cultural centre of the country.
Walking the streets of Leiden, you will see that even the street art here is
unique. Open-air poems in various languages have been inscribed on the walls of the
buildings, like a global open-air poetry collection.
At the Hortus Botanicus botanical gardens, where the first tulip in the
Netherlands was grown, open guided tours take place, while the de
Lakenhal Museum (temporarily closed until mid-June 2019) houses works from the
Golden Age of Dutch art. The De Valk windmill, the most famous monument of
Leiden, built in 1743, now operates as a museum.
Every Wednesday and Saturday, in the city centre, the Der Markt is set up, a traditional
Dutch market with 200 stalls. Wander around it looking for food, trinkets,
tulips, bicycle parts, gifts and souvenirs from your trip
to the Netherlands.
Just a kilometre and a half from the centre lies the public park Leidse Hout. In the
park there is a deer sanctuary and observation point and a traditional tea house
where you can enjoy your tea surrounded by greenery!
Tip: Look up online or download as an app the Leiden Loop route, which
will guide your steps to the best of the city.
To Texel for island adventures & cinematic sand dunes
The largest and inhabited island of the Wadden (or Frisian) island group in the
Wadden Sea has more than 30 kilometres of sandy beach and is home
to many birds and seals, as well as people. Access to the island is easy,
taking just 20 minutes on the ferry from the port of Den Helder.
The largest monument on Texel is the historic Eierland lighthouse, which has stood proud
on its spot since 1864. The lighthouse is 20 metres tall and you can
visit it to learn its history.
It may be a tiny place, but Texel has its own microbrewery,
the Texelse Brouwerij. The distance separating it from the largest settlement, Den Burg,
is short, so you can easily reach it on foot or by bicycle.
A natural attraction of wild beauty, for which many travel all the way here, is
the Texel National Park with its dunes, small woods, dune valleys and
coastal plains, located on the western coast. Besides the famous dunes that
compose a cinematic scene, here operates the aquarium and wildlife
sanctuary EcoMare. Dozens of mapped hiking and cycling trails, as well as
specially designed areas for watching wildlife, will keep you
active.
Tip: The star-shaped Fort de Schans and the award-winning Kaap
Skil Museum in Oudeschild are two more spots where it is worth checking in.
Back to nature in De Hoge Veluwe National Park
Covering more than 55,000 acres, De Hoge Veluwe National Park is the
largest nature reserve in the country and is known for the remarkable variety of its
landscape. Dense forests give way to sand dunes, sheltering a great
variety of fauna, from birds such as woodpeckers, finches, jays and magpies to
wild boar, deer and other animals.
See the park by hiking, cycling, watching rare bird species and
taking part in other activities.
Visit the Kröller-Müller Museum here, which claims to hold the second-
largest collection of Van Gogh works in the world (280 paintings), along with its
sculpture garden.
«Dive» into the underground Museonder museum for a unique journey through the natural history
and geology of the area, as well as the mementoes that the wildlife which passed through here
«gifted» to the museum. The exhibits also include animals that live underground, such
as hares, as well as the root system of the park’s trees.
A road trip along the roads of the Dutch tulip
If you enjoy road trips, get ready to set off on a tulip hunt.
By the end of January the picture begins to take shape, as the famous
tulips gradually sprout in every possible colour among clusters of other flowers,
such as gladioli, dahlias and fragrant lilies. But the season worth making this
excursion is, of course, the April–May period, when nature is at its
best.
Starting from Haarlem, the beginning of the Bollenstreek route, as the
famous tulip route is called, you will cross 40 kilometres southward, full of
colourful blooming meadows. Haarlem will give you a taste of what you will encounter
on the route, with a visit to the Frans Hals Museum. A museum with works by famous
naturalists and paintings that are windows onto nature by the master of the genre, the Dutch
landscape painter Jan van Goyen.
From Haarlem you will drive to Lisse, via the N208 motorway. Here you will
pull on the handbrake for the Keukenhof Gardens, 280 acres of lush vegetation with
tulips in technicolour hues. The gardens are adorned with ponds, a windmill and
mini greenhouses.
Continue towards the historic town of Leiden and finish in Naaldwijk, a village
renowned for its vast expanse of working greenhouses and the largest
tulip auction house in the world. You will have literally reached the «source» of the
tulip, which is a huge industry in the Netherlands.
Take inspiration from the floral route and plan more romantic
getaways in Europe, just the thing for those in love!
7 stops in 7 hours, starting from Amsterdam
Have you toured Amsterdam and have a few days left until your return flight? If
you love city-hopping, make the most of them with a road trip and see
as much as you can!
With just half an hour’s drive you will reach Haarlem, while for your next two stops
in Utrecht and Leiden you will need to spend at most an hour for each
on the road.
Less than half an hour from there is the famous Hague, seat of the Dutch parliament, the
United Nations and a city with countless references in world political history.
Your fifth stop will be in Delft, a city known for its dozens of
medieval monuments, and for the Delft forest and lake, two must-visit spots for cycling,
hiking, horse riding and windsurfing.
Shortly before the end, it is the turn of flavour, in a small town with a big name and reputation.
In Gouda, which gave its name to the famous cheese, you will have the chance to taste
cheesy delicacies at the Kaasmarkt cheese market, as well as the traditional waffle treat with
caramel, the stroopwafel, which was also created here.
We have kept the longest distance for last. Maastricht, with its historic
treaty, is a timeless commercial centre of the Netherlands, known for its underground and
visitable network of caves and tunnels, the Sint Pieter fort and the Sint Janskerk church with
its red bell tower.
Things to do there — Amsterdam
Optional tours, tickets and activities you can book for your days there. We arrange the trip — these you choose yourself.
Activities, experiences and local guides — book ahead and keep your days free of queues.
Compare prices from all major car rental companies, with free cancellation on most offers.
Attraction tickets, airport transfers, rail passes and day trips, booked in advance.
These activities are provided and sold by our partners. You complete the booking on their page, at exactly the same price.
Activities at your destination
Individual trip
Travel there your way — from 575€
Amsterdam · 4-day
You choose the dates and the hotel. We arrange flights, stays and transfers, and send you the final price in a personal quote within 3 working days at the latest.
Request a quote
Comment (0)