Netherlands

Top 10 Amsterdam

Top 10 Netherlands (ex. Amsterdam)

Firstly, I have to say that I’m being unfair and biased to rank the art museums (Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum) this low. Because comments and reviews of the museums are actually pretty good from what I’ve read. But arts is just not my area of interest, so if they are yours, I’m sure they will rank higher for you!

Overall, I found that the most enjoyable thing to do in Amsterdam is to walk along the canals, cross the bridges and enjoy the pretty sights. Particularly beautiful are the Grachtengordel (Canal District), the 9 Straatjes (9 Streets) and the Jordaan district.

There are so many beautiful places all over the Netherlands, which is why city and town hopping is something you can consider if you have time on your Netherlands itinerary. Small and quaint cities such as Den Haag (The Hague) and Utrecht, or a beautiful canal town of Giethoorn are options.

Low-lying landscapes

The Netherlands is derived from the Dutch word ‘Nederland’ and literally means ‘low lands’.

Indeed, the low-lying landscapes of the country is a key and very important characteristic that makes the Netherlands so unique. As I have said above, one-third of the country is actually residing below sea level. That makes water management very important to prevent flooding. And that’s what most of the windmills were for – pumping water. Which also explains why there are so many dotted all over the country. Presently, there are still over 1,200 of these windmills functioning.

There are many windmills that are currently open to visitors, but the two most popular places to see them are in Zaanse Schans and Kinderdijk.

Because tulips thrive in well-drained soil, the water management system in the country has actually made conditions great for growing tulips! The temperate and mild climate makes it even more conducive. In fact, the Netherlands produces over 60% of the world’s tulip bulbs and exports billions of them annually. Thus it is fair to say that they are dominating the world’s tulip industry.

Particularly in spring (mid March to mid May), the tulip garden Keukenhof springs to life with 7 million tulips, visited by over a million in just 2 months.

Is it called ‘The Netherlands’ or ‘Holland’?

Occasionally, you might hear people referring to the Netherlands as Holland, interchangeably. Strictly speaking though, Holland refers to the North Holland and South Holland provinces (refer to the map below).

And because the top 3 largest cities by population (Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag) are all located in Holland, the name ‘Holland’ is actually correctly used in most cases. Furthermore, these 3 cities are also the most visited among tourists, so maybe that is why ‘The Netherlands’ and ‘Holland’ are commonly used interchangeably.

The main cities

Amsterdam

The city of Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands, and is also the largest by population at just under a million. It is characterised by picturesque canals stretching over 100 kilometres with over 1,200 bridges in total. In fact, the 17th century Canal Ring area has earned a UNESCO World Heritage status!

Besides the scenic views and landmarks (Royal Palace, De Dam, Nieuwe Kerk, Muntorren), the city also has a vibrant cultural scene with world class museums such as the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. Not to forget of course, the world infamous red light district.

What’s more, Amsterdam is also the perfect place to use as a base to visit the nearby Zaanse Schans windmills and the Keukenhof and tulip fields in spring.

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is located in the South Holland province and is also the Netherlands’ second largest city by population. However, unlike Amsterdam, Rotterdam is a very modern and built-up city. This is because large parts of the city was destroyed during WWII and was rebuilt in modern designs and techniques. There is though, a quaint and historic neighbourhood of Delfshaven that survived the WWII destruction.

Rotterdam plays a crucial part of the Netherlands’ trade and economy because of its port. In fact, the Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe!

Even though largely modern, Rotterdam was rebuilt with a number of landmarks and unique architecture. One of the most interesting is the Cubic Houses (Kijk-Kubus), housing a collection of apartments built out of large cube blocks. You can even visit one of these houses and view the apartments from the inside!

Other landmarks and icons include the Erasmusbrug (a suspension bridge also known as ‘The Swan’ due to its shape), Euromast (an observation tower and tallest structure in Rotterdam) and Markthal (a horseshoe-shaped market hall).

Den Haag (The Hague)

While Amsterdam is the official and constitutional capital of the Netherlands, Den Haag is where the seat of Government is. Therefore, Den Haag is considered the administrative capital of the country. Den Haag is also home to the royal family, as well as the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It is the third largest city by population and is located along the coastal region in South Holland.

When at Den Haag, most people will not miss having a photo with the Peace Palace (where the ICJ is). Even though it is possible to go on a guided tour of the Peace Palace, the tours are few and far between. In case you wish to try your luck, check the dates of tours at their website.

Do also have a look at the Peace Flame at the gates of the Peace Palace, where 197 countries have donated a special stone from their nation to symbolise their commitment to world peace.

While in the city centre, enjoy a walk to see the Dutch King’s Noordeinde Palace, the lake Hofvijver and the tree-lined street Lange Voorhout. Along your walk, you can also then visit the art museums of Mauritshuis, Escher in Het Paleis and Panorama Mesdag. In particular, Panorama Mesdeg features the world’s oldest panorama painting still in its original location. This painting gives you a 360 degree view of the nearby Scheveningen Beach, painted with a view from its highest point.

Further from city centre

And in case you have more time in your hands, you can also visit Scheveningen Beach itself, do a tour of Prison Scheveningen or explore the miniature park of Madurodam. Madurodam is just like a mini Netherlands featuring most of the key landmarks and icons of the country, such as the Peace Palace and Erasmusbrug. All of these attractions are located just a short bus ride of less than 15 minutes away from Den Haag‘s city centre.

Utrecht

Canals are common sight in the Netherlands, but those in Utrecht are unique in the sense that they are double-tiered. The lower tier, which is also at water level, is now lined with cafes and restaurants using the spaces previously used for storage.

The city centre is small, compact, and easily walkable from one point to another. If you love some peace and quiet away from the bustling Amsterdam, then Utrecht is a good option to include in your itinerary. Within the city centre is the Dom Tower, which in particular is the highest tower in the Netherlands! You can also visit the nearby churches Dom Kerk or Sint Willibrordkerk.

Other notable attractions also include the windmills Molen de Ster and Molen Rijn en Zon. While in the city, don’t miss seeing the Miffy Traffic Light too!

The Countryside and Day trips

The Netherlands is never just about the cities because there are lovely towns and beautiful places that you just cannot miss. Below are some of the day trips you can strongly consider adding to your Netherlands itinerary.

Keukenhof (in spring only)

Keukenhof is one of the world’s largest and most famous gardens mainly because of its incredible tulips displays in spring. Indeed, there are over 7 million bulbs of 800 different tulip species planted in the garden each year. And even though it is open only for an 8-week period each year from mid March to mid May, the gardens attract more than a million visitors each spring.

When making a visit to the gardens, you can also rent a bicycle to cycle around the tulip fields, or take a boat tour around them.

The gardens is incredibly popular among tourists, so it is highly recommended that you pre-book your tickets in advance.

Zaandam and Zaanse Schans

Zaandam is a town that is located about 10km northwest of Amsterdam, and is easily reachable by a 15-minute train. It was once an industrial and shipbuilding area in the 17th century now partially transformed into a modern town with unique architecture. Particularly, the most famous of buildings is the Inntel Hotel, which looks like numerous houses stacked on top of another.

In Zaandam, you can take a slow walk down Gedempte Gracht (canal lined with shops), view the 25 paintings Claude Monet did in Zaandam (Monet Atelier), enjoy a meal at De Dam, and then visit one of the oldest houses in the Netherlands – the Czar Peter House.

And of course, you definitely cannot miss visiting Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum depicting Dutch industrial life. When visiting, you can explore a couple of the working windmills, sample some cheese, witness the wooden clog production process and take a boat tour.

Read about how a day trip to Zaandam and Zaanse Schans can be incorporated into a typical Amsterdam itinerary.

Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is another hugely popular windmill attraction among tourists. Very often, visitors are torn choosing between Zaanse Schans and Kinderdijk because both have got different appeal factors.

Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring 19 well-preserved windmills, thus representing a large concentration of windmills in the Netherlands. You are certainly going to see a windmill everywhere you look!

While Zaanse Schans is closer to Amsterdam and its windmills are for industrial purposes (saw mills, paint mills and oil mills), Kinderdijk is closer to Rotterdam and its windmills are for water management purposes. If in operation, you can even watch the water-pumping in action at Museummolen Blokweer!

Read about how a day trip to Kinderdijk can be incorporated into a typical Rotterdam itinerary.

Other towns

There are also numerous towns that you can visit during your trip to the Netherlands. That would include places such as Haarlem (near Amsterdam), Delft (near Den Haag) or even somewhere further such as Giethoorn. The towns in the Netherlands are some of the loveliest I have visited, so it is definitely worth considering visiting a couple of them on your trip.

Getting to the Netherlands

By air

There are a handful of airports in the Netherlands, but the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is the largest and busiest of them all. In fact, it is one of the top 5 busiest airports in the European continent and thus serves as an important gateway to the country.

KLM is the national carrier of the Netherlands and offers all-year flights from most major cities all around the world, especially from all around Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia. Most of such international flights land at Schiphol Airport. And with a train station right at the airport’s doorstep, you can easily reach the main cities of Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam as well as Utrecht, all under an hour.

Conversely, numerous other airlines fly frequently into Schiphol Airport from their respective home bases as well. Therefore, getting into the Netherlands by international flight shouldn’t be a logistical difficulty.

The other airports such as Eindhoven Airport (EIN) and Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTH) mainly serve regional flights around Europe, most of them budget airlines.

By rail

Both of the Netherlands’ immediate neighbours, Belgium and Germany, have got great rail infrastructure. And so that means that it is fairly easy to catch a train from their cities (such as Brussels, Antwerp, Cologne or Frankfurt) into the Netherlands.

It is also possible to travel from indirect neighbours such as France, Switzerland and the UK. Particularly, the Eurostar service connects Amsterdam from London in a 4.5 hour journey.

And probably the best thing is that these trains usually connect you from city centre to city centre without the need for advance check-ins and airport waiting time.

By road

Of course, you can also choose to drive into the Netherlands if you are travelling from one of the neighbouring countries.

Of, if you are on a tight budget, you can also look to travel by Flixbus. Although having said that, travelling by bus can be extremely long and tiring and not something that I’d recommend doing.

By sea

There are certainly options if you wish to travel by ferry from the UK to the Netherlands, but again, it is definitely not something I’d recommend due to the long journeys. There are a few ferry operators running these routes from Harwich, Hull as well as Newcastle, and you can read about them here.

Getting around the Netherlands

I’ve found it extremely easy to get around the Netherlands simply because the whole transport network is now standardised on the OV-pay system. That is, you can use a single OV-pass card or a credit or debit card to tap in and out of your transport. No additional hassle of buying separate tickets, nor needing any card top-ups if using your bank cards. This applies to the intercity and sprinter trains (more on this below) between towns and cities, as well as the buses, trams and metro networks in the cities.

Compared to many other European countries, this standardised approach is definitely very much more convenient.

Take note though, that you can only sit in the second-class carriages when paying with your bank card. If you prefer to have a first-class seat, you will need to purchase your tickets either at the station through the ticketing machines, or through the NS Dutch Railways website.

Intercity vs Sprinter trains

If you are intending to travel to different cities and towns in the Netherlands, then you will come across what they call the Intercity and Sprinter trains.

Intercity are high speed trains that travel long distances and tend to stop only at very limited stations along the way. Think of these as express trains, when they are best at getting you to a major city faster. For example, between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Den Haag, or Utrecht.

Sprinter trains are more localised trains that stop at every station along the way. These are good for short journeys particularly if you just need to travel within a localised area not served by Intercity trains. For example, if you wish to travel to a specific area or small town near Rotterdam, you’d take a Sprinter train from Rotterdam.

You can also take Sprinter trains between major cities, but you will find that the journey takes much longer because of the stops along the way. So, sometimes taking the first train that arrives may be the slower option if it is a Sprinter train. You can either check Google Maps or the NS Dutch Railways website to help you with planning your journey better.

Should I drive? 

Unless you are spending most of your time outside of the major cities and key towns, it is absolutely not necessary to drive. This is because the rail network in the country is so well-connected and efficient that you can get to most places you need within an hour. The train and bus frequencies are pretty good and prices are reasonable as well.

Even if you are visiting Keukenhof, Zaanse Schans, Kinderdijk or any of the tourist attractions, buses, ferries and shuttles are easily available. So, renting a car is not really necessary.

How can I manage costs?

Entrance fees can generally be more expensive in the city of Amsterdam compared to the other cities like Rotterdam or Den Haag. Though I found them not as expensive as their other Western European neighbours.

There are some passes that you can consider purchasing so you can try to bring these costs down.

City passes

The following city passes are available for tourists:

• I Amsterdam City Card
• Rotterdam City Card

I Amsterdam City Card

I do think that the I Amsterdam City Card will generally be good for those who’d be interested to visit a few museums, enter the Oude Kerk (Old Church) and Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), take a canal cruise, do a city walking tour and visit the Zaanse Schans windmills. The card also covers public transport within the city.

Further, the I Amsterdam City Card gives you discounts to attractions such as the Heineken Experience, Madame Tussauds and the Keukenhof in spring.

Note though, that the I Amsterdam City Card does not cover the Anne Frank House, nor the Van Gogh Museum.

Rotterdam City Card

I personally do not think that the Rotterdam City Card will be of much interest unless you love visiting museums or the Rotterdam Zoo. Even then, the card gives you ticketing discounts rather than free entry, which further makes it less appealing.

Similar to the I Amsterdam City Card, the Rotterdam City Card also covers unlimited public transport costs.

Museum Pass (Museumkaart)

Before I go into the details of the Museumkaart, it is important to highlight that there is one meant for residents of the Netherlands, as well as the temporary Museumkaart meant for visitors.

The temporary Museumkaart allows a visitor to visit any 5 museums in the Netherlands within 31 days, all for a cost of €75. Particularly, it also includes the Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum, both of which are not covered by the I Amsterdam City Card.

The temporary Museumkaart can only be purchased at participating museums, so you need to do so at your first museum visit. For this reason, I wouldn’t really recommend using the temporary Museumkaart for Anne Frank House. This is because the Anne Frank House tickets are sold out very quickly and you are not likely to be able to find a ticket if you haven’t booked one before your arrival.

Further to that, it is also unclear which museums are covered by the temporary Museumkaart. Information is scarce online and so I wouldn’t recommend risking the purchase of this card.

Museumkaart or I Amsterdam City Card

The Museumkaart is great if you intend to visit 5 museums, especially those with high entrance fees. For example, each entry to Rijksmuseum costs €25 and Nieuwe Kerk €20. So 5 of such visits definitely makes the Museumkaart worth it. As mentioned earlier though, information on what the temporary Museumkaart covers is quite scarce online. Therefore getting this card may carry a slight risk without knowing exactly what is not covered.

On the other hand, the I Amsterdam City Card also includes walking tours, public transport and other activities, not limited solely to museum visits.

Therefore you should pick the activities you are interested in and then work out which option works the budget better. Personally, I would recommend the I Amsterdam City Card based on the clarity of what the card covers.

Transport passes

GVB Day and Multi-Day ticket

GVB is Amsterdam’s main public transport operator, covering the network of buses, trams as well as the metro within the city. In case you are planning to take multiple trips within the city, this ticket may be of use to you. Just bear in mind that each single journey (lasting up to 60 minutes) costs €3.40, while a single day ticket costs €10. This means that you need at least 3 trips in a single day for the day ticket to be worthwhile. For the pricing of multi-day tickets, please refer to the GVB website.

And if you have the I Amsterdam City Card, bear in mind that it already covers unlimited travel on the GVB network.

My opinion: Amsterdam is a rather compact city that is easily walkable from one point to another. Furthermore, the canals and bridges make it difficult for buses and trains to reach certain places. Therefore walking is usually the best way to get about. GVB also does not operate the buses to Zaanse Schans, Zaandam, Keukenhof or Haarlem. So I do not think that you will really need that many trips on GVB buses, metro or buses to start with. So I do not think this ticket will be of much use unless for some reason you’ll be hopping around many different parts of the city.

Having said that, I actually did purchase a single day pass and multi-day pass, once each. The single day pass was when I took a trip to Amsterdam RAI to catch the Keukenhof shuttle, then from Amsterdam RAI to Albert Cuyp market by metro after the Keukenhof visit, and finally from Albert Cuyp market back to Amsterdam Centraal.

I had the multi-day pass because I was once staying in the Amsterdam-Zuid area, which meant that I needed daily Metro trips into the city centre.

Amsterdam & Region Travel Pass

Unlike the GVB ticket, this pass also covers the transport to adjacent towns and attractions such as Zaanse Schans, Zaandam and Haarlem. It is valid on buses, trams and metro lines operated by GVB, Connexxion, AllGo and EBS, including night buses.

Previously, this pass used to cover bus 858 which ran from Schiphol Airport to Keukenhof. However due to construction work at the airport in 2026, the bus 858 is not operating. It is unknown at this time if the bus service will return in future years.

My opinion: Once again, with the way the pass is priced, I don’t think it’s likely to be worthwhile. To illustrate this, a single journey to the airport or to the neighbouring towns of Haarlem or Zaandam typically costs around €5. A return trip to Zaanse Schans also typically costs just €11.50. It is therefore unlikely that you’ll hit €23 in a day (or €34 in 2 days) unless for some reason you are hopping about the Amsterdam region in a day. You can check the Dutch Railways NS website to do your math and decide.

Benelux Eurail Pass

In case you are also visiting the neighbouring countries of Belgium and Luxembourg, you can potentially take advantage of the Benelux Eurail Pass. ‘Benelux’ refers to these 3 countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and so the pass allows you to travel on any inter-city trains across these countries. For more information about the Benelux Eurail Pass, you can refer to the Rail Europe website.

Which pass to get

Boring answer, but which pass to get depends very much on your travel plans and what you intend to visit. Think of which museums and activities you’d be interested in and do the maths before deciding on the pass.

Generally, if you intend to cover the main touristic places, you probably can get by without the passes. But if you do intend to visit a couple or more museums, then consider the I Amsterdam City Card or the temporary Museumkaart.

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