Are you thinking about taking a day trip from Amsterdam? Good! Excellent choice. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that Amsterdam isn’t beautiful. Oh man, it’s incredibly charming. However, it’s not the only ace up the Netherlands sleeve. Perfect places for day trips are just a few train or bus stops away. Thank god it’s a small country! So pick a place from the list, pack your bag and go, explore, have fun!
Haarlem
Volendam, Marken, Edam
Delft
Utrecht
Giethoorn
Rotterdam
Den Haag
Keukenhof
Zaanse Schans
Haarlem
This is the easiest day trip to plan. It’s so close, sometimes I feel like Haarlem could be a part of Amsterdam (people from Haarlem, please don’t hate me). A train from Central Station will take you to Haarlem within 15 minutes. I spent more time on the subway to get to Bijlmer. But yeah, 15 passes, and you’re in another city, equally beautiful as Amsterdam. It makes a good impression already from the magnificently looking train station. Nevertheless, there are more places to amaze you. Oh, where do I start? First, just walk towards the center, enjoy the views of Haarlem’s architecture. Make sure to stop by Grote Markt and the Old City in general. When you’re there, be impressed by Grote Kerk: St.-Bavoker and the old City Hall. If museums are your thing, go to Teylers Museum (the oldest museum in the Netherlands) and Frans Hals Museum. It will let you dive there into the city’s culture and art history. Worth seeing is also Amsterdamse Poort, Haarlem's only surviving city gate, which was built in the early 15th century.
Edam, Volendam, Marken
This is real. Pure experience. No big city will give you that much Dutch vibes as those villages. Each of them will make you feel their unique climate and convince you that visiting the countryside might be fun as well. Edam, well known for their famous cheese, might sound familiar to you. The village itself appears to be one of the prettiest places in the Netherlands, a lovely spot to walk, with historic streets and charming canals. Just next to it, you’ll find Volendam, which is a fishing village. A walk through the harbor is an absolute must. After, you can explore the village’s streets and be charmed with them, oh then be sure to check St. Vincent’s Church. Last but not least, Marken, for visiting which you’ll need to cross the water. This one is located on an island. Let me tell you only one thing about Marken. Have you seen all of those utopian pictures of nice, calm villages? It’s Marken! It’s full of charming houses, some of them are built on stilts to accommodate rising tides.
Delft
With Delft, I have a special bond. It was one of the first places I’ve visited besides Amsterdam. Completely fell for this city. Its charm is indescribable. Delft is one of those places, where something magical is in the air. Those streets, houses, and storefronts are making an incredible picture together. Wandering among the canals is almost mandatory while visiting. Also, stop for a moment at the City Markt to check the City Hall and Nieuwe Kerk (which is a resting place for the Dutch Royal Family). At some point, you’ll probably notice that the color blue is a strong accent. That’s pretty normal in Delft, it’s because of the city’s most famous product. Royal porcelain. It’s gorgeous, I know. For seeing more of it and learning a bit about the history of Royal porcelain, go to Royal Delft. It’s one of a kind museum because, during the visit, you’re actually at the manufacturer, where they’ll show you how the porcelain is made.
Utrecht
Around 30 minutes, that’s how much time you need to get to the lovely city of Utrecht. Isn’t it the best for a day trip? The first impression of Utrecht for me was a bit weird, I left the Central train station and the only things I saw were concrete and glass. Not what I wanted! But, believe me, Utrecht has an old soul, you just need to find it. Go to Domplein's central square, and look up at the high and rising Dom Tower. Once you’re there, just climb the tower and be delighted with the view. Walk around, explore, and you will reach Domkerk (it’s next to the tower) with their garden. Don’t forget to wander around the beautiful Oudegracht canal, where the city's most beautiful spots can be found. Utrecht’s museum offers numerous places. The most interesting ones would be Museum Speelklok, dedicated to music boxes (for me, it’s a bit too creepy); St. Catherine's Convent Museum which focuses on the history of Christianity in the Netherlands; and the Railway Museum, which I don’t need to say what is about.
Giethoorn
Let me warn you from the beginning. Giethoorn isn't the easiest when it comes to going there. Especially with public transport. 2 trains and a bus with 3 hours of traveling. It might be overwhelming, but please bear it, you won't regret. It's called by some "Venice of the Netherlands". To move around the village, you either need a boat or walk from one island to another. Canals are everywhere. Visiting Giethoorn is like entering the magic world of fairy tales or traveling in time. It's mostly car-free, and the houses! Mostly are centuries-old thatched-roof houses. It's also located in the middle of National Park Weerribben-Wieden.
Rotterdam
Flashback from Utrecht, but stronger. Concrete and glass on every corner. But I like it in Rotterdam, it seems to be a great contrast to Amsterdam. In modern cities, where everything looks so big and kind of serious, you can feel this specific urban vibe, and they have so many things to offer.
A great place to start your visit would be Central Station, just to admire its unusual shape (and if you’re planning on going to Rotterdam by train, it’s gonna be pretty easy). From there, walk around between skyscrapers. While being already in touch with the modern surroundings, continue on exploring more by visiting Cube houses, which appear to be one of the most famous places in Rotterdam. Must admit, they look pretty cool. Just next to it, you’ll find a symbol of the city - Foodhallen, looks like a huge gate or horseshoe. Step by for a moment and try delicious dishes from different cuisines. For amazing views, the best spots would be Erasmus bridge and Euromast. For a little break of modern, shiny areas, take a walk through Delfshaven. The newest and coolest attraction in the city is undeniably Miniworld, where you can explore many places from the country in their miniature version. And art lovers, an important stop for you would be Kunsthal.
Den Haag
It feels royal there, at least for me. Formal too. But there is a reason for that. Even if Amsterdam is considered a capital of the Netherlands, the government is residing in Den Haag in Binnenhof, one of the oldest still working parliament buildings. And most importantly, Dutch royal family lives there. Noordeinde Palace, the king’s house, should be placed on the list of things to see. Den Haag is prepared for all kind of visitors. For example, they have their Drievliet theme park, which is a great spot for family trips to have hours of fun. Den Haag is full of museums and art galleries. The list is pretty impressive, and I couldn’t decide which to mention, so just check this list here. I personally love to visit Den Haag’s shore, Scheveningen. Sometimes the promenade there reminds me of shores in US.
Keukenhof
Okay, think about the most known symbols of the Netherlands. We’ve got cheese, windmills and tulips. Yeah, we're gonna focus on the last one. Tulips, plenty of them, blooming and located in the world’s largest garden. The amount of flowers can be overwhelming, but they will impress you with the colors and smells. There are 7 million flower bulbs planted every year, creating an incredible exhibition. Located in a small town of Lisse, Keukenhof is welcoming their visitors only seasonally from mid-March until mid-May. And that makes the visit even better, special and unique.
Zaanse Schans
Oh, and here we are covering another symbol of the Netherlands. Windmills. I couldn’t imagine a better place to do that than Zansee Schans. It’s a beautiful neighborhood located in Zaandam and its history goes back to the 18th/19th century, which can be easily noticed when you look at those cute houses. All the windmills, located just next to Zaan river, make the picture of the area idyllic. There is calmness there. To learn more about thehistory of the windmills, be sure to go to Zaans Museum. In the meantime, try the local shops, buy some cheese or baked goods to make the most of your experience.
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