Amsterdam is one among Europe’s most fascinating cities, however this information to the very best day journeys from Amsterdam is right here to introduce you to a few of the most superb locations to go to past the confines of the capital metropolis of the Netherlands.
Earlier than we dive deeper into the very best day journeys from Amsterdam, although, right here’s a quick overview of this lovely metropolis of canals, the so-called Venice of the North.
Amsterdam in a Nutshell
Conjuring up vivid photographs of picture-perfect canals, historic structure, and colourful tulips, there’s no scarcity of unimaginable issues to do on a visit to Amsterdam.
For artwork lovers, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum are unmissable, contrasting conventional work from the outdated Dutch masters with the colourful works of one of the crucial beloved fashionable artists of all time.
One other museum in Amsterdam that’s nicely value a go to is the Anne Frank Home, which takes guests into the key hiding place the place Anne Frank lived along with her household for a number of years throughout World Struggle II, preserving her now-famous diary.
Whereas in Amsterdam, you can also’t miss taking within the metropolis’s picturesque canals, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, on a ship tour. Or when you’d moderately see town the best way the Dutch do, soar on a bicycle. Ideally, take a guided tour and discover on two wheels.
For foodies, Amsterdam is a good metropolis for locating typical Dutch dishes, in addition to a big selection of worldwide delicacies.
Relating to Dutch meals, a few of the greatest issues to attempt are stroopwafels, a scrumptious chewy waffle-like cookie, and bitterballen, a breaded and deep-fried snack full of meat that’s generally eaten alongside a chilly mug of beer.
Amsterdam additionally works nicely as a base for day journeys that allow you to discover the very best of the Netherlands. Different locations across the nation are simply accessible from Amsterdam, which is the most important metropolis within the Netherlands and a well-connected transportation hub.
A number of the most typical scenes related to the Netherlands, like rows of iconic windmills or limitless fields of tulips, will be discovered outdoors town within the Dutch countryside.
The Netherlands can also be a reasonably small nation, making it straightforward to go to different locations by public transport – prepare or bus – on a day journey earlier than returning to Amsterdam within the night. Let’s check out a few of the greatest day journeys from Amsterdam.
8 Finest Day Journeys From Amsterdam
1. Giethoorn
Amsterdam could also be nicknamed the Venice of the North due to its many canals, however it’s not the one place within the Netherlands the place you will discover these waterways. Actually, many different cities and cities within the Netherlands have canals, as this low-lying nation on the North Sea traditionally used them for transportation and commerce.
One of many prettiest canal cities within the Netherlands is Giethoorn. This small village northwest of Amsterdam is understood for being fully car-free in its middle. You possibly can solely get round by bicycle, on foot, or by boat in Giethoorn’s community of canals.
With its thatched-roof homes and completely landscaped flower gardens, Giethoorn appears like one thing straight out of a storybook. It’s the right vacation spot to spend a day taking a ship tour, exploring the bike paths of the encompassing countryside, and having lunch in one of many cafés in Giethoorn’s village middle.
It’s also possible to hire one of many small whisper boats that most individuals use to get round when you’d wish to discover the city’s canals by yourself. Museum Giethoorn can also be value a go to. Housed in a historic farmhouse, this museum reveals what life was like in Giethoorn over the previous centuries.
2. Keukenhof
Tulips are one of the crucial iconic symbols of the Netherlands. Though these vividly-colored flowers didn’t truly originate within the Netherlands, they grew to become extremely trendy through the Dutch Golden Age.
They even sparked a market frenzy referred to as tulip mania, the place costs for a single tulip bulb soared to as a lot as ten occasions that of the common artisan’s wage.
To today, tulips are related to the Netherlands, and they’re grown everywhere in the nation and bought in flower markets in each metropolis and city. Among the finest locations to see tulips in bloom is the flower gardens of Keukenhof, about 40 miles southwest of Amsterdam.
As a caveat for today journey, you may solely do it within the spring through the tulip season. The gardens at Keukenhof are closed for the remainder of the yr. However when you’re visiting Amsterdam from mid-March to mid-Might, it’s nicely value making the journey to Keukenhof to see greater than seven million colourful flowers in bloom.
Tulips are on show in all their glory, as are daffodils, hyacinths, and different spring flowers. With quite a few gardens, waterways, strolling paths, and viewpoints, you may simply spend a full morning or afternoon soaking within the floral fantastic thing about Keukenhof.
3. Rotterdam
Whereas Amsterdam is all about its historic allure and Seventeenth-century canal homes alongside tree-lined waterways, Rotterdam is a younger metropolis crammed with hanging, fashionable structure. Nearly fully reconstructed after World Struggle II, this port metropolis was reinvigorated with a daring new design.
Because the second-largest metropolis within the Netherlands after Amsterdam, Rotterdam makes for a novel, contrasting day journey from the Dutch capital. Simply forty minutes south of Amsterdam by high-speed prepare, there are many alternative ways to spend a day on this modern and vibrant metropolis.
A number of the most iconic items of structure within the metropolis embody the Erasmusbrug, a futuristic bridge within the middle of town, the Kijk-Kubus dice homes, and the Markthal, a colourful fashionable construction housing a fantastic meals corridor.
It is a excellent spot to cease for lunch and benefit from the numerous delicacies of Rotterdam, which is understood for being a foodie metropolis.
Other than marveling on the structure, there are various different issues to do in Rotterdam. Museumpark is dwelling to a public park and plenty of nice museums showcasing artwork, historical past, science, and extra.
Delfshaven is a picturesque neighborhood outdoors town middle that truly survived the destruction of World Struggle II, giving it a glance that’s extra much like Amsterdam.
4. Delft
Delft is a small metropolis south of Amsterdam that’s greatest recognized for its signature hand-painted blue-and-white pottery, which has been well-liked and extremely desired world wide for the reason that 1600s when it was launched.
This metropolis has many different historic ties, too. It’s the birthplace and remaining resting place of the Dutch Outdated Grasp painter Johannes Vermeer, and the previous royal seat of the Home of Orange.
You possibly can simply get to Delft from Amsterdam. It’s only a 45-minute high-speed prepare journey away. While you arrive in Delft, you’ll discover many similarities to Amsterdam, together with tree-lined streets with canals and historic homes.
Nonetheless, Delft has a way more relaxed and laid-back environment, being about one-tenth the dimensions of Amsterdam.
On a day journey to Delft, you can begin your go to in Markt, the historic city sq.. That is the place you’ll discover the Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church, which is definitely fairly an outdated church, courting again to the 14th century. Many members of the Home of Orange are entombed right here.
It’s also possible to climb to the highest of the church tower, the second-highest within the Netherlands, for excellent views over town.
No go to to Delft is full with out experiencing the Royal Delft Museum, the place you may study extra about how the enduring blue-and-white pottery is made. You must also spend a while wandering town’s canals. Taking a canal cruise can also be an choice if you wish to see town from the water.
5. The Hague
Though Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands, the seat of the federal government truly lies in The Hague, a metropolis 40 minutes south by prepare. The Hague can also be the house of the Dutch royal household. It’s a cosmopolitan metropolis that provides loads of actions for an ideal day journey.
One of many prime issues to do in The Hague is go to the Mauritshuis, a museum housing Dutch masterpieces from artists like Vermeer and Rembrandt, together with Vermeer’s well-known portray Lady with a Pearl Earring.
Simply across the nook is Escher in Het Paleis, one other nice museum that homes works from Dutch fashionable artist M.C. Escher.
One other factor you may’t miss in The Hague is seeing the Binnenhof, a sprawling waterfront Gothic citadel courting again to the thirteenth century, which now homes the Dutch Parliament.
All of those sights are positioned within the middle of The Hague, however when you enterprise additional outdoors the guts of town, you may go to Scheveningen, the seashore district.
Situated about 20 minutes from town middle by bus, Scheveningen has a protracted, sandy seashore lined with eating places, bars, and seashore golf equipment. The North Sea isn’t precisely the Mediterranean, however on a sunny and heat day, there’s no higher place to be.
6. Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans is among the best day journeys from Amsterdam. Situated within the close by city of Zaandam simply outdoors Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum and heritage village the place you may see conventional wood windmills and colourful historic farmhouses.
Though Zaanse Schans was truly constructed within the Sixties, the windmills and houses relocated right here for preservation date again to the 18th and nineteenth centuries. Entry to Zaanse Schans is free, however there are smaller museums and exhibitions inside the village that do require admission.
Other than visiting museums and getting into the historic windmills and farmhouses, you may also study extra about different conventional elements of Dutch tradition in Zaanse Schans.
For instance, you may watch a cheese-making demonstration, style locally-made goodies, or attend a wood clog workshop to see how the well-known Dutch footwear are made.
Zaanse Schans may be very near Amsterdam, making it preferrred for a fast day journey. It takes lower than half-hour to get to Zaanse Schans by bus or prepare, so it’s a really quick journey. For those who’re feeling adventurous, you may also get there by bicycle, which takes just a little over an hour.
7. Edam-Volendam
Edam-Volendam is a municipality north of Amsterdam that makes for a superb day journey. It consists of two adjoining small cities, Edam and Volendam, every with its distinctive allure. Each cities are simply reachable inside half-hour by bus from Amsterdam.
In Edam, a city that has been synonymous with cheese for the reason that Seventeenth century, the most effective issues to do is pattern the scrumptious native Edam cheese.
There’s a small museum on the town known as The Story of Edam Cheese that takes you on a journey by the centuries of Edam cheese manufacturing. Admission to the museum additionally features a sampling of cheeses.
The city of Edam additionally options picturesque canals the place you may stroll alongside, admiring the historic homes that line the waterfront. For those who’re visiting on a Wednesday through the summer season, you may also expertise the Edam Cheese Market within the city’s primary sq..
Over in Volendam, an outdated fishing city, you may uncover colourful wood homes and brightly painted fishing boats within the harbor. This small city can also be recognized for its cheese-making, with the Volendam Cheese Manufacturing facility providing excursions and tastings.
For those who’ve had your fill of Dutch cheese, one other good thing to do is go to the Volendam Museum, which is devoted to the wealthy historical past of the city, or cease for lunch at one of many eating places on the Volendam Dike.
8. Marken
Final however not least, the most effective day journeys from Amsterdam is Marken. This charming village can truly be visited together with Edam-Volendam as a result of it’s not too distant. Marken is positioned on a small island within the Markermeer, a big lake within the Netherlands that’s surrounded by wetlands.
From Volendam, you may take the Volendam Marken Categorical, a ship that makes many crossings all through the day and has a complete journey time of half-hour.
You possibly can simply spend a few hours wandering round Marken earlier than returning by boat to Volendam or by bus again to Amsterdam throughout the bridge that connects the island to the mainland.
Marken is a historic fishing village that’s well-known for its colourful wood homes and conventional Dutch tradition. It’s very small, consisting of only a handful of slender streets, however you will discover plenty of good waterfront eating places to cease in for a meal.
There’s additionally a strolling path that takes you round the entire island, providing good views of the city, the bucolic countryside, and the sandy seashores alongside the waterfront. The Picket Shoe Manufacturing facility in Marken can also be a well-liked cease for guests, and you may study extra about how this iconic footwear is made.
Let JayWay Assist You Plan The Finest Day Journeys From Amsterdam
For those who’re planning to go to Amsterdam quickly, including a few days to see extra of the Netherlands on straightforward day journeys from the Dutch capital is a good suggestion. From what you noticed on this information to the very best day journeys from Amsterdam, there’s no scarcity of gorgeous locations to go to in lower than an hour from Amsterdam.
Our skilled journey planners and native employees on the bottom will provide help to decide the very best day journeys from Amsterdam, in accordance with your journey fashion and preferences. Furthermore, they’ll deal with all of the logistics to make sure a novel expertise that’s additionally hassle-free. So, don’t delay, we’re solely a telephone name or e mail away!
Born and raised in Athens, Maria’s keen about journey and storytelling, a mixture that makes her preferrred for her function as our content material supervisor.
