MyPassportStory
Your travels, worth telling.
MyPassportStory › Destinations › Netherlands
🇳🇱Things to Do in Netherlands
From Amsterdam's canal ring to fields of tulips at Keukenhof - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Amsterdam gets most of the attention, and its 17th-century canal ring earns it, but the Netherlands is flat and small enough that windmill villages, tulip fields and a second major city are all comfortable day trips from the capital. A bike is the most natural way to see most of it - the country has more bicycles than people. Here are 10 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Amsterdam Canals
A UNESCO-listed ring of 17th-century canals lined with narrow gabled houses. Renting a bike is the most natural way to see them, though a canal boat tour covers more ground if you'd rather sit.
📍 Amsterdam
🚉 Nearest station: Amsterdam Centraal, where the canal ring begins at the doorstep - trams 2, 12 and 13 run into the Jordaan, and the GVB ferries behind the station cross the IJ for free.
Van Gogh Museum & Rijksmuseum
The world's largest Van Gogh collection sits a short walk from the Rijksmuseum's Dutch Golden Age masterpieces, including Rembrandt's The Night Watch. Book both online - same-day tickets routinely sell out.
📍 Amsterdam
🚉 Nearest stop: Museumplein or Rijksmuseum on trams 2 and 12, with both museums on the same square; Amsterdam Zuid station is a 15-minute walk.
Keukenhof Gardens
The world's largest flower garden, planted with millions of tulip bulbs - but only open roughly mid-March to mid-May, so timing a visit matters more here than almost anywhere else on this list.
📍 Lisse
🚉 Take a train to Schiphol, Leiden Centraal or Hillegom, then the Keukenhof Express bus 858 or 854 - a combined garden-and-bus ticket is the usual way to buy it.
Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
The actual hiding place described in Anne Frank's diary, preserved as a museum. Tickets are timed and released online weeks in advance - it's one of Amsterdam's hardest tickets to get without planning ahead.
📍 Amsterdam
🚉 Nearest stop: Westermarkt on trams 13 and 17, one minute from the door; Amsterdam Centraal is a 15-minute walk along the Prinsengracht.
Zaanse Schans
A cluster of working windmills and traditional green wooden houses just outside Amsterdam, with cheese and clog-making demonstrations. Easily done as a half-day trip by train and bus.
📍 Zaandam
🚉 Nearest station: Zaandijk Zaanse Schans, 17 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal on the Sprinter to Alkmaar, then a signposted 10-minute walk across the river bridge.
Giethoorn
A car-free village nicknamed the 'Venice of the Netherlands,' where canals substitute for roads and most homes are reached by small boat or footbridge.
📍 Giethoorn
🚉 Nearest station: Steenwijk, with trains from Zwolle, then bus 70 for 15 minutes to the village - there are no roads through Giethoorn itself, so the last stretch is by footpath or whisper boat.
The Hague
The seat of the Dutch government and home to the Mauritshuis museum, which holds Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring in a collection small enough to see properly in an hour or two.
📍 The Hague
🚉 Nearest station: Den Haag Centraal for the Binnenhof and the Mauritshuis, or Den Haag HS for intercity trains; tram 1 runs out to Scheveningen beach.
Kinderdijk
Nineteen 18th-century windmills along a UNESCO-listed stretch of canal near Rotterdam, still operational and open to walk or cycle past.
📍 Kinderdijk, near Rotterdam
🚉 From Rotterdam take the Waterbus line 20 to Ridderkerk and change to line 21, which stops at the Kinderdijk windmills - about 30 minutes in total, and far nicer than the bus.
Zeeland Coastline
The Netherlands' southwestern province, with sandy North Sea beaches and the Delta Works - a storm-surge barrier system built after the catastrophic 1953 flood, open to tour.
📍 Zeeland
🚉 Trains reach Middelburg and Vlissingen from Rotterdam in about 90 minutes; the Delta Works and the dune beaches beyond need the regional Connexxion buses or a bike.
Heineken Experience, Amsterdam
A brewery tour through Heineken's original 19th-century brewhouse, ending with tastings. Book online for a faster entry time than walking up.
📍 Amsterdam
🚉 Nearest stop: Marie Heinekenplein on tram 24, or Vijzelgracht on the North-South metro line, both a couple of minutes from the old brewery gate.
Mark Netherlands, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in the Netherlands?
Amsterdam alone fits comfortably into 3-4 days including a couple of day trips. A week lets you add Rotterdam, The Hague or Zeeland without rushing the capital.
What's the best time to visit the Netherlands?
April-May is the only window for Keukenhof's tulips in full bloom. June-September has the warmest weather for cycling and canal time generally; winters are mild but grey and short on daylight.
Is the Netherlands good for a first-time visit?
Yes - it's small, flat, and easy to get around by train or bike, with widely spoken English and a compact list of highlights that fit into even a short trip.
Do I need a visa to visit the Netherlands?
The Netherlands is part of the Schengen Area, so citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: netherlandsandyou.nl.
What are some things to do in the Netherlands on a tight budget?
Walking or cycling Amsterdam's canal ring costs nothing beyond a bike rental, Vondelpark is free, and window-shopping the flower markets is a normal, cost-free way to spend an hour.
Can I rent a car in the Netherlands, and what licence do I need?
You can, but this is the one country on the list where you probably should not - the trains reach every sight here, and Amsterdam charges heavily for parking. If you do drive, EU and EEA licences are valid as issued, and visitors from outside the EU can use a home licence for up to 185 days, with an International Driving Permit alongside it if the licence is not in the Latin alphabet. Rental minimum age is usually 21, with a young-driver fee under 25 and a credit card for the deposit. The vehicle authority RDW publishes licence rules at rdw.nl; cars come from Europcar, Hertz and Sixt.