Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most fascinating cities, but this guide to the best day trips from Amsterdam is here to introduce you to some of the most amazing places to visit beyond the confines of the capital city of the Netherlands.
Before we dive deeper into the best day trips from Amsterdam, though, here’s a brief overview of this beautiful city of canals, the so-called Venice of the North.
Amsterdam in a Nutshell
Conjuring up vivid images of picture-perfect canals, historic architecture, and colorful tulips, there’s no shortage of incredible things to do on a trip to Amsterdam.
For art lovers, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum are unmissable, contrasting traditional paintings from the old Dutch masters with the vibrant works of one of the most beloved modern artists of all time.
Another museum in Amsterdam that’s well worth a visit is the Anne Frank House, which takes visitors into the secret hiding place where Anne Frank lived with her family for several years during World War II, keeping her now-famous diary.
While in Amsterdam, you also can’t miss taking in the city’s picturesque canals, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a boat tour. Or if you’d rather see the city the way the Dutch do, jump on a bicycle. Ideally, take a guided tour and explore on two wheels.
For foodies, Amsterdam is a great city for discovering typical Dutch dishes, as well as a wide array of international cuisine.
When it comes to Dutch food, some of the best things to try are stroopwafels, a delicious chewy waffle-like cookie, and bitterballen, a breaded and deep-fried snack stuffed with meat that’s commonly eaten alongside a cold mug of beer.
Amsterdam also works well as a base for day trips that let you explore the best of the Netherlands. Other destinations around the country are easily accessible from Amsterdam, which is the largest city in the Netherlands and a well-connected transportation hub.
Some of the most common scenes associated with the Netherlands, like rows of iconic windmills or endless fields of tulips, can be found outside the city in the Dutch countryside.
The Netherlands is also a fairly small country, making it easy to visit other destinations by public transport – train or bus – on a day trip before returning to Amsterdam in the evening. Let’s take a look at some of the best day trips from Amsterdam.
8 Best Day Trips From Amsterdam
1. Giethoorn
Amsterdam may be nicknamed the Venice of the North because of its many canals, but it’s not the only place in the Netherlands where you can find these waterways. In fact, many other cities and towns in the Netherlands have canals, as this low-lying country on the North Sea historically used them for transportation and trade.
One of the prettiest canal towns in the Netherlands is Giethoorn. This small village northwest of Amsterdam is known for being entirely car-free in its center. You can only get around by bicycle, on foot, or by boat in Giethoorn’s network of canals.
With its thatched-roof houses and perfectly landscaped flower gardens, Giethoorn looks like something straight out of a storybook. It’s the perfect destination to spend a day taking a boat tour, exploring the bike paths of the surrounding countryside, and having lunch in one of the cafés in Giethoorn’s village center.
You can also rent one of the small whisper boats that most people use to get around if you’d like to explore the town’s canals on your own. Museum Giethoorn is also worth a visit. Housed in a historic farmhouse, this museum shows what life was like in Giethoorn over the past centuries.
2. Keukenhof
Tulips are one of the most iconic symbols of the Netherlands. Although these vividly-colored flowers didn’t actually originate in the Netherlands, they became highly fashionable during the Dutch Golden Age.
They even sparked a market frenzy known as tulip mania, where prices for a single tulip bulb soared to as much as ten times that of the average artisan’s salary.
To this day, tulips are associated with the Netherlands, and they are grown all over the country and sold in flower markets in every city and town. One of the best places to see tulips in bloom is the flower gardens of Keukenhof, about 40 miles southwest of Amsterdam.
As a caveat for this day trip, you can only do it in the spring during the tulip season. The gardens at Keukenhof are closed for the rest of the year. But if you’re visiting Amsterdam from mid-March to mid-May, it’s well worth making the journey to Keukenhof to see more than seven million colorful flowers in bloom.
Tulips are on display in all their glory, as are daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring flowers. With numerous gardens, waterways, walking paths, and viewpoints, you can easily spend a full morning or afternoon soaking in the floral beauty of Keukenhof.
3. Rotterdam
While Amsterdam is all about its historic charm and 17th-century canal houses along tree-lined waterways, Rotterdam is a young city filled with striking, modern architecture. Almost entirely reconstructed after World War II, this port city was reinvigorated with a bold new design.
As the second-largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam, Rotterdam makes for a unique, contrasting day trip from the Dutch capital. Just forty minutes south of Amsterdam by high-speed train, there are plenty of different ways to spend a day in this innovative and vibrant city.
Some of the most iconic pieces of architecture in the city include the Erasmusbrug, a futuristic bridge in the center of the city, the Kijk-Kubus cube houses, and the Markthal, a colorful modern structure housing a great food hall.
This is a great place to stop for lunch and enjoy the diverse cuisine of Rotterdam, which is known for being a foodie city.
Aside from marveling at the architecture, there are many other things to do in Rotterdam. Museumpark is home to a public park and many great museums showcasing art, history, science, and more.
Delfshaven is a picturesque neighborhood outside the city center that actually survived the destruction of World War II, giving it a look that is more similar to Amsterdam.
4. Delft
Delft is a small city south of Amsterdam that is best known for its signature hand-painted blue-and-white pottery, which has been popular and highly desired around the world since the 1600s when it was introduced.
This city has many other historic ties, too. It’s the birthplace and final resting place of the Dutch Old Master painter Johannes Vermeer, and the former royal seat of the House of Orange.
You can easily get to Delft from Amsterdam. It’s just a 45-minute high-speed train ride away. When you arrive in Delft, you’ll notice many similarities to Amsterdam, including tree-lined streets with canals and historic houses.
However, Delft has a much more relaxed and laid-back atmosphere, being about one-tenth the size of Amsterdam.
On a day trip to Delft, you can start your visit in Markt, the historic town square. This is where you’ll find the Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church, which is actually quite an old church, dating back to the 14th century. Many members of the House of Orange are entombed here.
You can also climb to the top of the church tower, the second-highest in the Netherlands, for great views over the city.
No visit to Delft is complete without experiencing the Royal Delft Museum, where you can learn more about how the iconic blue-and-white pottery is made. You should also spend some time wandering the city’s canals. Taking a canal cruise is also an option if you want to see the city from the water.
5. The Hague
Although Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands, the seat of the government actually lies in The Hague, a city 40 minutes south by train. The Hague is also the home of the Dutch royal family. It’s a cosmopolitan city that offers plenty of activities for a perfect day trip.
One of the top things to do in The Hague is visit the Mauritshuis, a museum housing Dutch masterpieces from artists like Vermeer and Rembrandt, including Vermeer’s famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Just around the corner is Escher in Het Paleis, another great museum that houses works from Dutch modern artist M.C. Escher.
Another thing you can’t miss in The Hague is seeing the Binnenhof, a sprawling waterfront Gothic castle dating back to the 13th century, which now houses the Dutch Parliament.
All of these attractions are located in the center of The Hague, but if you venture further outside the heart of the city, you can visit Scheveningen, the beach district.
Located about 20 minutes from the city center by bus, Scheveningen has a long, sandy beach lined with restaurants, bars, and beach clubs. The North Sea isn’t exactly the Mediterranean, but on a sunny and warm day, there’s no better place to be.
6. Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans is one of the easiest day trips from Amsterdam. Located in the nearby town of Zaandam just outside Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum and heritage village where you can see traditional wooden windmills and colorful historic farmhouses.
Although Zaanse Schans was actually constructed in the 1960s, the windmills and homes relocated here for preservation date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Entry to Zaanse Schans is free, but there are smaller museums and exhibitions within the village that do require admission.
Aside from visiting museums and entering the historic windmills and farmhouses, you can also learn more about other traditional aspects of Dutch culture in Zaanse Schans.
For example, you can watch a cheese-making demonstration, taste locally-made chocolates, or attend a wooden clog workshop to see how the famous Dutch shoes are made.
Zaanse Schans is very close to Amsterdam, making it ideal for a quick day trip. It takes less than 30 minutes to get to Zaanse Schans by bus or train, so it’s a very short trip. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also get there by bicycle, which takes a little over an hour.
7. Edam-Volendam
Edam-Volendam is a municipality north of Amsterdam that makes for an excellent day trip. It consists of two adjacent small towns, Edam and Volendam, each with its unique charm. Both towns are easily reachable within 30 minutes by bus from Amsterdam.
In Edam, a town that has been synonymous with cheese since the 17th century, one of the best things to do is sample the delicious local Edam cheese.
There’s a small museum in town called The Story of Edam Cheese that takes you on a journey through the centuries of Edam cheese production. Admission to the museum also includes a sampling of cheeses.
The town of Edam also features picturesque canals where you can stroll along, admiring the historic houses that line the waterfront. If you’re visiting on a Wednesday during the summer, you can also experience the Edam Cheese Market in the town’s main square.
Over in Volendam, an old fishing town, you can discover colorful wooden houses and brightly painted fishing boats in the harbor. This small town is also known for its cheese-making, with the Volendam Cheese Factory offering tours and tastings.
If you’ve had your fill of Dutch cheese, another great thing to do is visit the Volendam Museum, which is dedicated to the rich history of the town, or stop for lunch at one of the restaurants on the Volendam Dike.
8. Marken
Last but not least, one of the best day trips from Amsterdam is Marken. This charming village can actually be visited in combination with Edam-Volendam because it’s not too far away. Marken is located on a small island in the Markermeer, a large lake in the Netherlands that is surrounded by wetlands.
From Volendam, you can take the Volendam Marken Express, a boat that makes many crossings throughout the day and has a total journey time of 30 minutes.
You can easily spend a couple of hours wandering around Marken before returning by boat to Volendam or by bus back to Amsterdam across the bridge that connects the island to the mainland.
Marken is a historic fishing village that is famous for its colorful wooden houses and traditional Dutch culture. It’s very small, consisting of just a handful of narrow streets, but you can find lots of nice waterfront restaurants to stop in for a meal.
There’s also a walking trail that takes you around the whole island, offering nice views of the town, the bucolic countryside, and the sandy beaches along the waterfront. The Wooden Shoe Factory in Marken is also a popular stop for visitors, and you can learn more about how this iconic footwear is made.
Let JayWay Help You Plan The Best Day Trips From Amsterdam
If you’re planning to visit Amsterdam soon, adding a couple of days to see more of the Netherlands on easy day trips from the Dutch capital is a good idea. From what you saw in this guide to the best day trips from Amsterdam, there’s no shortage of beautiful places to visit in less than an hour from Amsterdam.
Our expert trip planners and local staff on the ground will help you pick the best day trips from Amsterdam, according to your travel style and preferences. Moreover, they’ll take care of all the logistics to ensure a unique experience that’s also hassle-free. So, don’t delay, we’re only a phone call or email away!
Born and raised in Athens, Maria’s passionate about travel and storytelling, a combination that makes her ideal for her role as our content manager.