Cheese, tulips, and canal houses. Most of the almost 20 million yearly visitors to the Netherlands only hit up the postcard sights in and around Amsterdam before they whizz off to the next European capital.
But such a whirlwind tour of this small-but-mighty country doesn’t do it justice: Between its pancake-flat farmlands and snaking river systems, the interior of the Netherlands is filled with towns and villages offering culture in spades. There are medieval castles and churches aplenty; pastoral landscapes with windmills and tulip fields plucked straight out of an Old Master’s painting. Many of the country’s biggest cities have a history as rich as Amsterdam’s, and equally picturesque canal belts—pretty bridges, cobblestoned lanes, and all—without the busloads of tourists shuffling around. Cities such as Eindhoven and Rotterdam sit at the cutting edge of Dutch Design, while beyond the urban hubs, there are grassy polder lowlands, wildlife-rich national parks, and miles of dune-hemmed beaches to explore on foot, kayak, or bicycle.
And it won’t take you much—time-wise and budget-wise—to reach any of it. Thanks to the country’s relatively small size and expansive public transport network, getting from A to B is easy and affordable. Below are 23 destinations, one in almost every corner of the country, to add to your next Netherlands itinerary.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date. Additional reporting by Katherine LaGrave and Caitlin Morton.
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