Best Places to Visit in the Netherlands

Just getting lost among the maze of narrow streets, strolling alongside picturesque canals and the famously tall and skinny colorful homes in Amsterdam can make for an enjoyable afternoon. Safe and highly walkable or bikeable, it’s home to world-class museums with so many you could easily plan an entire visit around them. That includes Rijksmuseum, the largest art and history museum in the country. It displays some of the most famous works of Dutch art, including highlights from the Golden Age (1620-1680). Some of the more notable are the Rembrandt portrait, The Night Watch, and The Milkmaid by Vermeer, among over 8,000 paintings and various objets d’art. Then there’s the Van Gogh Museum focused on the works of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries, the Anne Frank House, the Stedelijk Museum, and countless others. A boat tour is a great way to explore the canal and admire the sights from the water.

Rotterdam is one of the most modern cities in the Netherlands with working ports and rivers instead of row houses and canals. While there is some historic architecture that can be found in places like the Delfshaven district, due to the extensive bombing damage during the Second World War, most buildings are contemporary, often with bold designs. Take a stroll along the Meuse riverfront to see De Rotterdam, a nearly 300-foot-tall skyscraper described as a “vertical city” with a unique, eye-catching form that looks like offset stacks. The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has a vast art collection with everything from paintings by masters like Rembrandt to contemporary works by Pipilotti Rist. There’s lots of outstanding street art to be found throughout the city too. Combined boat and walking tours will take you through the city to see places like Theatre Square, the concert hall, the Old Harbour, and many modern sculptures. 

Located along the northwestern shore of the Netherlands’ second-largest freshwater lake, Markermeer, Hoorn was named for its horn-shaped harbor and once served as a base for the Dutch East India Company. The harbor area is home to many historical ships along the waterfront and a replica of the Dutch East India Company ship De Halve Maen. On Hoorn’s central square, there’s an imposing statue of the company’s founder, Jan Peterzoon Coen. But the architecture is worth the visit to this charming 17th-century town alone with its step-gabled rooflines and brick facades adorned with interesting doorways, signs, and small vignettes. The town also hosts several notable museums like the Museum of the 20th Century revealing life during the period through hundreds of objects, set within an old prison. The Westfries Museum showcases the Golden Age with 25 furnished rooms that tell the story of the most dynamic period in the country’s history.