Things to do in Netherlands

25 things to do in Netherlands

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Explore the Rijksmuseum's Dutch Masters

  Wander through the grand halls of the national museum housing Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch', Vermeer's 'The Milkmaid', and 8,000 other artworks spanning 800 years of Dutch history.

  Amsterdam

• Step inside the Anne Frank House

  Tour the concealed canal-side annex where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary during World War II, a deeply moving journey through the secret rooms and her original manuscripts.

  Amsterdam

• Walk among millions of tulips at Keukenhof

  Stroll through 79 acres of vibrant spring gardens in Lisse, featuring meticulously designed flower displays, pavilions, and over seven million blooming bulbs.

  Lisse

• Take an Amsterdam canal boat tour

  Glide through the 17th-century Canal Ring, a UNESCO World Heritage site, under low bridges and past gabled merchant houses on an open-top boat or private sloop.

  Amsterdam

• See the historic windmills of Kinderdijk

  Walk or cycle along the waterside path of this UNESCO-listed polder, where 19 authentic windmills still pump water just as they did in the 18th century.

  Kinderdijk

• Marvel at the Van Gogh Museum

  Trace Vincent van Gogh's emotional journey through the world's largest collection of his works, from early dark canvases to explosive sunflowers and self-portraits.

  Amsterdam

• Admire 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' at Mauritshuis

  Visit the intimate 17th-century palace-turned-museum to see Vermeer's luminous masterpiece alongside works by Rembrandt and Jan Steen.

  The Hague

• Get lost in Amsterdam's Jordaan quarter

  Wander through narrow lanes lined with indie boutiques, art galleries, hidden courtyards, and traditional brown cafés where locals linger for hours.

  Amsterdam

• Taste raw herring at Albert Cuyp Market

  Sample the iconic Dutch street snack – raw herring with onions and pickles – from a traditional fish stall at Amsterdam's bustling daily outdoor market.

  Amsterdam

• Relive the 18th century at Zaanse Schans

  Step into a living open-air museum where green wooden houses, working windmills, clogs, and cheese-making demonstrations bring the Zaan region's past to life.

  Zaandam

• Cycle through Hoge Veluwe National Park

  Pedal free white bicycles across heathlands and sand drifts, then pause at the Kröller-Müller Museum to see its world-class Van Gogh collection deep in the forest.

  Otterlo

• Walk through De Wallen Red Light District

  Navigate the neon-lit alleyways of Amsterdam's oldest neighborhood, where bars, peepshows, and the famous red-lit windows coexist with a 14th-century church.

  Amsterdam

• Catch a live jazz set at Bimhuis

  Settle into the striking glass concert hall perched over the IJ river for world-class jazz and improvised music in an intimate setting with panoramic waterfront views.

  Amsterdam

• Visit Europe's oldest botanical garden in Leiden

  Explore the Hortus Botanicus, founded in 1590, home to a tropical glasshouse, ancient trees, and the original clusius garden that introduced the tulip to the country.

  Leiden

• Climb the 112-metre Dom Tower in Utrecht

  Scale 465 narrow steps of the Gothic bell tower, the tallest in the Netherlands, to earn a 360° panorama over medieval Utrecht's canals and rooftops.

  Utrecht

• Glide by whisper boat through Giethoorn

  Navigate the car-free village's maze of canals in a silent electric punt, passing thatched-roof farmhouses, wooden bridges, and waterside gardens.

  Giethoorn

• Feast under the horseshoe arch at Markthal Rotterdam

  Savour global street food beneath the massive arched ceiling artwork 'Horn of Plenty' at this futuristic market hall loaded with fresh produce and vendors.

  Rotterdam

• Photograph the Cube Houses of Rotterdam

  Walk among Piet Blom's tilted yellow cubed homes, explore the interior of the Show Cube Museum, and marvel at this bold architectural experiment from 1977.

  Rotterdam

• Marvel at the Delta Works storm surge barrier

  Visit the Oosterscheldekering, a colossal engineering feat that protects Zeeland from floods, and walk out over the sluices that pivot like massive gates against the sea.

  Neeltje Jans

• Go mudflat hiking on the Wadden Sea

  Trek across the exposed seabed between the mainland and the Frisian islands at low tide, squelching through mud and channels under the guidance of an experienced wadloop guide.

  Pieterburen

• Dance inside a former church at Paradiso

  Catch an eclectic live concert or club night in a converted neo-Gothic church in central Amsterdam, with soaring arched windows and a famously free-spirited crowd.

  Amsterdam

• Tour the Binnenhof parliamentary complex

  Walk through the historic courtyard and Gothic Ridderzaal in The Hague, the centuries-old heart of Dutch politics where kings and prime ministers still meet.

  The Hague

• Spend a day in the Efteling fairy-tale forest

  Step into a magical theme park filled with enchanted woods, animatronic fairy tales, thrilling roller coasters and the iconic 15th-century-themed haunted castle.

  Kaatsheuvel

• Sip a local beer on Maastricht's Vrijthof

  Relax on the vast café terrace of this lively square, framed by the twin-towered St. Servatius Basilica and the ornate St. Jan's Church, in the heart of Limburg's capital.

  Maastricht

• Cycle across the island of Texel

  Pedal through dune reserves, past grazing sheep, and along long sandy beaches on the largest Wadden island, a paradise for birdwatching and seal spotting.

  Texel