The Netherlands, a country in northwestern Europe, remains famous for its flat landscape of canals, tulip fields, windmills, and bicycle-friendly routes. Amsterdam, the capital, is home to world-renowned museums like the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and to the house where Anne Frank hid during WWII. The city’s 17th-century Golden Age left canalside mansions and a vast collection of works by Rembrandt and Vermeer that still draw visitors today. For travelers planning a broader European itinerary, you might also enjoy our guides to Top 10 Visiting Places in France and our overview of Top 10 Visiting Places in Germany.
List of Top 10 Visiting Places in the Netherlands
Here is the list of the top 10 visiting places in the Netherlands
- Canals of Amsterdam
- Leiden Canals
- The West Frisian Islands
- Delft City Hall
- Keukenhof Gardens
- Hoge Veluwe
- Kinderdijk
- Rijksmuseum
- Maastricht Vrijthof
- Delta Works
1. Canals of Amsterdam
Amsterdam started constructing its popular waterways in the seventeenth century during the Dutch Golden Age. The three primary channels, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht structure concentric belts around the city, known as the grachtengordel. Today there is more than 100 km (60 miles) of channels and 1,500 extensions. Close by the primary channels are 1550 grand structures.
2. Leiden Canals
Leiden is known as the oldest university city in the Netherlands, and the birthplace of Rembrandt, with its excellent canals. The two parts of the Old Rhine enter Leiden on the east and join in the downtown area, which also contains several smaller waterways. The old center of Leiden is one of the largest seventeenth-century town centers in the Netherlands, second only to Amsterdam.
3. The West Frisian Islands
The West Frisian Islands, or Waddeneilanden in Dutch, are a chain of islands in the North Sea off the Dutch coast. They lie farther east toward the German East Frisian Islands. The islands separate the North Sea from the shallow Wadden Sea, with tidal mudflats. With guided walks, visitors can reach some islands by strolling the mudflats at low tide. On the islands, cycling is the most convenient way to get around.
4. Delft City Hall
The City Hall in Delft is a Renaissance-style addition on the Markt square opposite the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). Initially planned by Dutch designer Hendrick de Keyser, it has been heavily modified over the centuries and restored in the twentieth century to its Renaissance appearance.
5. Keukenhof Gardens
Keukenhof Gardens is the world’s largest flower garden, and a showcase for the Dutch floriculture industry. Roughly 7,000,000 flower bulbs are planted each year in the park, featuring tulips as well as hyacinths, daffodils, and other spring blossoms on display. The gardens are open from the last week in March to mid-May and are among the Netherlands’ most-visited vacation destinations.
6. Hoge Veluwe
The Hoge Veluwe National Park is one of the largest continuous nature reserves in the Netherlands, comprising heathlands, sand dunes, and forests. The Kröller-Müller Museum, with its substantial collection of works by Vincent van Gogh, is located inside the reserve. Bicycles are available free of charge to visitors, and much of the area is best explored on two wheels.
7. Kinderdijk
More than 1,000 old windmills still exist in the Netherlands. The largest concentration of Dutch windmills is near the town of Kinderdijk (“Children’s dike”). To drain the surplus water from the polders, which lie below sea level, 19 windmills were built around 1740. They remain well preserved and are today popular tourist spots in the Netherlands.
8. Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is the largest and most renowned museum of art and history in the Netherlands. It houses a vast collection of works from the Dutch Golden Age, including pieces by Vermeer and Rembrandt. The museum underwent a major renovation completed in 2013, and the highlights remain on display. Visitors planning a broader European art itinerary may also enjoy our guide to Top 10 Visiting Places in France.
9. Maastricht Vrijthof
The Vrijthof is Maastricht’s most popular city square, located in the southernmost Netherlands. It features the large Saint Servatius Church and Saint Jan’s Cathedral. The Vrijthof hosts major celebrations on various occasions each year, including autumn and winter festivities.
10. Delta Works
The Delta Works, a progression of large-scale flood-control structures built between the 1950s and 1997 in Zeeland and South Holland, were designed to shield vast areas of land from the ocean.
The works comprise dams, sluices, barriers, embankments, and storm-flood defenses. They have been proclaimed one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. If you’re interested in other engineering feats, see our guide to Top 10 Visiting Places in Germany.
