The Netherlands Travel Itinerary

We share our Google Map so you can easily follow our story about fabulous ten days in The Netherlands.

Day 1: Visit Fort Bourtange

Fort Bourtange stood for centuries and defended this area against many invaders. A fort is a place of tourists’ interest and a reminder never to wage wars again, hopefully.

We came to The Netherlands from the northwest direction, so it was logical to start our journey here. You will not need the whole day to visit Fort Bourtange, but half a day is more than enough.

We exactly did that, and therefore we had an extra half day at our next stop, which is unique and inspiring, the beautiful maze of Giethoorn village canals.

Day 2: Giethoorn Village Canals

Giethoorn Village Canals was probably one of the highlights of our road trip through The Netherlands. Please read our detailed article to find out why the people of Giethoorn gave up on driving roads and embraced water canals instead.

We highly recommend visiting this mesmerizing and unique place.

Day 3 & 4: Amsterdam

Amsterdam with its unique architecture of tall narrow buildings, exciting day and nightlife, bicyclists everywhere, and busy life and entertainment on many canals and rivers, is a must-see destination in The Netherlands.

We share with you the Google Map of Amsterdam Attractions in our detailed article.

Day 5: Day Trip To Zaanse Schans Windmills

The windmills are the landmarks of The Netherlands, and we have seen them almost everywhere. However, two locations in Holland are the best places to see them in action. Zaanse Schans is one of those two. Here we could see how windmills were used as factories in the past, making this area an industry zone.

In our humble opinion, Zaanse Scans is the best day trip from Amsterdam. We highly recommend it, so please do not miss it and plan your visit with our Zaanse Schans Windmills travel guide.

Day 6: Day Trip To Volendam & Marken Villages

Another day trip from Amsterdam is a visit to Volendam and Marken Villages. Beautiful and colorful wooden houses, dutch chees, taking a photo in traditional Dutch costume, enjoying happy hour in one of many restaurants or bars, or shopping traditional Dutch clogs (klompen in Dutch) are just a few reasons to visit these two once-fishing villages and tourists magnets nowadays.

If you are visiting Amsterdam, please have a few extra days for day trips since they are the must-see locations.

Inside our detailed article about Volendam & Marken, you can find Google Maps of attractions, parking spaces, and boat tours to Marken village.

Day 7: De Haar Castle (Kasteel de Haar)

De Haar Castle brings the magical moment of fairytale dreams into reality. Perhaps the walls will reveal one of the many castle owners’ stories about the lavish lifestyle of the baron’s family ancestors.

Look for Cinderella in one of three gardens. Maybe, she is waiting for the prince’s charm in the Rose, Roman, or Grand Court garden.

Look through the Castle’s rooms in search of Sleeping Beauty. Better luck?!

If there was no luck so far, maybe Little Red Riding Hood was on the forest path among many Castle parks on her way to her grandmother’s house.

Castles always awaken the imagination in us. However, back to reality, we spent a half day in the castle and the second half at Kinderdijk Windmills. So, we had extra time in Rotterdam.

Day 8: Kinderdijk Windmills

In our humble opinion, Kinderdijk is the second best location to experience windmills in The Netherlands nowadays, besides Zaanse Schans. However, Kinderdijk Windmills have a completely different function. Here the windmills are pumping stations used for the drainage of polders and as part of the Dutch water management system.

Here, we learned why the windmills turn counterclockwise. Or how millers signal with sail positions when the windmill is not operational. If you do not know the answers yet, find all the answers in our detailed article.

Day 9: Rotterdam

When someone mentions Rotterdam, the first association is most likely the port. However, Rotterdam is more than that. The second biggest city in The Netherlands has many interesting spots worth visiting.

You can plan your visit to Rotterdam easily with our detailed article and Google Map of Rotterdam attractions in it.

Day 10: The Netherlands’ Beaches – Ouddorp Strand

Holland is not a top summer-sea vacation destination, for sure. However, the country has long, wide, sandy beaches not just for swimmers and sunbathing lovers but rather for some unusual sports such as sand sailing in blow carts.

We had extra time to spend half a day on Dutch Ouddorp Beach and didn’t regret it.

The Netherlands – Future Visits Wish List

There are a few events and places still worth visiting in The Netherlands in the future. So we listed them for future reference and share them with you.

We marked them on a separate layer in our Google Maps.

Keukenhof Castle & Garden

Keukenhof Castle and Garden is a historical spot in Lisse. The garden is best known as a showcase location for growers of flowers. It is open from March to May and features tulips, roses, irises, lilies, carnations, and over seven million bulbs.

Day Trip To Haarlem

Haarlem is just 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam, perfect for a day trip. We found many cozy historical spots that we are looking forward to visiting in the future.

Blowcarters at IJmuiderslag Beach

Riding a three-wheeled cart with a sail attached to it is extremely popular on a wide IJmuiderslag Beach.

Cheese Tour To Edam & Gouda

Edam and Gouda are two world-known and famous cheese brands originating in The Netherlands. We eat them very often either as dish ingredients or sliced as side dishes.

Events

We marked two special events worth visiting in The Netherlands. So our next trip will be around these events.

The Tulip Festival

The Tulip Festival in The Netherlands is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the blooming of tulips. The festival takes place from late March to mid-May, with the flowers usually at their best halfway through April.

We live in Norway. The tulips in many colors pack the big grocery and flower shops in late April. Sometimes, Norway imports so many tulips that shops give them away for free at the end of the sale.

King’s Day (27th of April)

King’s Day is not just a Dutch monarch’s birth celebration but the event when Dutch people cover everything in orange, a color honoring the Dutch royal family. The festivities include music, dancing, flea markets, and fun fairs.

We are looking forward to joining millions in the party and celebration.

The Netherlands – Our Story (Now & Than)

We visited The Netherlands twice. The first time was a city break to Amsterdam and the second time was a road trip throughout The Netherlands. However, the time span between the two visits brings happy memories.

Our son was a small boy on our first visit and now he is a grown teenager on our second visit.

When we looked at these two photos recently they brought joy to our hearts and souls. We wish you all of our readers’ similar happy memories on your travels.

Getting Around in The Netherlands

If you want to follow along you can look at our map.

By Car

If you plan to drive throughout the Netherlands, it is important to mention that in The Netherlands there are ecological rules to drive with a restricted speed limit. The daytime (06:00-19:00 h) speed limit has been restricted to 100 km/h (62 mph) while the general speed limit on motorways is 130 km/h (80 mph).

We experienced traffic around Amsterdam and Rotterdam but not so much in the rest of the country. Around Amsterdam, at some stretches, is a highway with 5+ lanes but manageable for driving.

Some local roads have speed limit signs tiny, not so visible, and next to the ground. We are used to big signs and high above the ground. You can expect bridge crossings over channels. Sometimes those bridges are lifted due to the river traffic. The modern solution to avoid stopping road traffic is to drive under the canals through a tunnel.

Some countryside roads are narrow, so slower speed and following speed recommendations are advisable.

There were Dutch farmers’ protests during our road trip but no road blockages. We have only seen several witty messages to the Dutch government from the farmers.

By Airplane

We were on an Amsterdam city break tour on our first visit to The Netherlands. So we flew from Oslo to Amsterdam and landed at Schiphol Airport. Everything was smooth and nice except for a long taxing to the gate after the airplane landed.

No wonder since Schiphol Airport is one of the busiest in Europe.

Train and bus are the affordable and convenient transport options to reach the Amsterdam Center. Just follow the signs to Schiphol Plaza and you are on the right track.

By Train

Trains are a good option to travel to other Dutch cities and towns, plus connections with neighboring countries Belgium, Germany, and further to France.

By Bus

We traveled by bus from our hotel in Amsterdam’s suburbs to the city center. Those were long but nice rides to see less touristy parts of Amsterdam. However, we do not have personal experience taking intercity buses in The Netherlands.

City’s Public Transport

We used public transport in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Both cities have well-organized public transport networks. For more details click on the provided links for each city respectively.

Yellow and black water taxis in Rotterdam are attractive among tourists.

Where to stay in The Netherlands?

Giethoorn

We were on a road trip through the Netherlands, so we had accommodation outside of Giethoorn. It was a cute thatch roof bungalow near Ermelo. However, if you want to stay at Giethoorn village there is a plenty of offers.

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Amsterdam

On our first visit to Amsterdam, we stayed in B&B Hotel Amsterdam Zaandam not far away from Windmills at Zaanse Schans. B&B Hotel is a small-budget option with an acceptable breakfast option and clean rooms. We took bus number 391 to Amsterdam Central railway station and had a chance to see many suburban areas of the city.

During our second visit to Amsterdam, we were on a road trip through the Netherlands, so we had accommodation outside of Amsterdam. It was a cute thatch roof bungalow near Ermelo.

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Rotterdam

We stayed at Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark, a short distance from the subway station and not too far from the highway since we arrived by car. The room was tidy, with a big king bed and a nice view over the Rotterdam. The hotel reception was smooth services. To exit the parking, you must ask for a parking card for the gate reader. We skipped the offer for breakfast since it was too expensive. All in all, we were satisfied with the location, room, service, etc.

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The Netherlands’ Restaurants and Cafes you have to see!

According to the Taste Atlas website, Dutch cuisine is #32 of 95 cuisines, which is not too bad.

From personal street experience, we would recommend tasting the best fries at Vlaamse Friteshuis in Amsterdam. They are thicker than the *normal* French Fries and were invented in the northern part of Belgium. The Dutch like them and we liked them too. Especially, with a lot of toppings such as mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, curry, or peanut sauce.

We also recommend tasting typical Dutch fast food called Kibbeling, fried fish pieces with fries, salad, and sauces.

Please notice that the dish and souses were in punt boats shaped trays. We were lucky to visit Giethoorn village and learn about punt boats in Dutch history.

And if you want something sweet you can taste Stroopwafel which consists of two thin waffle-like wafers with a sweet filling and a cup of coffee or tea. However, we admit Belgium waffles are much better. We also make waffles in Norway which are different and better than the Dutch, sorry Netherlands.

Finally, if you visit Rotterdam please check Market Hall (Markthal in Dutch) for a variety of worldwide cuisine offers. If you do not find the food you like at least you will see the beautiful architectural design of the building.

Best time to visit The Netherlands

The Netherlands welcomes visitors all-year-around. However, most tourists, including us, prefer warm weather and summer months to travel. We can say that April to September is tourist season with, June, July, and August as the high season.

Most Dutch families take a vacation during the Dutch summer school holiday (between mid-July to the end of August), and it is the peak season.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid a visit to The Netherlands during the winter months. On the contrary, ice skating is very popular in The Netherlands, and we saw many videos of people skating on frozen lakes and canals. Christmas time is another period popular to visit throughout Europe, including Holland.

Bonfires on the beaches at Scheveningen and Duindorp during New Year’s Eve are enormously popular.

We visited Ålesund in Norway which also has a bonfire (Slinningsbålet in Norwegian) celebration each 24th of June to celebrate the longest day in the year and the birth of John the Baptist.

We visited The Netherlands twice. Our first visit to Holland, was at the beginning of June, just before the football World Cup in Brazil began in 2014. Holland is truly a football nation. The whole building blocks, neighborhoods, and markets were in orange colors and Dutch flags. It was a carnival atmosphere watching the games.

The second visit was mid of July, with sunny and warm weather. We were on a road trip and visited all the locations presented in this article.

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Costs of traveling in The Netherlands

We created an estimated budget that will help you to have finances in control.

USD ($) – Budget

EUR (€) – Budget

GBP (£) – Budget

We drew the Google Map of all attractions and tours, we did in Amsterdam. So you can easily read and navigate through the text while planning your trip to Amsterdam. You can turn on and off the map’s layers to easily find places of your interest.

We wish you an epic trip!