Hi! *waves* 🙂
So… my plan is to write about all these places individually, if I haven’t already, but that might take a while… and you know how I love a good list!! So in the meantime, here’s a list of my favourite places to visit in Holland! How many have you been to?
1. Amersfoort
I have definitely overlooked Amersfoort in the past, but this is soon to be rectified! It’s perfect for an afternoon of wandering and/or if you want to combine a city trip with some shopping. Make sure you visit Koppelpoort, the Medieval city gate. (I took my friends here last year and nearly forgot it!! Doh!)

Koppelpoort, Amersfoort
2. Arnhem
Arnhem is situated close to the German border – and that’s the precise reason we’ve been there – on the way to Germany! It’s also close to Hoge Veluwe National Park (see point 11.) and Nijmegen (point 15.) so it’s the perfect destination to combine with other trips!
3. Delft
Delft is sooooo pretty. I really loved my first visit here and I’ve been dying to go back ever since. You’ll probably recognise the name from the famous Delft blue pottery which comes from the area.
4. Domburg
Domburg is a seaside town in Zeeland which is probably about all the explaining I need to do. Beach, seafood, more beach, more seafood. It’s lovely. You should go.
5. Giethoorn
Giethoorn is a tourist paradise, so it can get pretty overcrowded… but if you go in shoulder season (April/May or September) you should miss the worst of the crowds. It’s mostly a car-free village, known for its boat-filled waterways! Hire an electric boat and go on a self guided tour around the “Venice of Holland”.
6. Gouda
You’ll probably recognise the name because of the world famous cheese – and if cheese is your thing – get yourself there on a Thursday for the weekly cheese market. (Open from April until August.)
7. Groningen
I finally made it to Groningen!!! My friend Sophie from Feast with Sophie used to live here, so along with Senja from Little House in Utrecht, we went exploring there last Saturday. I’ve got to say: believe the hype! I liked it so much I want to go back in the summer once the weather is a bit better. It’s got a studenty vibe similar to Utrecht (I’ve never seen so many colourful bikes) but then with more canals and boats!
8. Haarlem
Come here if you want to go shopping! Cute town which seemingly always has a market going on! (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday!) Be sure to try Viqh wine bar and Jopenkerk brewery! The latter sells BEER BITTERBALLEN! Need I say more?
9. Harderwijk
Known for the Dolfinarium, there’s more to Harderwijk than just a sea life attraction – so I’m told! This is somewhere I definitely need to revisit.
10. Hilversum
Ha ha ha. It had to be done! So, I’m 100% biased on Hilversum. But if you find yourself in ‘t Gooi, come and have a look at the nature and the Foodhall (MOUT) at least. There’s also a market on Wednesdays and Saturdays on the main market square. Plus loads of bars, restaurants and shopping… we even have a Primark!!! ❤
11. Hoge Veluwe National Park
One of my favourite places to go when I’m in a nature mood! Which these days, is quite often. As part of the park’s entry fee, you can hire bikes at no additional cost. It’s a great way to explore and you can cover much more ground than if you were on foot. The bonus is there are no cars or any other traffic, you only need to avoid pedestrians and other bikes – so it’s perfect for tourists or those less comfortable on two wheels!

Hoge Veluwe National Park
12. Hoorn
Hoorn is so pretty! But then again, aren’t most places near water? 🙂 This place will always have a special place in my heart as it’s one of the first places I visited in the Netherlands on my own.
13. Kinderdijk
With a whopping 19 windmills (that’s 6 more than Zaanse Schans) this is without a doubt my favourite place to see molens! You can easily spend a few hours walking around and then relax in the friendly on-site cafe afterwards.
14. Leiden
Predominantly a University town, Leiden is a nice place to visit if you’re in Zuid (South) Holland. As well as Molen de Valk, there are botanical gardens plus a lively food & drinks scene. The best way to explore is on foot, or via a canal tour. It’s also close to Katwijk aan Zee if you fancy combining it with a beach trip!
15. Nijmegen
Another one on my ‘places to go back to’ list, Nijmegen’s Grote Markt is one of the prettiest market squares I’ve seen. And I’ve been to lots of Belgian cities!!
16. Renesse
We visited Renesse in April 2017 over the Easter holidays and immediately fell in love. The beach is 13 miles long and is dotted with bars and restaurants so you can walk and bar hop to your heart’s content. The town itself is picturesque and has a great vibe to it. Over the summer it becomes packed with holidaymakers, but visiting off peak will ensure a more pleasant experience! I recommend Grand Cafe Helder (seafood) and Wijnbar BRUT (everything)!

Foodie delights in Renesse
17. Texel (or any of the Frisian Islands really…)
The Waddeneilanden (known in English as the Wadden Islands, Wadden Sea Islands or Frisian Islands… come on people, pick one!!) are popular and with good reason! Texel is the biggest and most popular island, but my aim this year and beyond is to visit at least one of the other islands: Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland or Schiermonnikoog. The Dutchie used to go to Terschelling loads when he was a kid, so that’s my first priority!
18. Utrecht
I love Utrecht (as you might have heard!!) and I visit all the time. Probably once or twice a month. It’s Amsterdam’s cooler, younger sibling! My fave places to go: Kimmade, Beers & Barrels, Konnichiwa, Daen’s, Blackbird Coffee & Vintage, Jozef, Sla, Bagels & Beans… I could go on… or I could get my arse into gear and write a whole post about it…
19. Zandvoort
The best beach I’ve been to in the Netherlands so far. For drinks and a chilled out vibe head to Ubuntu and for delicious seafood go to Hippy Fish. A dedicated post about the best beaches in Holland is coming soon! (I hope!)
20. Zaanse Schans (and Zaandam)
Totally touristy, but fun! Lots of windmills, clogs and cute Dutch houses. And if you’ve travelled all the way here already, you might as well visit Zaandam briefly as well to see the ridiculous looking Inntel Hotel!

Inntel Hotel, Zandaam
21. Zwolle
It’s tiny, but good things come in small packages, right? My nephew studies here, hence why it was on our radar. Known locally as Zwollywood, this is another vibrant student town. (Actually I just Googled it and it’s a city.) Anyhoo, if you go make sure you make a stop at Brasserie Jansen for “de lekkerste bitterballen van Zwolle” (their words – the tastiest bitterballen in Zwolle). I haven’t tried all the bitterballen in Zwolle (yet) so no comment… 😉
Where else would you add to the list? (Maastricht.. I know, I know, I *HAVE* to visit this year!!)
Hayley x
Middelburg, uiteraard. The Zeeland capital had its 800th anniversary last year, has a lovely old city centre with about 1100 Rijksmonumenten, good shopping, bars & restaurants and is close to the beaches of Domburg, Zoutelande, etc. Good to live in & good to visit.
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Thanks, Pieter 🙂
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Love the list!! I need to visit a few of these myself still as an expat. I’m from Rotterdam, so I’m totally saying you have missed Rotterdam off the list haha, but I’d also say Volendam, super cute village to visit during the spring and summer.
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I risk a lot of flak here… but not a Rotterdam fan! Sorry! And funnily enough we’re off to Volendam in 2 weeks, though yes I imagine it’s better in Spring/Summer. We can always go back though I guess 🙂
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Haha I understand! Rotterdam isn’t for everyone, I’m not a big fan of Amsterdam so 😉 But great to hear you are visiting Volendam, I also last went during the colder months and it was still enjoyable, as well as being super cosy to sit in one of the cafes for lunch. Enjoy!
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Rotterdam needs the love. Give it another chance, bitterballen bruid! It took me a couple of takes to understand it too! 😛
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When the English wanted to defend a town they built a wall around it. When the Dutch defended a town they dug a canal around it. Nice place to see this is Boertange in the province Groningen. A bit closer to Hilversum is Naarden and also good. A bit like the windmills: Zaanse Schans is mooi, but Kinderdijk is prachtig. Naarden is good, but Boertange is perfect.
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Thank you, P Kröner. I know Naarden very well as we had our wedding reception there in an old bunker, surrounded by water 🙂 Will be sure to check out Boertange next time I’m in Groningen. Thanks again!
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Thanks for sharing, Hayley! It was lovely to see some of my favourites on your list, and to add a few more for future travels.
I can recommend Enkhuizen, for the Zuiderzeemuseum and so many other reasons besides, and I love Muiden, which has Muiderslot and easy access to Weesp (which I also love). And Eindhoven is on my to-see list for the Van Gogh Roosegaarde Bicycle Path 🙂
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You’re welcome, Hannah! Glad you like it 🙂 I went to Enkhuizen once to go sailing, but I was there for such a short amount of time it didn’t warrant this list. But now you mention it, it should go on my ‘ones to revisit’ list. Thanks! Been to Muiden too, but not Weesp and I need to go to Eindhoven (or somewhere else in Noord Brabant) for my #12provincies challenge, so thanks for the tip! 🙂
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It’s a great list, but you forgot about the most beautiful province: Friesland. Make sure to visit towns like Dokkum, Sneek, Harlingen or Franeker. They are all very beautiful and unique on its own!
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Hi Hayley, I’m missing my hometown Schiedam here. World famous for making jenever (or gin) and the largest windmills in the world. https://www.sdam.nl/zien-doen .
Oh , and when you do visit Schiedam you might as well go to the beautiful Rotterdam as well.
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Such a great article! So far we’ve been to Groningen and Utrecht (absolutely love Utrecht!) but I’ll make sure to add some of the places on the list as I’d love to go back and visit more next spring!
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