Amsterdam
A wonderfully leafy expanse, mainland Europe's oldest zoo has a fine range of wildlife, with extensive habitats and room to wander. A lovely stretch runs…
Must-see attractions in The Netherlands
Middelburg
Dating from the 12th century, this huge abbey complex houses the regional government as well as two churches: the Koorkerk (built for the clergy) and…
Noord Brabant
Ringed by grassy medieval rampart-banks, the charming citadel-village of Woudrichem became famed as the set for popular TV drama Dokter Tinus. Its small…
Den Bosch
One of the finest churches in the Netherlands, this cathedral took from 1336 to 1550 to complete. The interior has late-Gothic stained-glass windows, an…
Amsterdam Noord
This derelict shipyard turned edgy arts community, 15 minutes upriver from the city centre, wafts a post-apocalyptic vibe. An old submarine slumps in the…
Amsterdam Noord
The 22-storey A'DAM Tower used to be the Royal Dutch Shell oil company offices, but has had a makeover to become one of Amsterdam's biggest attractions…
South Holland
The 32-hectare Keukenhof is the world’s largest bulb-flower garden, with over seven million bulbs and a total of 800 varieties of tulips. It attracts…
Kaap Skil Museum Van Jutters & Zeelui
Texel
A stunning slatted-timber-encased reception building made from recycled materials frames the superb Maritime and Beachcombers Museum. Its extraordinary…
Haarlem
Topped by a towering 50m-high steeple, the Gothic Grote Kerk van St Bavo contains some fine Renaissance artworks, but the star attraction is its stunning…
Noord Brabant
Is Efteling Europe's greatest theme park? The Dutch certainly think so. Their 'Disneyland' pulls in more than four million visitors annually and offers a…
Amsterdam
A waterfront 17th-century admiralty building houses this state-of-the-art presentation of maritime memorabilia. Highlights include imaginatively presented…
Leiden
Leiden's foremost museum reopened in 2019 following a three-year renovation. Its 1640-built premises (a former cloth warehouse) again displays its…
Amsterdam
In this beautifully restored complex of four Ashkenazic synagogues from the 17th and 18th centuries, displays show the history of Jews in the Netherlands,…
Eindhoven
From Keith Richards' tape-recorder to a wide-screen projector that once won an Oscar, this engaging museum tells the extraordinary story of the light-bulb…
Utrecht Province
This small but absorbing museum honours the life and work of the famous De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) in the house where he was born.
Noord Brabant
Picture-postcard little Heusden features antique tile-roofed houses, post-mills, minibridge and lovely inner yacht-harbour all wrapped in a fortified…
Leiden
Cultural achievements by civilisations worldwide are showcased at this splendid museum, which has a collection of more than 300,000 artefacts from across…
Delft
Johannes Vermeer was born in Delft in 1632 and lived here until his death in 1675, aged only 43. Although none of his works remain in Delft, this centre…
Amsterdam
The world's first microbe museum is a germaphobe's nightmare. Micropia has hands-on exhibits and microscopes to peer through and fascinating, if…
Den Bosch
Housed in the grand, century-old St Jacob's Church, this remarkable museum has reproductions of all 29 known Bosch paintings, brought to life by an…
Leiden
Named in honour of physician, botanist, chemist and University of Leiden teacher Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738), this impressive museum of science and…
Rotterdam
One of the city's signature buildings, this extraordinary inverted-U-shaped market hall was designed by local architecture firm MVRDV and opened for…
Southern Canal Ring
An insight into life at the top of the pile in the 19th century, Museum Van Loon is an opulent 1672 residence that was first home to painter Ferdinand Bol…
Utrecht
Museum Catharijneconvent has the finest collection of medieval religious art in the Netherlands – virtually the history of Christianity, in fact – housed…
Southern Canal Ring
From the outside, it looks like a grand canal house, but this is the city's most important photography gallery. Its simple, spacious galleries, some with…
Amsterdam Noord
Enchanting chocolate-box prettiness characterises this long, narrow street of wooden Dutch houses, now prime real estate, with hollyhocks nodding beside…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Dating from the early 14th century, this enclosed former convent is a peaceful haven, with tiny houses and postage-stamp gardens around a well-kept…
Utrecht
Utrecht's most striking medieval landmark, this 112m tower is worth the 465-step climb for unbeatable city views: on a clear day you can see Amsterdam…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Entrepreneurship, free thinking, citizenship and creativity are the four cornerstones of the multimedia DNA exhibit at this riveting museum, which splits…
Nijmegen
No address reflects the city's youthful zest more than this soup factory-turned-entrepreneurial hub, 1.5km west of Grote Markt by the river. Until 2022…
North Holland
Housed in the former seat of the Staten-College (States' Council), the body that once governed seven towns in Noord-Holland, this absorbing museum has a…
Overijssel
At home in one of the country's oldest weighing houses (1528), this evocative museum in the middle of the Brink explores local history. During Deventer's…
Overijssel
People from Zwolle say they know they're home when they see the iconic Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren (also known as the Peperbus, or Peppermill), a huge basilica…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
This 15th-century late-Gothic basilica is only ‘new’ in relation to the Oude Kerk – the city's Old Church, dating from 1306. A few monumental items…
Maastricht
Dominating an intimate cafe-filled square, this millennium-old basilica-church is a fabulous example of Mosan architecture, made 'extra authentic' through…
Noord Brabant
Finished in 1509, the ornate tower-spire of this soaring Gothic church is one of the Netherlands' most beautiful. At 97m it still forms the iconic focus…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Dating from 1306, the Oude Kerk is Amsterdam's oldest surviving building. It's also an intriguing moral contradiction: a church surrounded by active Red…
De Pijp
On the site of the company’s former brewery, Heineken's self-guided 'Experience' provides an entertaining overview of the brewing process, with a…
Delft
Construction of Delft's Nieuwe Kerk began in 1381; it was finally completed in 1655. The church has been the final resting place of almost every member of…
Overijssel
This landmark tower, built purely as a show of wealth in the 17th century, stands tall (albeit it with an incredible lean) on main street Oudestraat. Its…
