The Best Day Trips from Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a brilliant base for exploring the Netherlands — a compact country that offers a wealth of wonders within a couple of hours of travel.

From the medieval streets of Utrecht to the windmills of Kinderdijk, from the modernist architecture of Rotterdam to the coastal beauty of Haarlem, the best of the country is within remarkably easy reach.

If you’re planning on flying to Amsterdam soon, here are six ways you can spread your wings a little and see more of remarkable Dutch culture and pretty-as-a-picture countryside.

1. Haarlem: The elegant neighbour (20 minutes)

Just 20 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal by direct train, Haarlem is the kind of city that makes you wonder why you didn’t stay here instead.

Its perfectly preserved medieval centre (centred on the magnificent Grote Markt square and the Gothic St Bavo’s Church) is even more intact than Amsterdam’s, without the crowds.

The Frans Hals Museum houses one of the finest collections of Golden Age Dutch painting outside the Rijksmuseum, and the city’s café terraces are among the most relaxed in the Netherlands.

The North Sea dunes and beach at Zandvoort are just a short bus ride or cycle from Haarlem, making it a fantastic escape on a hot summer’s day, especially if you have little ones in tow.

2. Utrecht: A canal city with a cathedral tower (30 minutes)

Utrecht is one of the Netherlands’ most underrated cities, offering a medieval university town with a compact historic centre, a unique double-level canal (with terraced cafés set into the quay walls below street level), and the Dom Tower, at 112 metres the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. Climb it for extraordinary views over the city and the flat Dutch countryside beyond.

Utrecht’s café scene is particularly outstanding; the lanes around the Oudegracht canal are lined with terrace bars, small food shops, and really well-rated restaurants. Allow a full day and pick up a little picnic for the train back in the evening. The city’s excellent cheese shops are a good place to start, although maybe skip the more “fragrant” flavours to save your fellow passengers’ noses.

3. Keukenhof and the tulip fields (45 minutes)

From mid-March to mid-May, the Keukenhof Gardens near Lisse are the most colourful destination in the Netherlands.

An astonishing seven million bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, bloom across 79 landscaped acres in combinations of colour that genuinely have to be seen to be believed. Bus 858 runs direct from Amsterdam Centraal to the gardens and back. Book tickets online well in advance, though, as Keukenhof sells out regularly during peak season. Take a quick look at the hashtag “Keukenhof” Instagram to see why.

If you’re feeling energetic, you could combine the gardens with a cycling tour through the surrounding bulb fields, which stretch for kilometres in every direction. There are bicycle rental shops everywhere in The Netherlands — you won’t have to go far without finding two (or three) wheels for hire.

4. Kinderdijk: The windmill experience (1 hour 30 minutes)

Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 90 minutes from Amsterdam, is the definitive Dutch windmill experience.

Nineteen 18th-century windmills stand in a line along the polders, still in excellent condition and a remarkable piece of engineering heritage. Explore by bicycle along the flat dyke paths, with the windmills turning slowly against the typically dramatic Dutch sky. On summer Saturdays, several windmills are in full operation, continuing a tradition that’s hundreds of years old.

It’s easy too to combine Kinderdijk with a visit to Rotterdam, as the city is just 15 minutes away by water taxi, and the contrast between the historic windmills and extraordinary modern architecture is one of the great Dutch juxtapositions.

5. Delft: Blue tiles and Golden Age history (1 hour)

Delft is the birthplace of Vermeer, the home of Delftware blue-and-white pottery, and one of the most beautifully preserved medieval towns in the Netherlands.

The Markt square, with its Gothic town hall and soaring New Church (where Dutch royalty have been buried for centuries), is one of the finest in the country.

Visit the Royal Delft factory to see Delftware being made by hand, and find the courtyard where Vermeer is believed to have painted the View of Delft. If you’re artistically inclined, you could take a painting workshop of your own, or just enjoy a relaxed high tea on real Delft Blue tableware.

6. Rotterdam: Europe’s most exciting harbour city (40 minutes)

Rotterdam is the Netherlands’ second city and its most architecturally adventurous. Bombed flat in 1940, it was rebuilt from scratch and has been experimenting boldly with architecture ever since: the cube houses of Piet Blom, the Markthal food hall, and the Erasmusbrug — the ‘Swan’ suspension bridge — are just the beginning.

The waterfront is among the best in Europe, the food scene is brilliant, and the energy is infectious. Take a seat at any local tavern and you’ll hear a wide range of accents, as the city is still home to sailors from all over the world — all with a story or two to tell.

See more of The Netherlands with Aer Lingus

The Netherlands is one of the most rewarding countries for day trippers, and Amsterdam is the perfect base from which to explore it.

Whether you’re chasing windmills, tulip fields, medieval towers, or modern architecture, the best of the country is all within easy reach, especially if you fly direct to Amsterdam with Aer Lingus. With easy connections with Dublin, the USA, and mainland Europe, you could find yourself in the heart of the city in a couple of hours. From there, the (Dutch) world is your oyster.