The Netherlands captivates visitors with its iconic windmills, colorful tulip fields, and picturesque canal cities. From Amsterdam's world-class museums and vibrant culture to charming villages and innovative architecture, this low-lying country offers a perfect blend of history, art, and modern Dutch living.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Keukenhof and Lisse Flower Fields
Keukenhof is a landscaped bulb garden near Lisse that opens for roughly eight weeks a year, mid-March to mid-May, when its tulip, daffodil and hyacinth beds are in bloom. Outside that window the gardens are closed, so this trip only exists in spring. Within the park you walk winding paths through millions of bulbs, several themed gardens and pavilions, and can extend the day into the surrounding Bollenstreek fields by bike or bus. It works as a half-day or full-day trip depending on whether you add the fields.
Highlights: 7 million tulips across 32 hectares · Indoor flower pavilions · Cycling routes through surrounding bulb fields · Classic Dutch countryside photo spots
Kinderdijk UNESCO Windmills
Kinderdijk is a row of 18th-century windmills lining a polder waterway near Rotterdam, built to drain the surrounding lowland and still standing as a working demonstration of Dutch water management. The site is flat and walkable, with a path and a small ferry running along the canal past the mills. It's a compact trip - most visitors see everything in three to four hours - which makes it easy to pair with time in Rotterdam itself.
Highlights: 19 operational 18th-century windmills · Polder cycling paths · Boat tours through the dyke system · Miller's cottage museum
Haarlem
Haarlem is a compact city a short ride from Amsterdam, built around a market square and the Grote Kerk, with canals and gabled houses on a smaller, quieter scale than the capital. It's an easy half-day trip that can stretch into a full day with a museum visit and a walk along the Spaarne river. The appeal is a walkable historic centre without the crowds of central Amsterdam.
Highlights: Grote Markt medieval square · Frans Hals Museum - golden age portraiture · Teylers Museum - Netherlands oldest museum · Jopenkerk brewery in a converted church
Giethoorn - The Venice of the Netherlands
Giethoorn is a village in Overijssel built around a network of narrow canals, with many houses reachable only by water or footbridge and no roads running through its historic core. The main activity is being on or beside the water - punting or renting an electric boat along the canals past thatched-roof farmhouses. It's a full day given the travel time from Amsterdam, and the experience is quiet and slow-paced rather than sight-heavy.
Highlights: Car-free village navigable only by punt boat · Thatched farmhouses along reed-lined canals · Boat rental from 12 EUR per hour · De Oude Aarde museum of minerals
Delft
Delft is a small university city known for the blue-and-white pottery that carries its name and for its association with the painter Vermeer, who lived and worked there. Its centre is compact - a market square, canals and old churches within easy walking distance of the station - making it a comfortable half-day trip that can fill a full day with a factory visit. It has a quieter, more academic feel than Amsterdam, shaped by the presence of TU Delft.
Highlights: Royal Delft Pottery factory and museum · Vermeer Centre celebrating the painter's life · Nieuwe Kerk with the Dutch Royal Crypt · Markt square with market on Thursdays · Peaceful canal walking
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Tours
- Organized day tours to Kinderdijk and Keukenhof from Amsterdam from €35-65 per person including transport and entry
- Private
- Car hire from €35/day; useful for Giethoorn, Zeeland coast, and multiple stop countryside routes
- Public
- NS trains connect all major destinations; day return tickets excellent value; Intercity Direct fastest routes; bus connections for beaches and villages
- Rental
- OV-fiets bicycle rental at train stations for €4.15/day; ideal for cycling from station to Keukenhof fields, Zaanse Schans, and Haarlem dunes
Multi-day tours from Netherlands
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
Browse multi-day tours from NetherlandsWe may earn a commission from bookings made through this link.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Purchase an NS day return ticket (dagretour) - usually only €1 more than a single and valid all day
The Kinderdijk Express runs direct buses April-October from Rotterdam Erasmusbrug ferry - combine with Rotterdam architecture for a perfect day
Visit Keukenhof on a weekday in late April for peak bloom with manageable crowds - weekends are extremely busy
Giethoorn is most magical before 10AM - stay overnight at a local B&B to experience it before day-trippers arrive