The Netherlands Road Trip Travel Guide
Smaller than most states in the U.S., Netherlands is a compact country that packs a big punch. A road trip through the country is, simply put, easy and approachable. Within a week, you can take in so much of the country’s charm without spending an absurd amount of hours in the car. Prepare to be surrounded by water, windmills, farmland, bikes and tulip fields. This guide will help you plan a fun, relaxed Netherlands road trip.
As you read this guide, keep in mind that you can begin your road trip at any point in this loop. If you’re flying into Amsterdam, begin your loop from that point in the itinerary. Because we were arriving by car from Germany, our route begins in the northeast part of the country.
Northeast Netherlands/Overijssel
Zwolle
After crossing the border from Germany, Zwolle was our first stop. This is a quiet, laid back town in the northeastern Netherlands. The city center features fortification walls, bridges and moats. We stayed right outside the city walls in an incredible house boat, which was one of our goals as a family on our trip to Netherlands and the thing that drew us to Zwolle in the first place. We loved wandering the Altstadt (Old Town), finding parks and enjoying charcuterie on the deck of our boat.
If you’re road tripping with kids, Zwolle is also home to a super kitschy theme park, Dino Land Zwolle. Our six-year-old was so excited to go there, but we ended up being two days too early. The season begins around Easter and would be worth checking out.
Quick-tip: If you want to find a houseboat for rent, click the picture icon filters on the top of your Airbnb search bar. You’ll find a LOT of options when you’re searching in the Netherlands. Our houseboat was an unforgettable experience. Our kids slept in the bow of the boat with portholes for windows and sitting on the deck patio each evening at sunset was special. I highly recommend.
CC Favorite: Brownies & Downies (got to love that Dutch directness) employs some really cool people who live with Down’s Syndrome and serves up Dutch classics, DELICIOUS coffee and desserts. The kids still remember this restaurant with great fondness. If you’re there, make sure to stop in.
Geithoorn
From Zwolle, head north for a stop at Geithoorn, a touristy, yet beautiful little town half an hour north. The most popular thing to do here is rent a small boat and navigate the canals that crisscross the neighborhoods of this car-free town that seems to sit in the middle of a lake.
Because we visited on a misty day, we skipped the boat and walked in on foot. It was quiet in the morning hours, but around lunch it became easy to see that this town gets crowded quickly. Try for an early start or go later in the evening. Grab ice cream in one of the town ice cream shops and just enjoy walking around and taking in the charm.
Nationaal Park Weerribben-Wieden is close by, free to enter, and offers a few nice trails out to the lake if you want one more stop before continuing on in the car. Geithoorn itself sits inside the park borders, but outside of the town it’s quiet and much more relaxed, so most visitors are exclusively seeing the town.
North Holland
From the Northeast, take the A7 to experience Dutch ingenuity at its finest. Because we were heading to the Hook of Holland, our navigation took us through one of the coolest experiences of our trip. The A7 travels far out into the water along Afsluitdijk, a dike wall running over a large freshwater lake built to protect the coast from ocean flooding. Countless wind turbines can be seen in every direction. The engineering that goes into making this should-be-underwater country into livable land is on full display. People versus water, and quite the sight to take in on your trip to Netherlands.
In North Holland you have the chance to see beautiful beaches, numerous tulip fields (in bloom if you’re there in the right season) and experience some really special towns.
Texel National Park
From the north of Holland, Texel National Park can be reached by ferry, and while I have not had the chance to go myself, seems to be a really special place. If you have extra time, I’d spend a couple of days here and take in the wind and the sand.
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a charming town famous for its cheese market. You’ll see cheese on display in numerous shops, so be sure to go in and purchase a small round. The owners are quite happy to help you find the mildest or strongest version to suit you.
Stop by on Friday mornings beginning at the end of March to witness the cheese market spectacle, which includes cheese girls and cheese throwers and, really, lots of cheese.
Stroll the canals and streets in this city – they are really lovely.
Coffee shops also abound and serve up delicious options in Alkmaar. Of all of my travels within Europe, I think coffee in this country is extra special. During our trip, two of our kids caught a weird stomach virus and, well, just kind of constantly needed a bathroom, so we patronized several coffee shops in this city and every single one was good.
After a day or two in North Holland, head south. Driving through the countryside will give you ample opportunity to spot more of that Dutch engineering, with windmills and canals abounding.
We spent a morning exploring IJmuiden beach, an expansive dune and beach park with wind-surfing, dune buggy driving and other activities in full swing. Hightide Surf & Food offers fun food and drinks right on the beach. Even in the off-season it was lively and really just a nice place to be.
Haarlem & Amsterdam
Haarlem and Amsterdam are next up on the road trip. I would choose to base myself in Haarlem and then travel into Amsterdam for the day to see some of the sights. Quieter, a bit less expensive, but with lots of character, Haarlem would be a nice place to land for a day or two.
I’ve spent only a couple of days in Amsterdam itself (lodging in the city is very expensive, so I’ve traveled in each day from outside of the city), so if you’re looking for more information, I’d recommend reading this guide to staying in Amsterdam from a blogger who lives there: https://www.fromlusttilldawn.com/amsterdam-guide/
Quick-tip: If you’re visiting Amsterdam and want to do some of the famous museums, make sure to book in advance. Some of the most popular (like Anne Frank House) sell out months in advance. If you’re unable to get a booking, look into some of the alternatives. For instance, Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam/Museum of WWII Resistance is less crowded and worth a stop if you can’t get into Anne Frank.
My favorite part of visiting Amsterdam is walking along the canals, bridges and streets lined with bikes. It’s just a nice atmosphere. If you’re stopping here, make sure to take time to wander and stop at (surprise) any nice coffee shop you pass. Order a stroopwafel or boterkoek with your coffee and enjoy.
South Holland
Keukenhof
The gardens of Keukenhof are a BIG draw for tourists during the months of April and May. Yes, it’s crowded and touristy, but for good reason. The gardens really are incredible and if you can stop by, I think it’s worth dealing with the crowds, especially if you can hit it on a weekday, when it’s sure to be quieter. It is also possible to rent bikes at Keukenhof and ride incredible routes through the tulip fields in the area. This would be my preference after checking out the gardens first thing in the morning and would certainly allow you to escape the height of the crowds.
Kinderdijk
The town of Kinderdijk is famous for the old windmills sitting along canals – what we all think of when we picture Holland. Most visitors enter from the World Heritage Kinderdijk visitor center and are on foot, so expect this side to be the most crowded.
Stop at the visitor center to buy a stroopwafel, a lovely little Dutch treat made from two waffle cookies and syrup. An outdoor vendor sells a wide variety right beside the canal.
CC Favorite: We rented bikes from Tourist Info Alblasserdam. The staff person could not have been nicer – she even opened up the shop early for us, helped us fit all 3 kids on bikes and explained in detail our route options. We thought it was a real win to take the back route into Kinderdijk from Alblasserdam, as we had the first half of our ride to ourselves. After seeing the windmills, follow the provided map for an extended ride down the dike wall and back towards Alblasserdam through beautiful Dutch farm land and waterways.
Utrecht
Utrecht is a younger sister to Amsterdam. Stop here for a smaller city that offers similar canals and bridges vibes, along with a host of interesting restaurants and coffee shops.
Visit the Museum Speelklok for a unique museum experience with self-playing instruments.
CC Favorite: We enjoyed the most delicious Indonesian food here, a cuisine near and dear to the Netherlands following their colonial relationship with the country. I cannot recommend Dapur Cinta enough. Both food and owner were top level.
Southeast Netherlands/Gelderland
Hoge Veluwe National Park
Hoge Veluwe National Park should definitely be included on your road trip. Entrance is a bit steep (at least compared to free or lower cost national park entrance fees in other European countries) at 50 euros for our family of 5, but once you’re in the gates you’re welcome to grab one of thousands of the park’s white bikes for free.
There are bikes sized for children and adult bikes with child seats on the back for little ones. We spent an entire afternoon biking the majority of the park, which is a mix of forest, small lakes and giant sand dunes. It was a really fun, really Dutch way to get to take in the majority of the park in a short time.
Arnhem & Oosterbeek
Arnhem and Oosterbeek make for nice final stops if you’re interested in World War II history. Operation Market Garden is possibly the most well-known offensive that took place in the Netherlands during the war. Allied forces were based out of a manor house now home to Airbornemuseum Hartenstein. The museum chronicles the period in Arnhem and the rest of the Netherlands. The museum is, again, a bit pricey, but for us (history nerds), a good investment. If you’re ready for something other than Dutch food by this point, Fratelli serves good pizza and gelato close to the museum in the city center of Oosterbeek.
From this point, our Netherlands road trip route was completed. The route below shows the suggested stops for the journey, totaling less than 9 hours, which will be broken down over many stops and, hopefully, many days. Really doable!
You can, of course, take away and add to the route as you feel led and based on how much time you have, but hopefully this gives you a strong starting point for planning your trip to this unique country. Enjoy the journey!
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