The Best Hotels The Netherlands
Flowers, Cheese and Wind Mills
Discover the best places where you can experience traditional Dutch culture. Close to Amsterdam you will find the Zaanse Schans, where you can visit different mills and learn how cheese is made, the biscuits and chocolate factory from Verkade is also fun. Head to Marken and Volendam for old fishing villages near the IJsselmeer.
From mid-March to mid-May you can admire the colorful flower fields in North and South Holland. Alkmaar and Gouda are famous for their cheese. Near Gouda are the windmills of Kinderdijk.
Traditional Dutch close to Amsterdam
Although these places are easy to reach from Amsterdam, by bus or bicycle, it is also very nice to spend a night here and really experience the atmosphere of the old Dutch fishing villages. The area around the IJsselmeer is also beautiful for cycling and walking.
Marken - Monnickendam - Volendam - Edam
Northeast of Amsterdam you'll find a number of traditional Dutch villages situated near the IJsselmeer with fishing ports (known for the eels), traditional costumes, clogs and monumental wooden houses. Although they are located close to each other, each has its own character and atmosphere. And Edam is known for the cheese. It’s fun to take the ferry between Volendam and Marken.
Suitehotel Posthoorn - Monnickendam
Noordeinde 43, 1141 AG Monnickendam
130 Euro. Chique hotel in the historic center of Monnickendam in a monumental building where in 1697 Napoleon stayed. Classically furnished luxury rooms, all individually designed. With a culinary French restaurant and beautiful garden.
In a so called whisper boat (powered by a quiet electric motor) you can make a tour on the lakes and through picturesque fishing villages.
Cute town on the IJsselmeer and of course world famous for the Edam cheese.
Sights are the Grote Kerk, the harbor, the Kaaswaag, where you can learn everything about cheese making, and the Edam Museum is about the rich history of the 17th century.
Open air museum where you can experience the Netherlands in the 18th and 19th century. With beautiful mills that you can visit inside and climb the steep stairs for beautiful views. Find out how clogs and cheese are made and view the old wooden houses. And for those who love sweets: visit the Verkade Museum, known for its biscuits and chocolate. In the center of Zaandam you can visit the oldest wooden house in the Netherlands, the Czaar Peter House.
Heerlijck Slaapen op de Zaanse Schans
Kalverringdijk 17-21, 1509 BT Zaandam
80 - 125 Euro. Within the Zaanse Schans and surrounded by monumental windmills. Three individually decorated rooms with historic details in this bed and breakfast situated on the bank of the Zaan River. With nice views, a garden and restaurants at walking distance.
20 minutes by train from Amsterdam CS to train station Zaandijk – 12 min walk
Alkmaar
Not only known for its cheese market, but also for the beautiful city center with historic buildings and canals. You can also view all this with a boat tour. Or visit the beer museum or the museum dedicated to the Beatles.
30 minutes by train from Amsterdam Central Station to Alkmaar
Hoorn
An important trading town in the Golden Age of the 17th century because of its location on the IJsselmeer. Due to the large harbor where ships of the VOC could moor, the city became an important trading center. Hoorn still has many monuments that are reminiscent of its rich history. At the harbor you see the traditional warehouses with impressive facades. Other sights not to miss are the large prison building (Oostereiland) and the defense tower (De Hoofdtoren). De Roode Steen is Hoorn’s main square with many historic buildings like The Waag (cheese market in the 1600’s) and the ‘Westfries Museum’ that exhibits paintings and VOC artifacts from the 17th century. With the VR experience you walk through Hoorn of the Golden Age and sail a VOC ship.
30 minutes form Amsterdam by train. There is a good train connection from Alkmaar to Hoorn ( 25 minutes) and to Enkhuizen ( 20 minutes), it is also nice to bike along the IJsselmeer from Hoorn to Enkhuizen.
In the area around Hoorn and Enkhuizen there are bulb fields (tulips in all colors) that bloom in April and May.
Achterom 7 - Hoorn
Achterom 9, 1621 KP Hoorn
From 110 euros. Bed and breakfast in an authentic building in the center of Hoorn. There are rooms with private bathroom and rooms with shared bathroom. With garden and close to the historic square De Roode Steen. Breakfast is served in the restaurant d'Oude Waegh (the cheese market was here in the 17th century).
Enkhuizen
Once, one of the most prosperous cities in the Netherlands and because of its old monuments, streets and the harbor you can still experience the atmosphere of the 17th century. You can take a cruise on the IJsselmeer / Markermeer and visit the Zuiderzee Museum (interactive open-air museum about the life of the people who used to live by the sea). 1 hour by train from Amsterdam.
De Vier Kroonen
Dijk 100, 1601 GK Enkhuizen
(Minimum stay of 2 nights) Holiday home in an authentic dike house in the center of Enkhuizen and with a beautiful view of the water and ships. Special is the large balcony that hangs over the water at the back of the house. Spacious and comfortably furnished, with a modern bathroom and a luxurious kitchen diner that is partly built in the dike.
Flowers
The two most beautiful areas where you can enjoy the blooming flower fields between the middle of March and the end of May are between Bergen and Den Helder (North Holland) and the region around Lisse (South Holland). Various walking and cycling routes have been set out in both regions.
In Lisse is also the Keukenhof, a large park where you can admire more than 7 million flowers. The Keukenhof is open from mid-March to the end of May. Details.
Flower Fields North Holland
Take the train to Den Helder and go by bus to the nice villages of Anna Paulowna, Hippolytushoef or Den Oever. Stay overnight, rent a bike and enjoy the flower fields (between March and May). In Den Oever, situated near the Wadden Sea, you can go mudflat walking.
Het Huis van de Wadden
Hofstraat 112/114, 1779 CG Den Oever
80 Euro. Cosy bed and breakfast beautifully situated near the Wadden Sea. Rooms for 2/3 people and designed with care, with private bathroom and apartments for rent. Breakfast is served in a shared lounge. Under the guidance of a nature guide you can go ‘wadlopen’ (mudflat walking) from Den Oever.
1,5 hour by train and bus from Amsterdam Central Station.
Flower Fields South Holland: Lisse, Hillegom and Noordwijkerhout
Flower Parade
The most spectacular annual flower parade of the Netherlands takes place in April/May. Every year, thousands of people watch this parade of cars decorated with the most beautiful flowers. The 40-kilometer parade departs from Noordwijk in the morning and then goes via the bulb region (including Lisse and Hillegom) to the endpoint of Haarlem. More info >>
Tour Tip
Take the train to Sassenheim en go by bus to Lisse or Noordwijk (beach) or Noordwijkerhout. Stay overnight, rent a bike, visit the Keukenhof and cycle between the flower fields from Lisse to Hillegom, Noordwijk and Sassenheim.
Bed & Breakfast De Raetskamer - Noordwijkerhout
Schoolstraat 17 A-B, 2211 EA Noordwijkerhout
90 Euro. Bed and breakfast in the heart of the flower region. 10 Minutes by bike to the beach and beautiful cycling between the flower fields (March - May). The bed and breakfast is run by mother and daughter who will enthusiastically share their knowledge of what you can do in the area.
Pick up and drop off service to train stations nearby. You can rent bikes near the B&B.
30/40 minutes by train from Amsterdam, then by bus to Noordwijkerhout (30 minutes), 3 minutes walk.
Gouda
12th century town with canals and famous for the Gouda Cheese, but just as tasty are the syrup waffles that come from here. At the medieval Markt square you will find the 15th-century town hall and the Goudse Waag, where the cheese used to be weighed and traded. Nowadays, it houses a museum. And for those who want something sweeter: in the center of Gouda you can visit a stroopwafel factory.
50 minutes by train from Amsterdam Central Station to Gouda
Goudse Watertoren
Plazuidplein 1, 2801 WK Gouda
From 160 euros. Apartment in the smallest residential tower in the Netherlands, For more than a century ago it was the water tower for a factory. It is a special experience: from your bed at an height of 10 meters you look out over the harbor. It is of course a bit narrow and there is a spiral staircase, but all amenities are there, there is a balcony and it is stylishly decorated.
B&B De Kamer Hiernaast
Komijnsteeg 1, 2801 NN Gouda
95 euros. Bed and breakfast in the cozy old city center of Gouda. With a classically decorated room with its own entrance and there is a garden. Very enthusiastic reactions about the location, the delicious breakfast and the helpfulness of the owners.
A beautiful sight are the nineteen old mills along the waterfront in Kinderdijk. It is the largest collection of old windmills and a UNESCO World Heritage. These mills were traditionally used to extract water from the polders. With a little wind, the blades swing almost to the ground. In two windmills there is a museum.
The waterbus from Rotterdam will take you in 30 minutes to Kinderdijk, you can bring your bike on the boat.
Tour Gouda - Mills of Kinderdijk - Rotterdam
Take the train to Gouda, visit the cheese market or treat yourself on a syrup waffle, stay overnight and then bike to Rotterdam or take the waterbus (you can bring your bike on the boat).
Lekkerkerk
Village in a beautiful area on the Lek river on the other side of the Kinderdijk Windmills (3 km cycling). At 13 km from Rotterdam and 20 km from Gouda. Or by The waterbus from Rotterdam.
De Kopstoof - Lekkerkerk
1d Tiendweg Oost, 2941 BV Lekkerkerk
130 euros. Apartment furnished with great style (you can also book breakfast) and beautifully situated between the meadows and 3 km from the windmills of Kinderdijk. With sauna, sitting area, kitchen, garden and private entrance. Many enthusiastic reactions about the friendly owner and the location.
Theetuin Onder de Pannen - Lekkerkerk
Schuwacht 236, 2941 EK Lekkerkerk
60 Euro. Three rooms in this cute bed and breakfast that is also a tea house. Beautiful cycling or walking in the countryside of the Krimpenerwaard and on the other side of the Lek river you can see the windmills. There are (electrical) bikes for use.
