25 Most Beautiful Places in the Netherlands

AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam with its canals and stepped-gable houses alongside the water is undeniably one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands.

DEN BOSCH

Den Bosch, or ‘s-Hertogenbosch, is the major city of North Brabant – the Dutch province that’s famous for the good food and the joie-de-vivre life style.

UTRECHT

One of the oldest cities in the Netherlands with an irresistible charm that attracts tourists worldwide and where every corner hides something new to discover.

MAASTRICHT

Maastricht, one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands and quite different from the rest, is often called the Pearl of the South.

ROTTERDAM

Rotterdam is like no other city in the Netherlands – it’s modern, it’s hipster and it’s full of life. It’s one of the few places in the country where there are high-rises. 

THORN

They call it the little white town and for a reason. All the houses are white in this little place, something quite unusual for the Netherlands.

HEUSDEN

Heusden, where time has stopped, is one of the walled towns in the Netherlands, having the shape of a star, surrounded by water. 

VALKENBURG

Valkenburg is a lovely small town in South Limburg, famous for the chalk quarries and the Castle Ruins perched on a hill above the town.

DE RIJP

Once an important harbour, this cute little place turned into an inland town after the sea was drained in the 17th century to make place for more land.

GIETHOORN

They call it the Venice of the North or the Dutch Venice, an idyllic small village with no streets but canals instead, this is the lovely Giethoorn.

TEXEL

If you are in a search of a quiet place with gorgeous sunsets, green waters and vast sand beaches – you’ll find it all on Texel, a small West Frisian island. 

DE BIESBOSCH

De Biesbosch is a unique national park in the Netherlands, where the land that was once reclaimed from the marshlands is now given back to nature.

LOONSE EN DRUNENSE DUINEN

With its moving sand dunes, this national park is pretty unique, as the Loonse en Drunense Duinen is the largest sand-drifting area in Northern Europe. 

DE MEINWEG

De Meinweg is characterized by a terraced landscape with steep transitions between the plateaus, and lots of forests, marshlands and lakes.

ALDE FEANEN

De Alde Feanen is the youngest National Park in the Netherlands, added in 2012. It’s a bogland area located in Friesland, near the capital city Leeuwarden.

DE HAAR 

De Haar Castle near Utrecht is the most famous and most visited Dutch castle, surrounded by a lovely park and beautiful gardens.

HOENSBROEK

Hoensbroek Castle is a lovely castle in the southern province of Limburg, built in 1360, featuring beautifully restored rooms and a Medieval playground. 

LOEVESTEIN

Slot Loevestein was built in the 14th c. and in the 17th c. the castle was turned into a state prison. It's famous for Hugo Grotius who escaped the castle. 

AMMERSOYEN

Ammersoyen Castle is a beautiful castle surrounded by water in the province of Gelderland. It was built in the 12th c. and is beautifully restored today. 

HET LOO

Het Loo Palace is the most beautiful palace in the Netherlands, with meticulously manicured Baroque gardens and a charming English park.

KEUKENHOF

Keukenhof is the most beautiful garden in the world with tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, and daffodils in amazing shapes and colors arranged in intricate patterns.

APPELTERN

The Gardens of Appeltern started as a company project and evolved into the biggest and most beautiful garden park in the Netherlands.

ARCEN

The Castle Gardens of Arcen is a meticulously manicured park with gardens and a lovely castle. There are formal gardens, water gardens, and rose gardens.

OUD-VALKENBURG

The Castle Garden of Oud-Valkenburg, once the kitchen garden of the Schaloen Castle, today it features a herbal garden and a heritage garden.

KERKRADE

The Botanical Garden in Kerkrade has a very interesting history. It opened in 1937 as a recreational garden for the mine workers of the State Mines.