Five places to visit in The Netherlands

I have lived in The Netherlands for a year now and if there is one thing, I recommend you do, it is to travel and see the rest of this beautiful country. Since you now live in a very small country, it is also cheap to travel! Flixbus goes almost everywhere but you can also buy train tickets on a discount here (https://www.vakantieveilingen.nl/winstpakker.html).  

Schiermonnikoog 

This strange word is the name of an island outside of Groningen. It is a short trip to get there and it will feel like you arrived in a completely different country. You only need to take a bus to the ocean and then a little boat trip. If you go there during the summer you can swim in the ocean and bike around along the water. Renting bikes is something you can do directly after you arrive on the island. Even if there is no swimming weather, it is beautiful to walk around and enjoy the openness. There is only one village at the island (with the same name as Schiermonnikoog) so this is more of a nature destination rather than shopping ; ) This location is perfect for a day trip unless you want to walk around more, then two days might be more fitting. 

Leiden 

Leiden is my favorite city in The Netherlands. It is located in between Amsterdam and Den Haag so it is very easy to go there if you are planning to go to the big cities anyway. Leiden is a smaller city that has everything to offer. You can do your shopping, go to the churches, walk around the canals, eat at one of the restaurants next to the water or just walk around the city and adore all the cuteness! I would say that you can do this city in one full day, two days would also work but a whole weekend will probably not be necessary.  

Zeeland 

Zeeland is a whole province in The Netherlands so it feels a bit unfair to be this broad, but I also think that you will enjoy it wherever you go within Zeeland. It is one of the most faraway destinations you can go from Groningen and still stay in The Netherlands. That also means that it takes a little bit more time to get there (Dutch standard), around 5 hours by train. It exists of two major islands. This province is basically surrounded by the ocean which is why I recommend it. So peaceful, calm and open with the seaside and beach. When you are in Zeeland you will also try how it feels to be under sea level which could be a bit scary, but you can also see all the dikes having the sea under control so it’s all good. Fun fact, New Zealand is named after Zeeland since it was the Dutch that found New Zealand : ) Since it is a bit further away, I would say that this part of The Netherlands is a good weekend destination. 

Keukenhof 

This doesn’t feel like a very original tip but I figured that most of you would want to see the tulips while you are here. It sure is a beautiful place in between Amsterdam and Leiden and definitely worth a visit in the spring. It is a big park with a lot of tulips and amazing landscapes with trees and wind meals. There will be over 7 million bulbs blooming and 800 different varieties of tulips. You can also enjoy flower shows and art pieces. The park is open from 21 of March – 10 of May. This destination is perfect for a day trip.   

Scheveningen 

Last but not least, we have The Netherlands most famous seaside resort, Scheveningen! This is a part of Den Haag that will remind you of summer, holidays and Santa Monica in the U.S. There is a ferris wheel on a pier out in the water. The pier itself has a restaurant on it and it is so beautiful with the contrast of the sea and city. If you want to be more adventurous, you can also zip line or bungee jump from a tower at the end of the pier. Since this is a part of Den Haag, it is perfect to have a weekend there, first a day in Den Haag and the second one chilling at Scheveningen.  

 

I hope that these tips might have given you some inspiration to visit more places in The Netherlands! Enjoy your stay and safe travels : )

Sandra