How to Optimize Your Netherlands 7-Day Itinerary by Utilizing Trains and Cycling
The hotels in most Dutch cities are very AFFORDABLE, but in Amsterdam, they are extremely OVERPRICED.
If you want to save money, book somewhere that is further away from the city center, either Sloterdijk or Amsterdam South, both of which have EXCELLENT connections to downtown.
Sloterdijk is pretty ACCESSIBLE because it is just a 5-minute train ride to Amsterdam Central Station and the train is coming every 5 minutes on average.
In other cities, the best option is to try to book a hotel as close to the central train station as possible. In Amsterdam, I suggest staying at Mercure Sloterdijk Station. You will be able to experience only a 5-minute train ride to the city center while at the same time enjoying the calm environment. They are just AMAZING and the rooms are bigger and more COMFORTABLE than the other hotels you can find in the center of Amsterdam.
I have stayed at this apartment more than 20 times, so you know that it is a good recommendation.
The Dutch have the highest rate of transportation by bicycle among all the nations of the world.
It’s one of the major deponents that the Netherlands is internationally renowned for and one of the pivotal causes that people love living in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Just be careful on the bike lanes. It is the most common means of transportation in the country and lanes can get very busy. To get around safely and smoothly, keep to the right side and never go through a red light.
Suppose you want to rent a bicycle in Amsterdam in that case, you can come over here.
The Netherlands indeed does not have a great climate at all.
It remains comparatively cold or warm, but it rains quite a lot and is very windy. May and June are the peak months of weather. That could even seem funny as summer often has more cold and rainy days than spring. Although the seasons are changing rapidly, there are hotter and drier summers getting more and more intense. Thus, July and August are among the best months that one can go because of the weather. The best month in the Netherlands is May.
It is the hottest month on average with the days being long and the sun setting after 9:00 PM. You will, however, need to visit in April if you would like to see the BEAUTIFUL and FAMOUS Dutch tulip fields.
Then, let’s say you will be taking your trip to the most CROWDED time of the year which is the tulip season. In April, the weather will not be too cold or too hot. You can have clear days or horribly rainy days. It’s just luck. Summers can be really nice or they can be awfully cold and rainy. It just depends on the year.
Summer is also the most crowded time (other than April). Autumn, the windy days are almost gone, and come the evening it starts to get dark.
While winter is the least crowded period of the year tourists flock to it to escape the masses, still, I would suggest against it since Dutch winter is rainy. I highly recommend visiting in May. I have also devoted an entire article to the most suitable period of departure to the Netherlands in the year. That article gives a month-by-month breakdown of the weather, crowds, and events.
How to Plan Your Netherlands 7-Day Itinerary to Include Utrecht and De Haar Castle
Today we went from Amsterdam to Utrecht, which was the next place we stayed for the following 3 nights.
Our first day in Utrecht was sightseeing with a free walking tour then visiting the Domkerk and other attractions in Dom Square.
Approximate time of our travel: From Amsterdam Central Station to Utrecht- 25 mins by train After getting to know Utrecht, our first step was to explore the city with a local guide who took us on a free walking tour. In these 2 hours, we just went and went to impelling Utrecht’s highlights in its main squares and some secret sites and were even able to thread the piece to its history. We gazed at some tempting buildings, cement statues, big materials, and art while we also got other recommendations from the hostel owners. The tour was an INCREDIBLE way to get familiar with the city and at the same time discover areas we probably wouldn’t have found otherwise.
The Dom Tower (Domtoren) is the highest church tower in the Netherlands and is regarded as the Utrecht emblem.
One interesting fact is that the two parts of the church are no longer on the same line as a storm that happened years ago collapsed the nave that was joining them.
While visiting the site, we were quite unlucky as it was under restoration; still, it was open to guided tours.
I was privileged to go on a tour to the Dom Tower where I saw the chapel, the bell chamber with its swinging bells, and climbed to the top by hundreds of stairs for a scenic view of the city. The Dom Church (Domkerk) which is the main pre-Reformation cathedral in Utrecht was a great chance for me to see Gothic style and tombs that had intricate sculpture.
Apart from the beautiful stained-glass windows and the organ, chapels, and tombstones were lying on the floor.
Nonetheless, the main attraction was the tomb of Admiral Willem Joseph Van Gendt, who was the first commander of the Dutch Marines.
In addition, I found the cloister and its little garden to be very pleasant. The DOMunder discovery tour stands out as the most distinct experience we engaged in while in Utrecht. The underground remains of Dom Square associated with the 2,000-year-old Utrecht are the most fitting – without exaggeration – of the Roman fortress era to the cathedral’s nave’s disappearing.
It was thrilling to be below ground with a torch to visualize the archaeological remains of what was once above the square. Shining your light on an artifact allows the discovery of an associated recorded story, thereby experiencing the audio tour together with a treasure hunt- very cool!!
How to Create Your Netherlands 7-Day Itinerary Exploring Art, Canals, and Beaches
Welcome to the Netherlands! Enter Amsterdam and go on a private boat tour of the canals that surround the city and after that, the Anne Frank House.
On the second day, you will proceed to the fishing village of Volendam, try out locally produced cheeses in Edam, and also get to see the well-known windmills located at Zaanse Schans.
Then it’s on the other way to the diverse port city of Rotterdam, where you will see the architectural marvels such as Erasmus Bridge among others during a private tour that a local architect will guide.
During the second part of the trip, you will discover The Hague where you will encounter some of the outstanding works like Johannes Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring at the Mauritshuis.
In the afternoon, take a bicycle and ride to Scheveningen Beach, where you will enjoy the waves, the sand, and the fresh seafood. Leiden, the next day, will be a university city to explore with little cute hidden patios and however also interesting museums. The last full day of the itinerary comes when you will once again be riding to the seashore with the e-bike as this time the parkside forest will take the maximum of the park Noord-Kennemerduinen – National Park. The atmosphere around the local eatery in Haarlem gives a perfect Dutch mood before you hop on a train to Amsterdam.
How to Design a Netherlands 7-Day Itinerary Including Cycling Adventures and Cultural Experiences
Cycling the Netherlands is an exciting trip with riding experiences through the woods and flower fields, a visit to the national park, and also stops in cities and villages such as Delft, Leiden, Rotterdam, and the like. You would zoom south-west from the capital and join the beautiful scenery of Zeeland through dunes touched both By the sea and the woods and from the west, the province of Kennemerland Zuid stretches some twenty kilometers towards the coast and further through the wilderness of National Park Zuid-Kennemerduinen to the sea.
Arrive in Amsterdam and Visit the Anne Frank House Cycle to the Lakes of Ankeveense Plassen and Onward to Utrecht Explore the Green Heart of the Netherlands and Learn About Cheese-Making View the Windmills at Kinderdijk and Sightsee in Rotterdam and Delft Discover The Hague and Cycle to the Beach Pedal Through the “Flower Bulb Region” & Zuid-Kennemerland National Park Step off the plane in Amsterdam and enjoy a walk around the town’s tourist spots including a canal cruise and a visit to the Anne Frank House on the afternoon of your first day there. On the second day of the cycling trip, the main part starts.
Leave the train at the nearby town of Weesp and pick up your bike to drive to the beautiful area of Ankeviens Lakes. Back in the day, people of the rich class ran away to that area for their weekend getaways implying that it was a greener area to be among trees and nature.
Later, ride Your way to Utrecht and overnight there.
Then the next day you will pedal through this so-called “Green Heart of the Netherlands” and take a break in Gouda, the world-famous cheese production town.
Along the way, stop at one of the local cheese farmers’ houses and “Try the local specialty” before moving on to the famous windmills at Kinderdijk, a highlight of day four. Anyway, you do have time on your hands and can therefore look around the port city of Rotterdam before setting off to the town of Delft. Park your bike and visit the Vermeer Center where you will understand the life and creativity of Veermer. The cycling trip comes to The Hague and then goes to the coastline where you will have a relaxing evening. The last full day consists of a nice bike ride through beautiful countryside, first in the Bollenstreek, called the “Flower Bulb Region,” then in Zuid-Kennemerland National Park. Cycle back to Amsterdam to take a rest from this adventure.
How to Organize Your Netherlands 7-Day Itinerary Featuring Cycling Tours and Cultural Stops
Cycle through the Netherlands on this energizing biking tour, which includes cycling on the trails through the forest and flower fields, a trip in a national park, and stops in cities and villages such as Delft, Leiden, and Rotterdam.
Arrive in Amsterdam and Visit the Anne Frank House Cycle to the Lakes of Ankeveense Plassen and Onward to Utrecht Explore the Green Heart of the Netherlands and Learn About Cheese-Making View the Windmills at Kinderdijk and Sightsee in Rotterdam and Delft Discover The Hague and Cycle to the Beach Pedal Through the “Flower Bulb Region” & Zuid-Kennemerland National Park Arrive at Amsterdam, where you will do some sightseeing in the afternoon including a canal cruise and a visit to the Anne Frank House. Day two is the cycling trip’s diurnal start. A train ride to nearby Weesp, take your bike and ride to the Ankeveense Plassen, the lakes which are scenic ones. The high society of Amsterdam used to go on a vacation in the area by tradition.
Keep riding to Utrecht for overnight.Try the local specialty first and then pedal to the famous windmills in Kinderdijk – the most wonderful part of the fourth day.
During this trip, you will also have the opportunity to roam the port city of Rotterdam before embarking on a trip to Delft.
Drop off your bicycle and take a stroll to the Vermeer Center, where you’ll learn about the biography and works of Vermeer. The cycling trip continues first to The Hague, then goes to the beach for an evening at the sea. At the end of the last full day, you will be cycling through the most beautiful parts first in the Bollenstreek or “Flower Bulb Region,” then in Zuid-Kennemerland National Park.
Travel back to Amsterdam so wrap up the travel.