15 Day Trips from Amsterdam

There are a plethora of day trips from Amsterdam that you can take ranging from a short 30 min train ride up to a couple of hours away in another country! Make sure to spend time in Amsterdam when you travel to the Netherlands but there is so much more this beautiful country (and sister countries) has to offer. This is not an all-encompassing list, but the main cities Charlie and I have visited/ are planning to visit nearby!

You can look at train tickets through ns.nl (that’s the most common) or for longer trips, you can look at websites such as nsinternational.com or thetrainline.com. Ticket price ranges for the trains are listed below – most places you can also look at hopping on a bus as well!

Keep in mind, you can also turn all of these destinations into a weekend trip as well! 🙂

Less than 1 hour train/bus ride from Amsterdam:

1. Volendam & Marken

• Travel Time: 25 minutes (bus)
• Estimated cost one way: €5

Volendam is just north of Amsterdam and is known for their fisherman’s vibe! There are so many cute sailboats around the harbor, adorable houses to get lost wandering through, and delicious food. There are many different things to do in Volendam such as walking along the famous Dijk, checking out the museums, and enjoying some eel looking at the harbor. You can take the Marken Express across the water from Volendam to the peninsula of Marken. It’s a more quiet, quaint dutch village with beautiful scenery and yummy food!

2. The Hague

• Travel Time: 50 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €15

The Netherlands is a country that effectively has two capital cities. According to the constitution, Amsterdam is the capital city, but the parliament and the Dutch government have been in The Hague for hundreds of years! This is an amazing city to visit – you get the city feel, the beach and some of the old-Amsterdam vibes as well. There are also a few museums you can see and some great restaurants. This has been one of our favorite day trips from Amsterdam thus far!

3. Delft

• Travel Time: 55 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €13-15

Delft is known as the manufacturing base for Delftware, hand-painted blue-and-white pottery – you likely have seen it before! The city has charming canal-ringed streets with historical monuments and medieval architecture. The famous painter, Johannes Vermeer, known from “the girl with the Pearl” was also born here!

4. Zaanse Shans

• Travel Time: 20-25 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €7-18

Zaanse Shans is a very popular spot for anyone looking to see iconic Dutch Windmills. You can walk through a quaint museum-like town that has little museums to visit and windmills to see. Unfortunately, not all windmills are ones you can go inside and see, but a couple are (on select days). There is a clog museum where you can watch a demonstration of them being made. Also, there is a cheese museum with tastings as well as a chocolate shop! A great spot for tourists!

5. Utrecht

• Travel Time: 25-30 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €8

Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands, known for its medieval center. It was built around Dom Tower and you can see it from any point in the city – this means you will never get lost! Similar to Amsterdam, Utrecht has beautiful canals with cafe’s overlooking the water and delicious restaurants. Hence, this is another one of our favorite day trips from Amsterdam because there is so much to see and do in this town!

6. Haarlem

• Travel Time: 20 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €5

Haarlem is one of my favorite day trips from Amsterdam. It’s a quick train ride and has almost as much to offer as the larger city! It retains its medieval character of cobblestone streets and gabled houses and has great food and shopping. Also, Haarlem is home to some of the best museums in the Netherlands, such as the Teyelers Museum!

7. Leiden

• Travel Time: 25-30 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €10

Leiden is known for its centuries-old architecture and for Leiden University, the country’s oldest, dating from 1575. If you visit Leiden in spring, you will also find yourself in the centre of the flower-bulb region! Equally important, Leiden is a great city for people to settle down and buy a house and commute into Amsterdam for work (cheaper to live there than Amsterdam!).

8. Muiden

• Travel Time: 40-50 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €5-7

If you have ever heard of this small town in the Netherlands, it’s likely due to it housing The Muiderslot. Muiderslot is one of Holland’s most picturesque medieval castles! Approx. 600 years after it was built, the castle is in perfect condition now and each year thousands of visitors visit! Muiden is close enough to Amsterdam that you can also ride a bike over there (~48 minutes) if you so choose.

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1-2 hour train/bus ride from Amsterdam:

9. Zwolle

• Travel Time: 1.5 hours
• Estimated cost one way: €20

Zwolle is a unique city in that it does offer everything you’d expect of a modern city, yet also preserves the intimacy of the past. The Peperbustoren is a landmark of the city of Zwolle which is easy to climb and get a birds eye view. In the city center of Zwolle, you will find trendy shops for gifts, furniture, clothes, sweets and specialties from Zwolle. One of our favorite spots is the bookshop ‘Waanders in de broeren’, which has set up shop in a magnificent church!

10. Rotterdam

• Travel Time: 1 hour
• Estimated cost one way: €17-20

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands. The city was almost completely destroyed in WWII, hence why you won’t find as many of the historical tall & slender houses like you do in Amsterdam. Rotterdam is a very modern city now, known for it’s nightlife, shopping, and innovative architecture. Rotterdam’s international port is Europe’s biggest harbour and among the world’s top five biggest harbours!

11. Antwerp, Belgium

• Travel Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Estimated cost one way: €30 – €60

Antwerp is actually on our list of cities to go to – we will be heading there in November! Antwerp is a port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt, with history dating to the Middle Ages. It’s under a 2 hour train from from Amsterdam which makes it great for a day trip. Antwerp is actually known as the diamond capital of the world!

2-3 hour train/bus ride from Amsterdam

12. Giethoorn

• Travel Time: 2.5 hours
• Estimated cost one way: ~€25

Geithoorn, also known as the “Venice of the North” is a must-see if you are visiting the Netherlands. It is a mostly car free village that is known for it’s waterways, footpaths, and centuries-old thatched-roof houses. This location can be a bit tricky to get to – it’s easiest to rent a car but there are also a couple ways to use public transportation as well! Out of all the day trips from Amsterdam though, put this one at the top of your list!

13. Bruges, Belgium

• Travel Time: 3 hours
• Estimated cost one way: €30 – €60

Bruges, Belgium is a hot spot that we actually recommend trying to make more than a day trip! If you can take a weekend to visit this city, we highly recommend it. Bruges is a city for lovers, known for its picturesque parks, old world hotels and sentimental legends. Belgium is known for their beer, waffles and chocolate! You can take cooking class, have beer tastings and spend many hours weaving in and out of chocolate shops!

14. Brussels, Belgium

• Travel Time: 2.5 hours
• Estimated cost one way: €26 – €80

Brussels is the most common city to visit in Belgium (it is the capital) from the Netherlands. It’s easy to get to from Amsterdam and is a big enough city that you can actually spend upwards of 2-3 days. Brussels is also known as the “capital of Europe” due to its significance as a centre of international governance and business makes Brussels a true global city.

15. Dusseldorf, Germany

• Travel Time: 2 – 3 hours
• Estimated cost one way: €35 – €50

Dusseldorf is a spot where we ended up spending up to two days exploring. I think you can definitely do it in one day though! The capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Dusseldorf is an economic powerhouse straddling the banks of the Rhine River. You can take a Rhine River cruise that takes you up and down for scenic views of the city. It’s also known for it’s shopping, beer and and nightlife!

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Hopefully our list of day trips from Amsterdam is helpful as you are planning your next trip. If you are planning on staying in Amsterdam for a bit, make sure to check out our list of do’s and dont’s when visiting the Netherlands!