Amsterdam Day Trips

8 Amazing Day Trips from Amsterdam

Day trips from Amsterdam

In a nutshell

  • Are you planning a day trip from Amsterdam? We show you 8 great places to visit near Amsterdam and how to get there.
  • We give you all the tips you need for your day trip – so that you don’t have to search too hard.
  • Our favorite day trips from Amsterdam are the Zaanse Schans windmills, Utrecht and Haarlem.

Zaanse Schans

Day trips from Amsterdam
The Windmills in Zaanse Schans are a fantastic destination for a day trip from Amsterdam

The Zaanse Schans is a small village on the Zaan and is just a stone’s throw from Amsterdam. The area is best known for its beautiful windmills.

Zaanse Schans is a mixture of an inhabited village and an open-air museum. In addition to the windmills, there is also a historic wooden shoe workshop, cheese stores and really cute, quaint cafés.

If you have already ticked off all the activities in Amsterdam, then we highly recommend this place.

Guided tour to Zaanse Schans

The guided Zaanse Schans tour is the best way to visit the site. The price-performance ratio is great! Not only is the return trip included, but also a tour of the mills, a visit to a clog workshop and a cheese tasting.

Book a guided Zaanse Schanse tour online

Day trip to Zaanse Schaans by train or car

You can take the train from Amsterdam-Centraal to Koog-Zaandijk at the Zaanse Schans for around 4 euros. The train ride also takes about 20 minutes.

By car, take the A8 from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans. The journey takes about 20 minutes.

Keukenhof

Keukenhof Amsterdam
Thousands of tulips bloom in Keukenhof

Keukenhof is a flower park southwest of Amsterdam. The park is open every spring.

Read more about the best time to visit Amsterdam

The most beautiful tulip fields near Amsterdam bloom here and every year the park has a different theme. For example Van Gogh or Flower Power.

Guided tour to Keukenhof

Traveling to Keukenhof in a small group is the less stressful way to visit the park and will save you around 10 euros. Transfer and admission are included. You can then move around freely in the courtyard.

Book a Keukenhof visit with a tour group online

Day trip to Keukenhof by train or car

Because the crowds at Keukenhof are very large, it makes sense to buy your entrance ticket online in advance, even if you are visiting without a tour group.

Getting there by car is easy. Take the A4 from Amsterdam to Keukenhof. The journey takes around 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, getting there on your own by bus and train is quite inconvenient and takes over an 1 hour. We would advise against this.

Haarlem

Haarlem
Haarlem is even older than Amsterdam

Haarlem is located to the west of Amsterdam and is only a stone’s throw away. The city is really worth seeing and is known as “Amsterdam’s older sister“.

Beautiful canals and historic canal houses await you here. And Haarlem is not even half as crowded as Amsterdam. A great day trip destination!

Day trip to Haarlem from Amsterdam by train

Haarlem is great for a day trip from Amsterdam.

It only takes 10 minutes by train from Amsterdam-Centraal to Haarlem Central Station. The journey costs just under 7 euros and trains run every 10 minutes. It couldn’t be easier.

The I Amsterdam City Card also includes many museums in Haarlem and a canal cruise in Haarlem. So if you have the card, you can also make great use of it in Haarlem.

Book your train ticket to/from Haarlem online

Zandvoort

Sandy beach in Zandvoort near Amsterdam
Sandy beach in Zandvoort near Amsterdam

Zandvoort is a coastal town near Amsterdam on the North Sea. The town is very popular with beach vacationers.

You can expect a long sandy beach, the open sea and small cafés and restaurants with a view of the water. There are also many cycle paths for bike tours.

Our tip: Zandvoort is a great place to visit near Amsterdam with children. Just pack your beach toys and get out of the city for a day. Super varied, and the kids can let off steam.

Day trip from Amsterdam to Zandvoort by car or train

Take the A10 from Amsterdam to Zandvoort by car. The journey takes 40 minutes.

An even less stressful option is to take the train from Amsterdam-Centraal to Zandvoort. The train ride takes 30 minutes.

Book your train ticket to/from Zandvoort online

Giethoorn

Giethoorn
Giethoorn is crisscrossed by canals (© fokkebok)

Giethoorn is a small town on the opposite side of the IJsselmeer. Although it is not a place to visit very close to around Amsterdam, it is still easy to reach.

Due to its many canals and bridges, Giethoorn is also known as “Holland’s Venice“.

And the special feature is that the center doesn’t even have streets, but really only canals. And there are small islands with farmhouses everywhere, connected to the mainland by 170 bridges.

Guided tour to Giethoorn

We recommend a guided day tour from Amsterdam to Giethoorn, including transfer and boat tour. This way you don’t have to worry about anything and can simply sit back and enjoy the typical Dutch landscape on the bus ride and boat tour.

Book a guided day tour to Giethoorn online

Day trip to Giethoorn by car

Traveling to Giethoorn without a tour group is only worthwhile if you have a car. The journey to Giethoorn would take just under 3 hours by public transport.

By car, it takes about 1.5 hours from Amsterdam to Giethoorn via the A6.

Den Hague

Den Haag
Den Haag is easy to reach from Amsterdam

The Hague is a city to the southwest of Amsterdam and a really diverse excursion destination.

Here you can not only see great sights, such as the Peace Palace, but also go for walks on the beach. The Hague is located by the sea and has an 11-kilometer-long sandy beach.

Day trip to The Hague by train or car

We recommend taking the NS International train from Amsterdam-Centraal to The Hague HS. A journey costs just around 15 euros and takes around 45 minutes. Trains run approximately every 15 minutes.

Book your train ticket to/from The Hague online

If you want to travel by car from Amsterdam to The Hague, the best option is to simply take the A4. The journey takes 55 minutes.

Utrecht

Utrecht
Utrecht is simply beautiful!

Utrecht is located south-east of Amsterdam and is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands.

We wouldn’t say that Utrecht is better than Amsterdam, but the city has earned the title of “Amsterdam’s little brother“.

There are many canals and churches to see in Utrecht. We particularly like the antique and second-hand mile along the Oudegracht.

You can find more Utrecht tips here:

Day trip from Amsterdam to Utrecht by train or car

The easiest way to get from Amsterdam to Utrecht is by train. For just under 11 euros, you can travel from Amsterdam-Centraal to Utrecht main station. Trains leave every 10 minutes and the journey takes around 40 minutes.

Book your train ticket to/from Utrecht online

The journey by car via the A2 takes about the same time.

Rotterdam

Rotterdam
Rotterdam is a super cool port city (© Dmitry Rukhlenko)

Just like The Hague, Rotterdam is located southwest of Amsterdam – just a little further away.

Rotterdam is a really cool port city where modern meets historic. This applies to both the activities and the sights in Rotterdam.

In addition to sightseeing, you can also take a harbor tour on an amphibious bus, for example.

Day trip from Amsterdam to Rotterdam by train or car

We recommend taking the NS International train from Amsterdam-Centraal to Rotterdam. A journey costs just under 20 euros and trains run approximately every 10 minutes. The journey takes around 50 minutes.

Book your train ticket to/from Rotterdam online

Alternatively, you can drive from Amsterdam to Rotterdam via the A4 in 1 hour.

FAQ about Amsterdam Day Trips

Which cities are near Amsterdam?

Amsterdam is surrounded by many cities worth seeing. We can recommend Haarlem, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam.

All four cities are around 30 to 70 kilometers from Amsterdam and are easy to reach by train.

Which places to visit near Amsterdam with children?

If you would like to take a trip from Amsterdam with children, the Keukenhof and Zandvoort are particularly worthwhile.

You can easily reach both destinations without a tour group and are therefore independent. The kids have a lot to see here and can let off steam in nature.

Which day trips from Amsterdam are good value?

If you want to take a trip from Amsterdam but spend as little money as possible, we recommend a detour to Haarlem.

The train ride from Amsterdam to Haarlem costs just under 7 euros and you can be there in 10 minutes. Perfect.

Can you do a day trip from amsterdam to Luxembourg?

Theoretically yes, but we don’t recommend it. It’s a 4-hour drive to Luxembourg by car – so you’d be on the road for a total of 8 hours in one day. By train or bus, you’ll need at least 5.5 hours each way.

So a weekend trip to Luxembourg from Amsterdam is more worthwhile.

These were our tips for day trips from Amsterdam

Do you also have a cool tip or do you know any other great places to visit near Amsterdam? Please let us know in the comments. We look forward to hearing from you!