It’s no surprise that traveling in the Netherlands is interesting and enjoyable. Many people already know what to do there with the whole family. However, I’d still like to share my thoughts—maybe they’ll be useful to someone.
We arrived from Düsseldorf. Flights there were much cheaper at the time, and since we wanted to stay somewhere east of Amsterdam, it wasn’t far to travel from there.
One of the nicest things was the weather. No scorching sun, just occasional light drizzles.
We stayed in a place called Kerkendel. It’s considered a holiday village, but the houses there are rented out by private owners, and all services are paid separately. Many people prefer holiday villages, especially those of the Landal and Center Parcs networks, as they offer many children’s attractions, from bowling to water parks. However, we opted for a simpler option since we wouldn’t be using these amenities anyway. In the end, we spent 10 days leaving in the morning and returning late at night with the kids asleep in the car, so it turned out to be the right choice for us.
From this location, we traveled in different directions. Most destinations were within an hour’s drive, making it quite convenient.
We bought a Museumkaart, which provides entry to 450 museums and attractions across the country. It’s an annual pass and not cheap, but it paid off for us many times over. Moreover, we visited several places that we wouldn’t have gone to without it, including:
Netherlands Open Air Museum (address: Hoeferlaan 4, 6816 SG Arnhem, Netherlands) – a large and very interactive museum showcasing the daily life of past generations. We spent almost the entire day there. Nearby is a nice zoo, Burgers’ Zoo (address: Antoon van Hooffplein 1, 6816 SH Arnhem, Netherlands).
Kröller-Müller Museum (address: Houtkampweg 6, 6731 AW Otterlo, Netherlands) – located in the Hoge Veluwe nature reserve. You can enter on foot or by bicycle, which can be rented at the park entrance. A pleasant and peaceful family activity—riding through forest trails with a great museum in the middle.
Nationaal Militair Museum (address: Verlengde Paltzerweg 1, 3768 MX Soest, Netherlands) – a military museum featuring tanks, aircraft, and other army exhibits. We timed our visit to coincide with a battle reenactment, including horses, sabers, cannons, and more, plus a mini fair with various children’s activities.
Spoorwegmuseum (address: Maliebaanstation 16, 3581 XW Utrecht, Netherlands) – A railway museum. Large, beautiful, and highly interactive. We spent half a day there. It is located in Utrecht, a picturesque city with a network of canals. There, we also stumbled upon Museum Speelklok (address: Steenweg 6, 3511 JP Utrecht, Netherlands) – a museum of musical clocks, ranging from tiny music boxes to massive organs.
Kasteel de Haar (address: Kasteellaan 1, 3455 RR Utrecht, Netherlands ) – A well-preserved fairytale-like castle with a vast and well-maintained park. It is the largest and most luxurious castle in the Netherlands and one of Europe’s top historic estates. Located near Utrecht, it is one of the few castles in Europe that fully fits the ideal image of a medieval fortress—with towers, fortifications, moats, gates, and drawbridges. In the late 19th century, the castle was fully restored and partially rebuilt, now standing like a fairytale structure amidst a park with majestic trees, surrounded by historic gardens and ponds.
Archeon (address: Archeonlaan 1, 2408 ZB Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands) – A theme park dedicated to Roman and Barbarian history with corresponding entertainment and performances. A very fun place, especially for boys of all ages.
Archeon is a large museum-park where you can see various buildings from prehistoric, Roman, and medieval times. They were brought here from all over the Netherlands to help people learn about these historical periods. You can walk around, explore different houses, and learn about them.
But Archeon is not just a place to learn about history. It’s a place where you can become part of it. Here, you can bake bread over an open fire, cross a river on a pontoon bridge, try on knight’s armor, and much more. Numerous guides-actors in historical costumes walk around, telling fascinating stories.
Luchtvaartmuseum Aviodrome (address: Pelikaanweg 50, 8218 PG Lelystad, Netherlands) – An aviation museum. Many aircraft, some of which you can enter and explore. You’ll learn everything about flying at the “100 Years of Aviation in the Netherlands” exhibition. Here, you can see the first airplane of the Wright brothers and Anthony Fokker, board a Boeing 747, take a world tour in a flight simulator, leave Earth, and see space through an astronaut’s eyes. Or test your endurance in the 4D movie Skymania.
Batavialand (address: Oostvaardersdijk 01-13, 8242 PA Lelystad, Netherlands) – A sailing expedition ship at a shipyard. This is a reconstruction of the 17th-century merchant ship “Batavia,” which sank in 1628 during its maiden voyage. At the “Bataviawerf” shipyard, the ship is being reconstructed using authentic methods. The shipyard also has several craft workshops that visitors can explore.
Zaanse Schans – A very touristy waterfront location with windmills. Historic windmills and characteristic green wooden houses were relocated here to recreate the appearance of an 18th-19th century village. The Zaan Museum showcases regional costumes, windmill models, and interactive exhibits about chocolate. Craft workshops demonstrate rare trades such as wood carving, cooperage, and pewter casting.
Louwman Museum (address: Leidsestraatweg 57, 2594 BB Den Haag, Netherlands) – Probably the coolest car museum for us, from carriages to McLarens. The Louwman Museum is a museum of historic cars, carriages, and motorcycles in The Hague, Netherlands. Since 2010, it has been located on Leidsestraatweg near the A44 highway. Previous names of the museum include “National Automobile Museum” and “Louwman Collection.”
Madurodam (address: George Maduroplein 1, 2584 RZ Den Haag, Netherlands) – A miniature city, a very popular attraction. Madurodam is a miniature park and tourist destination in the Scheveningen district of The Hague, Netherlands. It features scale models (1:25) of famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities, and large structures.
Mauritshuis (address: Plein 29, 2511 CS Den Haag, Netherlands) – visited for Vermeer, even the kids were impressed. Mauritshuis is located in the heart of The Hague, the historical and political center of the Netherlands. It is a small world-class museum with an impressive collection of Dutch and Flemish 17th-century paintings – the golden age of this art form. The museum consists of two striking historical buildings: Mauritshuis, a city palace on Plein Square in The Hague, and the Prince William V Gallery at Buitenhof.
At Mauritshuis, you will discover iconic masterpieces such as “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Jan Vermeer and “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” by Rembrandt, which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world every year.
Edam Cheese market – a very touristy cheese display.
Took a stroll through Volendam – a charming village by the sea, and did a small trek on the island of Marken, one of the most charming places in the Netherlands, according to our ranking.
We went boating in Giethoorn – houses along the canals, feeling as if they were toys. A lake with reeds, birds, and fish. Giethoorn is a village in the northeastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. It is known for its waterways, pedestrian paths, cycling trails, and centuries-old thatched-roof houses. Giethoorn borders part of the Weerribben-Wieden National Park, a marshland area once popular for peat and reed harvesting.
And of course, Efteling (address: Europalaan 1, 5171 KW Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands). Efteling is a theme park in Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands, based on fantasy themes. The attractions reflect elements of ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore. The park opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a nature park with a playground and a Fairy Tale Forest into a full-fledged theme park. Colorful, magical, with large-scale performances and endless attractions…
We spent a couple of evenings in the charming old town centers of Amersfoort and Apeldoorn.
In the summer, the Netherlands hosts a large number of festivals. Of course, we couldn’t attend all of them, but we managed to catch a couple:
Internationaal Ballonfiësta Barneveld – a long-standing hot air balloon festival. In 1982, Barneveld celebrated the 500th anniversary of Jan van Schaffelaar jumping from the church tower to ensure the free passage of his people. In 1982, local resident Ben Bless, along with balloonist Hans Zoet, founded the first hot air balloon festival in Barneveld. Now, the 40th edition of this event is being prepared.
Bloemencorso Leersum (address: Scherpenzeelseweg, 3956 KB Leersum, Netherlands) – flower floats. For decades, the third weekend of August has been marked in red on the calendar of every Leersum resident. This is the weekend of the flower parade. What started around 70 years ago as a procession of decorated bicycles in honor of Queen Wilhelmina’s birthday has been passed down through generations and turned into the largest event in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug municipality – the flower parade in Leersum.
Vuurwerkfestival Scheveningen – a fireworks festival in Scheveningen by the sea – is an annual event in the Dutch resort city of Scheveningen, during which a spectacular fireworks show takes place along the boulevard over two summer weekends.
The food in the Netherlands is quite disappointing, especially in touristy places. While you can still find decent restaurants in the cities, especially those serving ribs, in simpler places, you almost have to live off chips.
However, there is one place worth mentioning – the restaurant Hans & Grietje Pannenkoekhuis (address: Sternweg 2A, 3898 LJ Zeewolde, Netherlands). It’s something like a theme park with food. Outside, there are various trampolines and rides, while inside, it’s a whole adventure. It’s full of passageways and tunnels that lead to interesting and mysterious rooms, witches and monsters constantly pop up from nowhere, and sometimes the floor even tilts.
In general, the Netherlands is wonderful.
