7 spring days in the Netherlands (when you’ve already seen Amsterdam)
This trip was my third time in the Netherlands. If it’s your first time here, I recommend you to check this itinerary for the Netherlands, which highlights some of the sights in Amsterdam and other must-see places in the Netherlands. If you’ve already been here before, check out this Netherlands spring itinerary for 7 days below and maybe you find some inspiration!
This time around I went to see the tulips. This was on my wish list since before COVID hit – visiting the tulip fields was the trip I was planning when the world when on isolation. Now was the chance to do it! Here you will see the route I took – as you can see, it’s not all tulips. I try to get a good outlook of places and activities when I visit a place, and I knew that, no matter how beautiful tulips are, I will eventually get tired of them.
As is now tradition, the weather wasn’t great. That’s usually on me, because I travel off-season to reduce costs. But this time it’s because of the tulip blooming season, which happens to be in spring. As is tradition in my case as well, after I left, the weather forecast was wonderful.
Itinerary
Day 1 – WONDR museum and Haarlem
WONDR museum
On my last visit to the Netherlands, I did most of the serious museums that I wanted to see in Amsterdam. This time I felt like doing something silly – and the WONDR museum is exactly that. I must say that I have an opinion on such places being called “museums”, as you’re not really learning anything. I prefer to call it an entertainment center. And the WONDR museum does entertain! The building is pink and colorful, so you already know what you’re getting into once you approach it. Inside, it has multiple rooms to play and take selfies with funny backdrops. I hadn’t jump in an inflatable castle or swam in a pool of balls since my childhood, so that was hilarious! The rooms are well-done, and there’s a good number of different activities. In some of the rooms there is an employee that helps to take a photo with a camera, and then they will send you a link with your photos. When I went it wasn’t too crowded, but nonetheless we had to wait in some of the rooms.
Haarlem
In the afternoon, we took the train to Haarlem. You may consider this a must-do in the Netherlands, but I hadn’t come up to it yet. The ride from Amsterdam Centraal to Haarlem takes around 20 min, and the intercity train leaves you in the city center. Haarlem is a nice, pleasant city to walk in. My favorite sight was the Teylers museum. It’s the oldest museum in the Netherlands, and it has many fossils and minerals, as well as multiple scientific devices from previous centuries. That was really really cool!
We then strolled around the small stores, cafes, and cute streets, and then walked through the central square, and the windmill De Adriaan.
We had dinner at the Jopen, a building that used to be a church and was reconverted into a bar and restaurant. If you have a reservation, you will be guided upstairs for a fancy dinner, while if you just want to each a burger, you should show up and take a seat in the lower floor.
Day 2 – Amersfoort and Utrecht
Amersfoort
We started the day in Amersfoort, a compact city that surprised me with its charm. Already getting out of the train, you had nice indications on the floor on how to reach the historic center. The city center itself is surrounded by medieval walls and canals, and the Koppelpoort (a medieval gate) is especially photogenic. We decided to wander through the town, stopping for coffee at one of the many cafés in the main square. It was nice to warm up, as spring days are still pretty cold. Or maybe it’s just always cold in the Netherlands.
Utrecht
In the afternoon, we hopped on a short train ride to Utrecht. We started walking through the shopping mall right in front of the station, and then went to the main square, the Dom Tower area, and enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere. We also visited the St. Martin’s Cathedral, which had a beautiful interior and a quiet cloister area that you could visit for free. Utrecht feels a bit less touristy than Amsterdam, but there’s still plenty of things to see.
We also went to the Museum Speelklok, where you could see machines that made music. It’s excellent if you’ve ever wondered how people listened to music before we had radios or Spotify. I recommend to join the tour, as they will turn on some of the instruments and you can enjoy listening the music and even dancing to it.
Day 3 – The Hague
I’d never made it to The Hague on previous trips, so this was a perfect occasion. We wanted to visit the Mauritshuis, home to Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, but well, there were no tickets for that day. Big lesson on booking your tickets in advance. Instead, we went to the Escher museum. It’s located in a palace, and you can see the evolution of Escher’s art.
Later in the afternoon, we tried getting into the Noordeinde Palace, but all the entraces were closed, so we assumed that day there was no entry. We spent the rest of the day walking around the city center and browsing some stores.
Day 4 – Het Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe, Open Air Museum, and Nijmegen
Time to enjoy some nature. We picked up a car at the airport and drove to Het Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe, a national park not too far from Amsterdam, around 1:30 min drive. It costs 13.40€ to enter the park, and 9.50€ for the car parking. The park has free white bikes you can grab and return to different locations — perfect for a relaxed ride through forests. They have several routes marked, which are very easy, as the Netherlands is mostly flat. We did the Pheasant route, which was a bit more than 5 km. It was nice to see the trees and the flora that the Netherlands has.
The park also contains the Kröller-Müller Museum, an art museum with an exhibition of Van Gogh (13.5€).
In the afternoon, we stopped at the Open Air Museum in Arnhem. It’s huge! There are windmills, traditional houses, farms, and trams to get around. There’s a great diversity of houses, ranging multiple centuries and many differnt purposes. If you’re into cultural history, it’s a must. There are multiple locations were a person is performing a traditional task, and you can go chat with them.
We ended the day in Nijmegen, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. You can visit the city walls, the river, and the historic center. It’s a small but charming city.
Day 5 – Castle de Haar, Hortus Bulborum, and Middenbeemster
Castle de Haar
Castle de Haar is the largest castle in the Netherlands, with an initial construction dating back to the 14th century. Usually medieval castles don’t have much content inside, but Castle de Haar was an exception to that. It was inherited by Etienne Baron van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar and Baroness Hélène de Rothschild, and in the early 20th century they made an absolutely impressive vacation castle of it. I’m usually more of a see-castles-from-outside person, but this one is totally worth to go in.
I will mention that we wanted to buy the tickets online, but it looked that there was none left. However, once we reach the site, we could buy them in the machine. A bit risky, but may be worth the try if you didn’t get tickets!
We then headed to Hortus Bulborum, a living museum of old tulip, narcissus, and bulb varieties — some dating back centuries! It’s full of charm and historical interest. It was our first flower visit of the trip, so we were really excited! It’s a place maintained by volunteers and the fee was only 5,5€ per person. You could also buy bulbs in the store if you are interested in gardening.
We finished the day in Middenbeemster, a town built in a polder reclaimed from the sea. The Beemster area is a UNESCO site for its unique land management and planning — a bit niche, but if you’re into history and landscape design, it’s worth the detour.
Day 6 – Keukenhof and other tulip fields
Keukenhof
This was THE tulip day. We even got lucky and could see the sun in the afternoon. I cannot believe how many tulips we saw!
We had one of the first slots to get into Keukenhof, and it was already crowded. Nonetheless, all the organization was perfectly done, we got help to find a parking slot and entered without having to wait. Yes, Keukenhof is touristy, but it is also gorgeous. It’s like walking through a perfectly curated tulip fantasy. They not only have tulips, there’s also plenty of other flowers, in case you need a tulip break. The themed gardens are stunning, and if you’re into photography, you’ll be busy for hours. So was I, for 5 h more precisely. If you don’t have the urgent need to photograph everything you see, you may be out in 2-3 h.
You can also rent a bike here for 11€ and do one of the routes that drive you around Lisse. They give you a very convenient map with some of the most intersting stops along the way.
The Tulip Experience
After Keukenhof, we drove to The Tulip Experience. In the Netherlands, you’re not allowed to step at the tulip fields you see on the streets (to protect them). Therefore, if you want to have a “walking in a tulip field” experience, you need stop at one of the several businesses that allow you to do so. The Tulip Experience is one of those. The exprerience we got here was completely different from Keukeuhof (except that both have tulips). Keukehof is a garden with tulips, The Tulip Experience is a field of tulips. It may sound similar, but the concept is quite different, so I’d recommend to visit both.
Additionally, The Tulip Experience provided several photo-props and allowed us to pick 5 flowers at the end of the tour (from a designated spot).
The Tulip Store
Since that wasn’t enough for us, we went to the Tulip Store, which as the name indicates, is mainly a store. However, it’s also a great place to see many tulip types for a small fee (5€), and they also have some large tulip fields. Since it’s much less crowded, you can have a pretty big spot of tulips for yourself!
Day 7 – Flevoland route
Flevoland isn’t the first place people think of when visiting the Netherlands, but it’s home to some impressive tulip fields — and far fewer tourists. You need to buy your ticket at their website, which you pay per car (6,5€ in 2025), and choose your preferred route. After buying a ticket you have to download an app that was guiding you, mostly by voice, so you don’t really see the route a priori. They may change how they did the app, as I found it rather confusing (and according to the lady where I picked up the windshield ticket, I was not the only one!). You also need to pick up your ticket, as you’re driving through some private roads.
The area is very open and flat, with some additional cycling routes. We also passed some wind turbines, as the Netherlands is quite windy. The guide was telling us that some of the businesses sell fresh produce, but we only saw open some that were selling eggs (not so useful for us, international tourists!). If you want a more local experience of tulip season, this is it.
My recommendation if you’re doing this route is to be flexible with the days. You really want to catch full bloom, but also before the farmers start cutting the flowers. When I went, many fields were already cut, but the week before it must have been amazing.
Hans & Grietje Restaurant
Another fun stop that the guide recommended us was the Hans & Grietje Restaurant. The food is ok (pancakes with stuff), but the whole setting is amazing! If you have kids, this is a must stop, and even as an adult, I found the decorations extremelly well-curated. They were also really crowded, so it may be worth to book your time slot.
Muiderslot
Our stop before leaving was Muiderslot, a medieval castle just outside Amsterdam. While it was built during the same time as the Castle de Haar, this one did not get the modernity inside, so the rooms were rather empty. However, even to see the castle from the outside, you need to get tickets.
The gardens were quite nice (although it was absolutely freezing, as they are next to the water), and the main garden had multiple herbs that people used to use back in the time.
Need more inspiration?
- If it’s your first time visiting the Netherlands, check this 7 days in the Netherlands guide.
- Ever wanted to visit the Dutch antilles? Check out this 7 days in Curaçao guide.