Looking for an authentic Dutch village to visit for a day trip outside of Amsterdam? There are plenty of beautiful little spots worth exploring!
Dutch cities are beautiful, we all know that. But what about the villages? They deserve some love too. Besides, cities can be busy and overcrowded.
So, instead of pushing your way through the bustling streets of Amsterdam yet again, why not take a trip to some of the quiet, tranquil, and quaint places in the Netherlands? 🚌
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As someone who has been exploring the Netherlands for years, here’s my guide to 11 authentic Dutch villages you simply have to visit.
- 1. Beesel: the Dutch village of the dragon
- 2. De Rijp: home of the herring
- 3. Naarden: Dutch fort or village?
- 4. Kinderdijk: we’re big fans
- 5. Loosdrecht: let loose and take a vay-cay
- 6. Vinkeveen: for the water nymphs
- 7. Lisse: terrific tulips
- 8. Broek in Waterland: Insta-worthy and hyper-Dutch
- 9. Bronkhorst: a city? Kind of?
- 10. Thorn: from swamp to pomp
- 11. Bourtange: the star of the show (literally)
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1. Beesel: the Dutch village of the dragon
Beesel is a village in Limburg, a province in the south of the Netherlands. It was founded in 1275, so it’s been around for quite a while.
Beesel started as a ship bench and remained so for over 500 years, belonging to Spanish Opper-Gelre until 1713.
The village has plenty of lovely Neolithic architecture as well. Like all good villages, it has a wonderful, cosy atmosphere.
It also has a metre-high dragon adorning its roundabout, which refers to the village’s yearly tradition of staging a spectacle based on the legend of George and the Dragon. 🐉
📍Location: Beesel, Limburg
2. De Rijp: home of the herring
De Rijp is in the Alkmaar municipality in North Holland. If you’re excited about the Netherlands’ favourite food (herring), then this is the place to visit!
Historically, De Rijp was surrounded by lakes, so herring fishing was an abundant source of revenue for the area. 🐟
As the potential birthplace of Holland, De Rijp also has some of the oldest wooden houses in the Netherlands.
READ MORE | What’s the difference between Holland and the Netherlands?
It also has some rather hilarious stained glass windows in its church, which contain imagery, not of God, but the next best thing: herring!
📍Location: De Rijp, Alkmaar
3. Naarden: Dutch fort or village?
Naarden is a village that really needs to be appreciated by air. We mean, just look at that awesome town layout! 😍
The unusual outline of this village is the result of it being a star fort. Its distinctive shape was also important in more modern times.
During World War II, allied bombers would cheer when they passed overhead, knowing they were on their way back to safe territory.
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Apart from that, Naarden is also home to the fascinating Dutch Fortress Museum.
📍Location: Naarden, Gooi, North Holland
4. Kinderdijk: we’re big fans
This village is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so you know it’s going to be good. Kinderdijk is home to the largest collection of old windmills in the Netherlands — 19 in total!
If you’ve been craving some of those mandatory Dutch windmill pictures for your Instagram, this village is simply something you cannot miss.
READ MORE | Best windmill site in the Netherlands: Kinderdijk or Zaanse Schans?
You can buy tickets for a tour of two windmills that have been turned into museums if you fancy getting deep into the history of this beautiful place, or you can just admire these awesome structures from afar.
📍Location: Kinderdijk, South Holland
5. Loosdrecht: let loose and take a vay-cay
This Dutch village is perfect for visiting in the summer months, as it’s most famous for the lakes that surround it — the Loosdrechtse Plassen.
Loosdrecht is actually really two separate villages, Old Loosdrecht and New Loosdrecht.
Old Loosdrecht is mainly made up of beautiful lakeside villas — the area is a favourite haunt of the wealthy.
New Loosdrecht, on the other hand, is quite densely populated and a bit less exclusive.
As a tourist, both sides of the village are worth exploring. You can enjoy the lakes by boat or from the shore while you’re there. 🚣🏼♀️
📍Location: Loosdrecht, Wijdemeren, North Holland
6. Vinkeveen: for the water nymphs
If you’re visiting Utrecht, you might as well pop by Vinkeveen, which is another fabulous village that’s as beautiful from above as it is from its pretty streets.
Vinkeveen is famous for its lakes, which you can see in the picture above.
They’re used for swimming, diving, and yachting on approximately three days of the year when the Dutch weather is good. 😂
📍Location: Vinkeveen, Utrecht
7. Lisse: terrific tulips
You can pretend all you want, we all know you moved to the Netherlands for the tulips.
Lisse is near Keukenhof, the *cough* somewhat expensive *cough* park where you can see more tulips than you’ll ever need. 🌷
When visiting Lisse, not only can you see the beauty of seemingly endless fields of flowers, but also a very authentic Dutch village!
And you can feel all smug about avoiding a tourist trap, as well.
📍Location: Lisse, South Holland
8. Broek in Waterland: Insta-worthy and hyper-Dutch
In our opinion, Broek in Waterland is probably the most spectacular of Dutch villages.
Plus, it’s super close to Amsterdam and has just about the most Dutch name for a village we’ve ever heard!
Its proximity to the capital does mean it gets a bit overrun with tourists, who all understandably want to experience rural Dutchness without travelling too far outside the capital. 🌳
Broek in Waterland has actually been a tourist hot spot for generations, acting as a vacation town in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Thanks to its monument status, the village is very well preserved.
If you’re looking for something that’ll please your wanderlust and Instagram feed, some of the houses are pastel-coloured or white, making the whole village very aesthetically pleasing. 📸
📍Location: Broek in Waterland, Waterland, North Holland
9. Bronkhorst: a city? Kind of?
Now, Bronkhorst is quite a trek from Amsterdam, but luckily, the public transport system in the Netherlands is really good. And besides, this town (or city) is well worth it.
Although Bronkhorst has only 157 inhabitants, it was granted city rights in 1482.
That means it technically has a (somewhat limited) form of self-governance. 🙌🏼
It is an absolutely gorgeous village to walk around: quiet streets, authentic Dutch architecture, and plenty of greenery.
There are also some really nice bike routes in the surroundings of the village. 🚲
📍Location: Bronkhorst, Bronkhorst, Gelderland
10. Thorn: from swamp to pomp
Thorn is in Limburg and has a really cool combination of great architecture and fascinating history.
It’s known as the white village for obvious reasons: all of its typical Dutch brick houses have been whitewashed, which gives it a lovely, clean, summery vibe.
Thorn began as a swamp near the Roman road between Maastricht and Nijmegen. In the 10th century, it was drained, and a monastery was established.
In the 13th century, this monastery became a convent. The nuns made wine which is still made and served in the village, though the convent itself closed in the 18th century. 🍷
📍Location: Thorn, Limburg
11. Bourtange: the star of the show (literally)
Bourtange is a unique village located in the province of Groningen, all the way up north. It was built between 1580 and 1593, during the Eighty Years’ War.
What is now a popular tourist attraction, used to be a part of the glorious fortification on the border between the northern Dutch provinces and Germany.
Over time, people started leaving Bourtange, until the village was completely emptied around 1960.
READ MORE | A day trip to Bourtange: the tiny village steeped in Dutch history
After some restorations, the fortress now exists as a quaint little village and outdoor museum. Visitors can see the historic Market Square, a candle maker, and various charming shops and restaurants.
📍Location: Bourtange, Westerwolde
Will you be visiting one of these gorgeous Dutch villages soon? Or have you already been to any? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Don’t forget to visit the oldest town in the Netherlands: Nijmegen. Walk the town with gildenijmegen.nl for only €4 per person.
The author comments on the 3 days of summer that the Netherlands has….we have been here for the last two summers, both of which have been glorious! Last summer started as early as April and seemed to end mid September. If you’re comparing summer’s to ‘hot’ countries (of which I have lived), then the temperatures may not be what you class as summer, but the temperatures for the last two years have been between 25-35 degrees, which I think is more enjoyable than 30-40 degree heat. Yes, it does rain a fair bit here too, but having lived in a far wetter country it’s not too bad.
In my opinion the prettiest villages in The Netherlands are Heusden in Brabant (1,5h from Amsterdam) and Edam in North Holland (40min from Amsterdam). And of course Giethoorn in Drenthe but that is overrun by tourists.
Heusden is a wonderful village. Please read my article on Heusden on DutchReview https://dutchreview.com/cities/daytrips/visit-vestingstad-heusden-an-almost-forgotten-fortified-gem/
I’m a flight attendant based out of LAX, we had the Amsterdam route for about 2 years and for my base it was my favorite trip. I loved Amsterdam and I did visit a few of the outlying towns. These I have not and they all sound beautiful and I can’t wait to go back once our travel allows. The pandemic has restricted out travel for now. Great article
Giethoorn, aka Venice in the Netherlands
De Rijp s known more for whaling than herring. Here is a link to the article I wrote on the village of De Rijp: https://dutchreview.com/culture/history/the-dutch-village-of-de-rijp-the-birthplace-of-holland/
What about Grave . It’s a very old little city that still has some of the walls from the castle. It was also very important at the end of WW2. Watch the bridge to far.
The islands on the top of The Netherlands are sooooo beautiful! I especially recommend Texel, where I grew up! There is so much beauty there!