Dutch countryside near Amsterdam

Discover Holland outside Amsterdam

Holland is world famous for the tulips and other flowers, cheese, clogs, windmills, polders with cows and a lot of water in canals and lakes. The best way to discover these Dutch icons is to visit the countryside of Holland. The distances in the Netherlands are short so you are in less than 30 minutes drive to the most beautiful rural locations. We always find it special when we drive home from the crowded Amsterdam and find ourself in the beautiful countryside in less than a 30 minutes drive.

Below we will give more information about three must see regions in Holland. We will start with the area north of Amsterdam.

North of Amsterdam | Zaanse Schans, Edam & Volendam

Zaanse Schans windmills
Windmills at the Zaanse Schans north of Amsterdam

The most popular countryside location is located in the North of Amsterdam. Popular villages such as Volendam, Edam, Marken and an attraction such as the Zaanse Schans attract millions of visitors every year from the Netherlands and far beyond. In this region you learn a lot about Holland in a short time. The area is perfect for a one day visit and there are many tours available from the center of Amsterdam. 

South of Amsterdam | Bollenstreek, Lisse and Noordwijk

Flower fields area
Flower fields near Flower Park Keukenhof south of Amsterdam

The south of Amsterdam is very popular during spring. This area is best known for the tulips, flower fields and the beaches. In Dutch the area is called Bollenstreek. The world famousΒ Keukenhof GardensΒ are also located in this area. This region is therefore very colorful every spring. In the summer the area is popular by travellers how don’t want to be visiting the crowded places but who want to enjoy the windmills, polders, lakes and beaches this region has. Every day of the year you can visit the gardens around Keukenhof Castle for free.

East of AmsterdamΒ | Giethoorn

Giethoorn Canal bridges
The canals in Giethoorn East of Amsterdam

This polder area is completely new ground. There are also tulip fields to see and in Spring there are very nice tulip events and about 75 miles away is the unique village of Giethoorn.

Are you planning to visit the best (flower) activities in Holland? Make sure to check out our most populair articles: