Exploring The Netherlands – My Five City Route & Map

Planning a trip that is not choreographed by a large tour company can seem intimidating or daunting to most people. I have heard from others that they do not know how or where to start. I understand that it does take both time, and patience to create a travel route and agenda. I have learned over the years that one has to travel with a purpose in order to make a trip personal. For myself it is the cuisine, museums, culture, history, and just to fulfil the need to explore.

If you are looking to visit cities that offer art and culture in The Netherlands, this suggested route is the one I followed. If art and culture are not on your travel agenda, I still recommend these cities as they are popular destinations for travel and tourism.

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🧭 My route from Amsterdam to Maastricht 🧭

Amsterdam to Start…

Screenshot_20200628-122508-01 — Amsterdam

Depending on your travel agenda and style, I would say to get the most out of Amsterdam in a short period of time will take you about 3-5 days. Two days if you just want to walk around, take a canal cruise, and visit a museum. There is a lot to see and do in Amsterdam, so do some research to make your visit memorable.

For more of my top Amsterdam picks, please read-

👩🏻‍💻 → Amsterdam’s Canal Ring – A UNESCO World Heritage Site | Discovering the Netherlands

👩🏻‍💻 ➡ Exploring Amsterdam | Food, Culture & UNESCO

👩🏻‍💻 → What I ate in Amsterdam – A Food Journal

👩🏻‍💻→ Keukenhof Gardens – Tip Toe Through the Tulips

👩🏻‍💻→ Restaurant Sham | Delicious Syrian Food in Amsterdam

🧭 From Amsterdam, I took a Flixbus to Den Haag which took less than an hour. If you prefer to take the train, it will take you less than an hour as well. I preferred to take the bus because I did not have to worry about finding a seat with my luggage. Your luggage gets stored underneath the bus, and you are hands free when you find your seat.

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On To Den Haag

Den Haag or ‘The Hague’ is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. There are several cultural points of interest in Den Haag including the Mauritshuis, which is the very reason I came to the city. This museum houses remarkable Golden Age Dutch paintings, including Vermeer’s classic painting ‘Girl with Pearl Earing’.

If you are into food there is a fantastic Chinatown in Den Haag. My dining suggestion is “Little V” which is a modern upscale-casual Vietnamese restaurant.

For Chinatown and other Den Haag food → 👩🏻‍💻 What I Ate in THE NETHERLANDS – A Food Journal

🧭 From Den Haag, I traveled to Arnhem to visit the Hoge Veluwe National Park in Otterlo, plus the Kroller-Muller Museum.

According to the map at the top of the page, there are various cities that you can travel to from Den Haag. Belgium is very close and can be reached easily by bus, train or car.

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Day trip to Delft

I stayed a few days in Den Hauge (The Hague) before I traveled to Arnhem. I positioned myself in The Hague, so I would not have to move around so much. Delft is only a 10-11 minute train ride from Den Haag, and it made sense to stay in a larger city for a few nights.

👩🏻‍💻 For more information on what I did in Delft → A Day in Delft, Netherlands – Discovering Old World Holland

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On to Arnhem

If you are looking to do some cycling or trekking, the Hoge Veluwe National Park in Otterlo is a great side trip to soak up nature. The Kroller-Muller Museum is located inside the National Park and is ‘Must See’ for art lovers. The K-M museum houses the second largest Van Gogh collection outside the Van Gough museum in Amsterdam.

For museum information →👩🏻‍💻 Kröller-Müller Museum – The Second Largest Van Gogh Collection!

🧭 According to the map above, I routed the last stop as Maastricht. It was only to show you how close it was, just in case you just wanted to stay in the Netherlands. My actual route was Arnhem into Belgium but you can venture wherever you want. You can also dip into Germany or Luxembourg because they are all neighbors!

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Last but not least- Maastricht

Maastricht was my favorite city in The Netherlands. As my blog reads, it was like love at first sight! From the elegant Stationstraat (Station Street), the Romanesque Basilica, to the wonderful shops and restaurants- Maastricht stole my heart.I hope that you make it to Maastrciht on your trip to The Netherlands, and enjoy it as much as I did!

👩🏻‍💻 For more information on my visit- Maastricht, Netherlands – It was like love at first sight

🧭 From Maastricht, I traveled into Cologne, Germany and on to Bonn by train. From there, I kept going East all the way to Tallinn, Estonia. It was a very memorable two months.

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