I’ve loved Amsterdam since my first visit as a tourist — so much so that 15 years ago, I moved here.
As someone who now calls Amsterdam home, I’m the first to admit you won’t find another city quite like this in the Netherlands. In recent years, however, I’ve noticed that the crowds coming to adore Amsterdam just keep growing.
It feels like everywhere I turn, there’s someone else snapping the same photo I was planning to. The Red Light District becomes packed with tourists, and there are social-media-generated queues stretching along some of the city’s most beautiful bridges.
So, when my friends visit Amsterdam, I always recommend they take a day or weekend trip to one of these other Dutch cities, where they’ll find historic centers, waterways, museums, and café culture, all with a fraction of the crowds.
Utrecht has cool canals and delicious food
About 20 minutes from Amsterdam by train, Utrecht has distinctive canals and heart-melting charm. Medieval wharves sit a full level below the street, so the old cellars that once received cargo now host cafés and restaurants with terraces right at the water’s edge.
Climb the Dom Tower — the tallest church tower in the Netherlands — for a panoramic view, then come down and eat lunch with your feet practically over the canal.
For some extra layers of history, check out DOMunder, an interactive experience that takes you on an underground tour through archaeological remains.
Utrecht’s food scene reflects its large student population, with independent restaurants, creative brunch spots, and a thriving specialty coffee culture led by favorites such as Blackbird Coffee & Vintage. (Blackbird’s flat white is the best!)
For tons of charm and history, head to Leiden
Leiden is home to the country’s oldest university, and the mass of students adds a ton of life and energy to the beautifully preserved old center. Along with the university, Leiden is best known internationally as Rembrandt’s birthplace — but the city has many other treasures, too.
One of my favorite things to do in Leiden (and other Dutch cities) is to discover the hofjes, or hidden courtyards tucked behind small houses. Look up as you explore, and you’ll also spot some of the city’s 100-plus wall poems, painted on facades in dozens of languages.
After walking the cobbled streets for a few hours, I always love relaxing at one of the floating restaurants gently bobbing on the city’s canals. Don’t skip the Botanical Garden, either — it’s where the first tulips in the Netherlands were grown.
Mostly, though, you can’t go wrong with just walking around. With a medieval fortress at its center and old city gates at its edges, Leiden rewards aimless wandering more than almost anywhere I know.
Zutphen, known as the City of Towers, is a hidden gem without tons of crowds
When a friend tells me they want to go off the beaten path, I send them east to Zutphen, a former trading town on the IJssel River. Its skyline of medieval towers has barely changed in centuries, and as you wander the streets, it’s easy to start dreaming of knights and princesses.
Inside the Walburgis Church, you’ll find the Librije, one of the few surviving chained libraries in Europe, with its 16th-century books still secured to the reading desks exactly as they were when knowledge was worth locking down.
Don’t miss the Berkelpoort, a medieval water gate over the river, and the spot where you can climb aboard a silent “whisper boat” for a cruise along the town canals.
For a delicious taste of Dutch food, head to Den Bosch
Officially, it’s ‘s-Hertogenbosch, but everyone here seems to agree that the shortened version is perfectly fine. This southern city is the heart of North Brabant, a Dutch region known for its food.
It’s also home to the Gothic St. John’s Cathedral, one of the country’s most remarkable landmarks. On the cathedral’s flying buttresses, you’ll find whimsical, carved statuettes that look straight out of a storybook.
A boat tour in this city is uniquely special, too, as it’ll take you on medieval canals that run partly beneath the streets, in dark tunnels where your guide may not be able to resist telling a ghost story or two.
Finally, when it comes to food, you can’t go wrong with most of the restaurants here — but don’t leave the city without eating a bossche bol, an oversize chocolate-covered cream puff that will give you a nice sugar rush.
The southern warmth here is real, and it’s a side of the Netherlands most visitors never see.
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