The Netherlands is one of the most engrossing travel destinations in the world, an intertwined mess of historical and contemporary excitement from Amsterdam’s history-soaked canals and Rotterdam’s urban jungle to the storybook-esque De Haar Castle and Keukenhof’s charming gardens.

There’s so much to see here but exploring the Netherlands’ most iconic landmarks is a perfect place to start …

There are beautiful cities, architectural landmarks, touching tales, small towns, stately homes, parks, farms, art and design, exhibitions and lots of customs and rituals. As you would expect in a nation with a long and storied history. 

It is possible to forget, in the middle of all this, that this Western European country also has some beautiful scenery with two wind-swept coastlines and more than a few colorful fields.

In the Netherlands there’s just so much to visit; you might spend a lifetime enjoying its wealth and only just begin to scratch the surface. That’s why we created this cheat sheet to support you on your journeys.

But first – what is a landmark?

A landmark is a distinctive natural or artificial attribute that usually stands out from its surroundings and has become an emblem of local or national character. A landmark is helpful for urban visitors to travel-both in terms of being a tangible waypoint and in trying to assist you coordinate your itinerary.

Getting off the beaten track is all well and good, but at the end of the day, there are some places you just need to see when you visit a country. Immediately recognizable places that you couldn’t miss if you tried – like the Royal Palace of Stockholm or Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.

And the Netherlands has more than just its fair share …

When approaching a trip to the land of clogs and millions of bicycles, you will want to tick off as many famous Dutch landmarks as you can – and the best way is to do that is often by renting a car, taking a tour, or using the Eurail Pass to get around. 

There is a lot to explore in the Netherlands — and no list of famous Dutch landmarks can ever be exhaustive. But, we’ve tried to get the best bits by calling out to our favorite travel bloggers and asking them to give us tales and helpful tips about their best-loved ones.

This way, you have an appropriate frame of reference to motivate your journeys to the Netherlands, from which you can select a few landmarks that you truly can not miss … Or shoehorn as many of them as feasible on a single trip.

If you plan your Dutch trip right — and you’ve got enough time — you could just hit them all. This is a small country after all.  And discover a great deal more of your own highlights of the Netherlands while you’re at it!

25 Famous Landmarks Of The Netherlands To Plan Your Travels Around! 🇳🇱

Binnenhof

The Binnenhof is one of the best places to see on a day trip to The Hague (known as Den Haag), which is the administrative capital of the Netherlands. Within the Binnenhof, you’ll find the Dutch Parliament in an impressive castle turned government complex, which reflects all different periods throughout Dutch history. The Binnenhof has been used for governance in some form for the last 800 years, which makes it the oldest continually Parliament building in the world. 

The Gothic castle was historically the home of the counts of Holland, although it became the main meeting space for the Dutch Republic before becoming the meeting point for Dutch Parliament. 

The Hague is mostly known for the Knight’s Hall, which dates back to 1248, which can be seen after you enter the inner courtyard of the Binnenhof through the picturesque gates. The best viewpoint is from the other side of the Hofvijver, a pond that has long bordered the former castle. Be sure to try to find the small tower, which is the office of the Dutch Prime Minister. 

If you plan ahead for your visit to the Hague, be sure to book a tour in advance to see the interior of the Binnenhof, although it should be noted that certain locations are off-limits due to security restrictions. Even if you cannot go inside, at least take a stroll through the Binnenhof and make a loop around before exploring the rest of The Hague. The Binnenhof is right in the centre of The Hague about 15 minutes on foot from The Hague Central Station with clear signage from the station.

Explored by Karen from Wanderlustingk

Castle De Haar

The beautiful Castle De Haar is one of the best places to visit in the Netherlands. This stunning castle in the medieval style is the largest one in the country. It is beautifully decorated with historical furnishings, taking you back to the old days.

De Haar Castle is located close to the city of Utrecht, making it a great day trip from either Amsterdam or Utrecht. You might also come along the name Ter Haar, Haarzuylens or Haarzuilens, all referring to the same castle. Beware though Castle Zuylen is actually another castle, not far from De Haar.

With two hundred rooms, De Haar is the biggest castle in the Netherlands, even out winning the ones from the Dutch royal family. Today’s castle has been constructed only in the nineteenth century but in medieval style. It had fallen into ruins before, but the family managed to reconstruct it with some newly found family funds by marrying into the wealthy Van Rothschild family.

The baron and baroness of those days were quite the society couple. They were known for hosting big parties at Castle De Haar, entertaining the Dutch royal family and famous movie actors of that time.

The castle was used only in September, though, a tradition the family still entertains. Even though the castle was transferred to a castle foundation, the family holds the right to use the castle one month each year.

When visiting the castle, plan in enough time for both the castle and the castle grounds. It’s lovely to stroll around the castle gardens and forests. You should buy a separate ticket for the park, though. Entrance tickets are € 17 for the castle and € 6 for the park.

Explored by Maartje and Sebastiaan from The Orange Backpack

Circuit Zandvoort

A historic motorsport circuit in the sand dunes next to the North Sea, Circuit Zandvoort hosted the Dutch Grand Prix from 1948 to 1985. Multiple winners of the popular event include legendary drivers such as Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, and Niki Lauda. 

After a 36-year absence, the Dutch Grand Prix is set to make a highly-anticipated return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021. The date for the race has not yet been announced, but it’s likely to be held in early May. Local interest in Formula 1 has risen in recent years thanks to the rise of Dutch driver Max Verstappen, and the event is expected to be a sellout. 

Circuit Zandvoort also hosts smaller motorsport events throughout the year, including the Historic Zandvoort Grand Prix, G.T. World Challenge, and ADAC GT Masters. Driving and passenger experiences are also available at the circuit.

The circuit is located in the seaside town of Zandvoort, which can be reached by a direct train from Amsterdam in just 30 minutes and is also close to the city of Haarlem. Zandvoort aan Zee train station is near the center of the compact town, around 20 minutes’ walk from the entrance to the circuit.

A popular beach resort with local holidaymakers for almost 200 years, Zandvoort is known for its long sandy beach (including a well-known nudist beach 2km from the town), water sports, and beach bars. There’s a good selection of accommodation in the town, from campsites to apartments and resort hotels – though prices are expected to be sky high and availability very low for the Dutch Grand Prix in 2021!

Explored by Andrew of GPDestinations.com

Cube Houses

Internationally renowned for its eclectic mix of striking landmarks and modern high-rise buildings, Rotterdam’s cityscape is real eye-candy for urban explorers. Most notably, the quirky, bright yellow Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen) are exemplary of the unique character of the innovative Rotterdam architecture.

Built by architect Piet Blom in 1984, these striking residential homes were based on his earlier Cube Houses in the city of Helmond. His innovative and playful design was a response to the unimaginative post-war architecture used in the rebuilding of the Netherlands.

Blom’s Cube Houses are wooden cube homes that are tilted and anchored in a concrete pillar on one corner. This allowed him to not only create an aesthetically pleasing residential neighborhood, but also to devise the idea of a village within a village.

With each home being part of a collective, Blom anticipated this would stimulate residents to connect and socialize with their neighbors. To further stimulate this, he left the large spaces between the pillars and angled walls empty, enabling casual meet-ups and interactions.

Drawn by the success of his first Cube Houses, Blom was invited to help rebuild part of Rotterdam, which was severely bombed during WWII. Recognizing the significance of this new housing project, he took his tried-and-tested design to Rotterdam to recreate a bigger and bolder version. This time, he painted them in canary yellow and doubled the number of houses.

Iconic of Rotterdam’s resurgence after the war and rise of the modern architecture the city is now famed for; the Rotterdam Cube Houses are a popular tourist attraction. Located in the upcoming Blaak neighborhood, it’s one of many interesting architectural gems in the area.

From the well-connected Blaak train station, the Cube Houses are only a 4-minute walk away. You’ll have the best views from the staircase in Kolk street. Looking up from there, the tops of the Cubes almost meet, creating an extremely photogenic star shape in the sky.

It is possible to go inside one of these peculiar houses. But be warned, the museum Kijk-Kobus (Viewing Cube) has been referred to as a tourist trap. Instead, take your time to wander around the neighborhood and make sure to keep your camera at hand.

Explored Zarina Rimbaud-Kadirbaks from Miss Travel Clogs

De Gooyer

De Gooyermthe only standing windmill in Amsterdam left (near the best area to stay in the city), is far more than an Instagram shot — it’s a national monument and a famous Dutch landmark.

The original Windmill De Gooyer was built in the 16th century in another location and served as a corn mill to Amsterdam. De Gooyer was then one of the many windmills on the bastions of the walls of the city.

About two centuries later, the brothers who owned it moved the mill to a nearby location where the wind’s power was needed. It remained on that spot up until the 19th-century when it moved to its current location.

However, De Gooyer eventually fell into decay, and Amsterdam’s municipality decided to buy and restore this piece of history.

Following the scarcity of means and electricity during World War II, the windmill continued to function as a corn mill to the city as before.

Currently, De Gooyer is not open to the public, which is unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean you can’t marvel at Netherland’s tallest wooden mill.

Brouwerij’ t I.J., a Dutch brewery–highly valued among locals, including me–opened its doors right next to the mill. So now you can sip a beer or two while admiring one of the most beautiful landmarks in the Netherlands.

De Gooyer is located between Funenkade and Zeeburgerstraat, and a bus leaving from Amsterdam Central Station can drop you almost at the door in less than 10 minutes.

For that, take the bus 22 toward Muiderpoorstation and get off at Oostenburgergracht stop. You’ll spot the windmill from there.

Explored by Bruna Venturinelli from Maps ‘N Bags

Deltawerken

The Delta works (Deltawerken in Dutch) are a defensive system for protection against high water from the sea. It consists of five storm flood barriers, three locks, and six dams. These can be found in the southwest of The Netherlands, in the provinces Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, and Noord-Brabant.

Watersnoodramp 1953 (North Sea Flood of 1953) is imprinted in everybody’s mind in The Netherlands. Historically, extensive flooding in the Netherlands (the southwest) is caused by a combination of high spring tide and a storm tide. In this flood, 1836 people lost their lives and were the impetus for building the extensive Delta works.

The Delta works consist of 14 parts and were built over a number of decades. Starting in 1954 with the building of the storm surge barrier Hollandse Ijssel and being completed in 1997 with the Maeslantkering.

The Oosterscheldekering and the Maeslantkering are the two that are visited the most, internationally speaking. The Delta works are what placed The Netherlands on top of the list in water management. In the world of civil engineering, it’s even called one of the seven modern world wonders.

The Maeslantkering consists of 2 large arms that can close off the Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway) together. Both arms are 237 meters in length. This way, the area around Rotterdam is protected against high water. The Maeslantkering can be visited from the side of Hoek van Holland. This is a 30-minute drive from Rotterdam.

The largest storm flood barrier in the world is the Oosterscheldekering, which was finished in 1986 and measures 8 kilometers in length. There are 65 pillars with 62 sliding doors in between. With a hydraulic system, the Oosterschelde can be closed off in 75 minutes. There’s a road over the Oosterscheldekering, which you can drive or bike. The barrier can also be seen from the water with a boat tour. Deltapark Neeltje Jans provides the possibility to see it from up close and inside. The Deltapark is 1 hour and 15 minutes driving from Rotterdam.

You can make a Delta tour and drive, bike or walk all around the Delta works. A famous landmark of the Netherlands, if nothing else, you’ll be in awe of the sheer scale of what the clever Dutch have achieved with this modern marvel. 

Explored by Cosette from KarsTravels.