1. Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is key to the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths.

2. Keukenhof Garden

Tulip wonderland, this is the largest public garden in the world encompassing more than 80 acres. Keukenhof is open each spring for only two months, to show off the best of Dutch tulips, crocuses, daffodils and other flowers. The park is an easy day trop destination from Amsterdam

3. The Hague

The Hague is a city on the North Sea coast of the western Netherlands. Its Gothic-style Binnenhof (or Inner Court) complex is the seat of the Dutch parliament, and 16th-century Noordeinde Palace is the king’s workplace. The city is also home to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, headquartered in the Peace Palace, and the International Criminal Court.

4. Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is a village in the the Netherlands' South Holland province, known for its iconic 18th-century windmills. Its water-management network features 19 mills and 3 pumping stations, plus dikes and reservoirs that control flooding in the polder (low-lying land). Waterways, footpaths and bike trails crisscross the area, leading to the main visitors center and museums in preserved working windmills.

5. Hoge Veluwe National Park

The park is approximately 55 square kilometers in area, consisting of heathlands, sand dunes, and woodlands.

6. Valkenburg

Known for the famous caves and the castle ruins.

Situated just below Valkenburg, visitors can explore the caves, either on foot or by slow train. Here the Romans already mined marl 2,000 years ago.

The castle, with a history dating back to the 11th century, only consists of remains today, but opens onto a fantastic panoramic view over the town of Valkenburg.

7. Zeeland Dykes

Dykes giving modern flood prevention, for recently reclaimed land. This impressive project, can be referred to as one of the seven wonders of the world and shows how the Dutch deal with water.

The main attraction of the Delta Works is the Eastern Scheldt Storm surge barrier, a unique flood protection construction of 8 kilometers in length, that can shut off the entire Eastern Scheldt in 75 minutes, using an ingenious system of 62 enormous sliding gates.

8. Castle De Haar

Fairly tale caste with beautiful gardens. The current buildings, all built upon the original castle, date from 1892

9. Utrecht

Utrecht is a city in the central Netherlands that has been a religious center for centuries. It has a medieval old town, canals, Christian monuments and a venerable university. The iconic Domtoren, a 14th-century bell tower with city views, stands opposite the Gothic Cathedral of St. Martin on central Domplein square. The Museum Catharijneconvent shows religious art and artifacts in a former monastery.

10. Maastricht

Maastricht, a university city on the southern tip of the Netherlands, is distinguished by its medieval-era architecture and vibrant cultural scene. In its cobbled old town, is the Gothic-style church Sint Janskerk, and the Romanesque Basilica of St. Servatius houses a significant collection of religious art. On the banks of the Maas River, bisecting the city, lies futuristic-looking Bonnefanten art museum.

11. Texel

Texel is one of the Dutch Wadden Islands, off the coast of the Netherlands. It’s known for the bird-rich Dunes of Texel National Park, with its sandy beaches, grass-topped dunes and forest trails. In the park, Ecomare is a nature museum, aquarium and wildlife sanctuary for seals and birds. On the island's northern tip, the 19th-century Texel Lighthouse offers panoramic views of the North Sea and Wadden Sea.

12. Delft

Delft, a canal-ringed city in the western Netherlands, is known as the manufacturing base for Delftware, hand-painted blue-and-white pottery. In its old town, the medieval Oude Kerk is the burial site of native son and Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. Once the seat of the royal House of Orange, the 15th-century Nieuwe Kerk houses the family's tombs and overlooks Delft's lively market square.

13. Volendam

Volendam is a Dutch town on the Markermeer Lake, northeast of Amsterdam. It’s known for its colorful wooden houses and the old fishing boats in its harbor, which is lined with seafood vendors. The Volendam Museum features paintings, sculptures and pottery from 1800 to the present, a gallery of traditional costumes and mosaics made from millions of cigar bands. The Palingsound Museum chronicles the local music scene.

14. Haarlem

Haarlem is a city outside of Amsterdam in the northwest Netherlands. Once a major North Sea trading port surrounded by a defensive wall, it retains its medieval character of cobblestone streets and gabled houses. It's the center of a major flower-bulb-growing district, and famous for its outlying tulip fields, art museums and hofjes (almshouses built around leafy courtyards).

15. Giethoorn

Giethoorn is a mostly car-free village in the northeastern Dutch province of Overijssel. It’s known for its boat-filled waterways, footpaths, bicycle trails and centuries-old thatched-roof houses. It borders a section of the Weerribben-Wieden National Park, a marshy area once popular for peat and reed harvesting. Next to the park, Museum Giethoorn ‘t Olde Maat Uus is a farm museum illustrating the region’s history.

16. Arnhem

Safari park, open air museums, fashion, museums.

17. Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans is a neighborhood in the Dutch town of Zaandam, near Amsterdam. Historic windmills and distinctive green wooden houses were relocated here to recreate the look of an 18th/19th-century village. The Zaans Museum has regional costumes, model windmills and interactive exhibits on chocolate making. Artisan workshops demonstrate rare handicrafts such as wooden clog carving, barrel making and pewter casting.

18. Groningen

Groningen is a city in the northern Netherlands. Its central Grote Markt square is home to the centuries-old Martinitoren clock tower. The adjoining Martinikerk is a large Gothic church with frescoes and a baroque organ. Set on a canal, the futuristic Groninger Museum showcases modern and contemporary art, plus ceramics. The Northern Maritime Museum traces the history of shipbuilding and shipping in the region.

19. Marken

Lighthouse and island with characteristic wooden houses

20. De Biesbosch

The Biesbosch National Park is one of the largest national parks of the Netherlands and one of the last extensive areas of freshwater tidal wetlands in Northwestern Europe. The Biesbosch consists of a large network of rivers and smaller and larger creeks with islands. Perfect for boating.

21. Zandvoort

Zandvoort is a Dutch coastal town west of Amsterdam. The town is a popular seaside resort, thanks to its long, sandy beach on the North Sea. To the north lies Bloemendaal aan Zee, a smaller beach. Zandvoort contains the southern portion of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park. The large park includes coastal dunes, trails and the Kennemerduinen Visitor Center (Bezoekerscentrum), which was modeled on a 7th-century farm.

22. IJsselmeer

Sailing, cycling, and marinas. The IJsselmeer, also known as Lake Ijssel in English, is a closed off inland bay in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland. It covers an area of 1,100 km² with an average depth of 5.5 m