Us on a bridge over a tree-lined canal in Amsterdam under a bright blue sky

Netherlands

Amsterdam

Canals, a castle & windmills · Tulip season is April–May

The trip

Canals, castles & windmills.

Amsterdam is one of the most effortlessly charming cities in Europe — a lattice of tree-lined canals, gabled houses, and more bikes than people. We visited in May 2025 and packed in the classics plus two things we'd wholeheartedly recommend: an awesome castle (Kasteel de Haar), and a brilliant day tour out to see the windmills and a cheese factory — which, for the record, was delicious. One tip: if you want to catch the famous tulips, come a little earlier — April into May is the sweet spot.

Us on a sunny canal-side in Amsterdam with tour boats moored behind Us on a canal bridge framed by leafy trees in Amsterdam A little red boat on a quiet tree-lined Amsterdam canal
The icon01

The canals & bridges

📍 The Grachtengordel (canal ring)

Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed canal ring is the whole reason to come — 17th-century merchant houses leaning over the water, humpback bridges, and boats everywhere. Just wander: the Jordaan and the "Nine Streets" are the prettiest. The best way to actually see it, though, is from the water, and a relaxed canal cruise (bonus points for one with drinks) is the classic Amsterdam afternoon.

UNESCO canal ringSee it by boat
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Melody beside the famous flower-covered red 'Flower Bike Man' bicycle on an Amsterdam bridge Melody by an Amsterdam canal with a Gothic church spire behind
Photo spot02

The Flower Bike Man

📍 Along the canals

Dotted along the canals you'll find bikes bursting with flowers — the work of the beloved "Flower Bike Man," and one of the most charming free photo spots in the city. Bikes plus blooms plus a canal backdrop is peak Amsterdam. Keep an eye out around the bridges near the Jordaan and the flower market.

Free photo spotSo very Dutch
Andrew with a rental bike on a canal bridge in Amsterdam Andrew leaning on a railing above a narrow Amsterdam canal
Get around03

Cycle like a local

📍 Everywhere

Amsterdam runs on bikes, and renting one for a day is the most fun (and most authentic) way to get around. It's flat, the bike lanes are everywhere, and you'll cover far more of the city than on foot. Just remember the golden rule: watch out for the trams, and never, ever stand in the bike lane.

Rent for the dayMind the bike lanes
Us in front of the fairy-tale turrets of Kasteel de Haar with a formal flower bed Us on a red bench looking across the moat at Kasteel de Haar Melody on the steps of Kasteel de Haar between two stone lions Melody sitting on the daisy-dotted lawn in front of Kasteel de Haar Us under a rose-covered pergola in the gardens of Kasteel de Haar
Highlight04

Kasteel de Haar

📍 Haarzuilens · ~40 min from Amsterdam

The awesome castle we'd tell everyone to visit. Kasteel de Haar is the largest castle in the Netherlands and looks straight out of a fairy tale — moats, turrets, drawbridges and vast formal gardens with rose pergolas. It's an easy half-day trip from the city and a total surprise; wander the grounds (free-feeling and gorgeous) and tour the opulent interior if you have time.

Largest Dutch castleFairy-tale gardens
Us on a path with the working windmills of the Zaanse Schans behind us Andrew in front of the stacked green-house facade of the Inntel Hotel in Zaandam
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Windmills at the Zaanse Schans

📍 Zaanse Schans · ~30 min from Amsterdam

The Zaanse Schans is the postcard Holland everyone pictures — a riverside row of working windmills, green wooden houses and craft workshops. We did it as a guided day trip that also loops in the fishing villages, and it was a real highlight. Nearby Zaandam even has a wonderfully wacky stacked-house hotel worth a photo.

Working windmillsClassic Holland
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Us sitting inside a giant yellow wooden clog at the Simonehoeve cheese and clog farm Andrew on a bench beneath a Dutch flag on a brick-house street in a fishing village Belted Dutch cows grazing by a reed-lined canal in the flat green Dutch countryside
Tastes of Holland06

Cheese, clogs & the countryside

📍 Volendam, Marken & the farms

The same day trip rolls through the Dutch countryside — flat green polders, grazing cows and windswept fishing villages like Volendam and Marken, all brick houses and harbour charm. The highlight for us was the cheese farm (a clog-carving demo, endless samples, and genuinely delicious Gouda). Come hungry and leave with cheese.

Delicious cheeseStorybook villages
A selfie of us on a canal cruise boat gliding past Amsterdam's canal houses
More of the city07

History, tulips & a bird's-eye Holland

📍 Around the city

Balance the pretty with the meaningful: a small-group Anne Frank walking tour is a moving way to understand the city's WWII history (book well ahead — it sells out). For pure fun, THIS IS HOLLAND is a "flight" ride that soars you over the whole country. And if tulips are your dream, plan for April–May and add a trip to the Keukenhof gardens.

Book Anne Frank earlyTulips: Apr–May
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The most Instagram-worthy shots

If you only chase a handful of frames in Amsterdam, chase these. Tap through to see them on our feed.

The Flower Bike Man in Amsterdam Kasteel de Haar Windmills at the Zaanse Schans A canal bridge in Amsterdam In a giant clog at a Dutch cheese farm On an Amsterdam canal cruise

The full roll

More from the Netherlands

By an Amsterdam canal with a church spire behind On the lawn in front of Kasteel de Haar With a rental bike on an Amsterdam bridge In the rose garden at Kasteel de Haar A red boat on a quiet Amsterdam canal The stacked-house hotel in Zaandam On the steps of Kasteel de Haar On a bench beneath a Dutch flag in a fishing village Cows in the flat green Dutch countryside