We are traveling to the Netherlands very soon for 4 weeks. Initially we have booked 3 nights in a campsite in Delft. After that we will just go where we think will be nice. I think we will avoid the big city centers where possible. We have been before 5 years ago. We intend to use a mix of Aires, marinas & campsites. We would be glad of any "must see" sites or locations you wish to recommend. We need to be close to action as we are limited as to how far we & the dog can walk. We may pop across the border into Germany, but not far.
Essential places to visit in the Netherlands.
- Thread starter WildBunch
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If you need and motorhome ‘stuff’ then a morning in Obelink in Winterswijk is the place to go. It’s the biggest camping shop I’ve ever been in! The Dutch coast is also very nice. There have been a few reports of Netherlands becoming less motorhome friendly recently, although I’ve not had first had experience of this.
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All our Dutch touring was on the water. If you like old machinery then the steam-powered water pumps at Lemmer are worth seeing as is the unique water-pump at Cruquius. At weekends keep your eye open for mills with the sails turning - they'll be open for visitors.
https://exploringthenetherlands.com/wouda-steam-pumping-station/
https://www.haarlemmermeermuseum.nl/en
https://exploringthenetherlands.com/wouda-steam-pumping-station/
https://www.haarlemmermeermuseum.nl/en
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- Feb 9, 2008
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We enjoyed Sloten, the smallest city in the world. Very quiet round there.
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I’m struggling to list any must sees in Holland. Amsterdam is worth a visit. Zandvoort too.
WW2 stuff around Arnhem.
WW2 stuff around Arnhem.
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- Jul 7, 2021
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From a touristic point of view, Veere, Middelburg, Giethoorn ( Venice of the north , hire a little electric boat for 3 hrs, it’s wonderful and inexpensive, Valkenburg, volendam, Maastricht , open air museum near Arnhem, plenty of others if you need more
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Grianan
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Lots of great ideas on the Holland Here We Come thread by MR BLO https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/holland-here-we-come.288496/
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- Oct 12, 2009
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Well in Amsterdam I can recommend a bar not far from the Oude Kirke.
It is very discreetly lit and the 'girls' are very friendly.
Enjoy
It is very discreetly lit and the 'girls' are very friendly.
Enjoy
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We cruised around The Netherlands by boat for 12 summers and now use marinas exclusively when visiting by motorhome. The campsites are rather expensive and usually come with playgrounds and swimming pools and other facilities that we never use. The marinas have large areas of ground for winter storage of the boats and usually with electricity and water. They are empty all summer and glad of the business. If you have E&P hydraulic jacks why not call in at their works near Haarlem for a check-up? They also provided a software update free of charge when we called in. Necessary to make an appointment in advance. Otherwise, it's a lovely country to chill out in and the locals are very well disposed towards the British. Hire bikes if you don't have your own and make use of the extensive cycle routes. Enjoy!
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Alkmaar is worth visiting. It’s well known for its cheese market.
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- May 5, 2014
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Beautiful Giethoorn and the Sealant area.
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- Apr 2, 2022
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Giethoorn again from us great site along the canal 15 min walk away
Petton great beach with site next to it
Westerbork site of nazi holding camp, where thousands of Dutch Jews including the Frank family were held, nice site to stay in just down the road
Bourtange very old fortified village great if you like history and very picturesque
Enjoy
Petton great beach with site next to it
Westerbork site of nazi holding camp, where thousands of Dutch Jews including the Frank family were held, nice site to stay in just down the road
Bourtange very old fortified village great if you like history and very picturesque
Enjoy
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- Mar 6, 2018
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Ziriekzee is a must and tgere is an aire and a campsite nearby https://www.campingkloet.nl/
Endorse comments on Veere
Also enjoy heelkevoetsluis and villages in between!
Endorse comments on Veere
Also enjoy heelkevoetsluis and villages in between!
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Depends on your expectations, Holland is pretty rather than spectacular but this view is always very subjective and relative to other destinations. For us, we loved the Veluwe area, just to north of Arnhem (and for ww2 history, Arnhem is great too), great for cycling and walking. The north coast and islands are also very special. Probably best appreciated out of main season but I guess this applies to most places (unless you are going skiing!!)
Hope you have a good time.
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chrometeeth
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Absolutely agree on Zierkzee, book in advance for camping Kloet ,as we couldn't get in last weekend. Veere also lovely as well as Heusden. Volendam has great camperstop has Hoorn. Enkhuizen is a lovely town and great outdoor museum. You can stop right on quayside. BUT.. we are on Texel at the moment and it is fantastic. Best cycling all over the island to beautiful villages. Leaving tomorrow for a weeks drive back to Dunkirk. Love it
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Thanks for all for you recommendations
We will try to visit as many as we can. Arnhem is a must.
We will try to visit as many as we can. Arnhem is a must.
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Zuiderzeemuseum at Enkhuizen, an outdoor museum depicting maritime and fishing history. You can easily spend a whole day here.
In same area Den Helder, you can take the ferry to Texels, or you can drive the afsluitdijk across the Ijsselmeer and visit Herlingen which is a lovely seaside town.
In same area Den Helder, you can take the ferry to Texels, or you can drive the afsluitdijk across the Ijsselmeer and visit Herlingen which is a lovely seaside town.
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Just back from a Benelux trip.
We arrived at Rotterdam. Did Gouda (lovely) & Rotterdam (good Central Park up and excellent public transport) - including the Dutch Pinball Museum!, then headed south along the Zeeland isles causeways (the N57). Lots of nice stopping points - beaches, cafes, watersports, etc. Stayed at a great orchard site (like, pick from the trees Yerseke).
We then headed south to Belgium, so ignoring that, when we got back north to Eindhoven and the Philips museum.
(Ok, can’t ignore Belgium. Apart from the horrendous roads, if you’ve bike there are great trails around Borgloon and Bokrijk and the highlight of our trip was a barefoot mud walk in Lieteberg)
We then did Edam, a site right on a beach. Edam is actually a lovely old town, but got there by going east of Amsterdam and driving over the N307 splitting what used to be the Zuiderzee (and an Anthony Gormley statue). We then headed north, so we could drive the E22 back across!
We stayed Leeuwarden at a marina. Another nice canal town, then headed to Giethoorn. It’s a must, we stayed two nights.
On the way, we went to Appelscha and it’s Bobsbergtoren (massive tower in a forest with glass walkways (there’s a lift!)). It seemed a very camping friendly area, so I suspect there’s lots more to do.
We actually went to a music festival, but afterwards we went to The Hague. It’s a lovely old town, but the shock for us was that it had a massive beach resort attached! If you’re even vaguely interested in cars, the Louwman Car Museum is one of the world’s most important.
We loved the Netherlands, but there was definitely a sense of ‘another pretty canal town’, which you can take either way - I.e. they are all really nice, so you can’t really go wrong, but they eventually get a bit samey, if you do too many.
We arrived at Rotterdam. Did Gouda (lovely) & Rotterdam (good Central Park up and excellent public transport) - including the Dutch Pinball Museum!, then headed south along the Zeeland isles causeways (the N57). Lots of nice stopping points - beaches, cafes, watersports, etc. Stayed at a great orchard site (like, pick from the trees Yerseke).
We then headed south to Belgium, so ignoring that, when we got back north to Eindhoven and the Philips museum.
(Ok, can’t ignore Belgium. Apart from the horrendous roads, if you’ve bike there are great trails around Borgloon and Bokrijk and the highlight of our trip was a barefoot mud walk in Lieteberg)
We then did Edam, a site right on a beach. Edam is actually a lovely old town, but got there by going east of Amsterdam and driving over the N307 splitting what used to be the Zuiderzee (and an Anthony Gormley statue). We then headed north, so we could drive the E22 back across!
We stayed Leeuwarden at a marina. Another nice canal town, then headed to Giethoorn. It’s a must, we stayed two nights.
On the way, we went to Appelscha and it’s Bobsbergtoren (massive tower in a forest with glass walkways (there’s a lift!)). It seemed a very camping friendly area, so I suspect there’s lots more to do.
We actually went to a music festival, but afterwards we went to The Hague. It’s a lovely old town, but the shock for us was that it had a massive beach resort attached! If you’re even vaguely interested in cars, the Louwman Car Museum is one of the world’s most important.
We loved the Netherlands, but there was definitely a sense of ‘another pretty canal town’, which you can take either way - I.e. they are all really nice, so you can’t really go wrong, but they eventually get a bit samey, if you do too many.
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I'd certainly plan some visits across the border to Germany, if only to fill your tank with petrol/diesel. The prices are always around 50 cents per litre lower there than the Netherlands. Having been before, you will know that parking legally is the main difficulty in this highly populated country with dense urban conurbations. Aire/Stellplatz (municipal and private) parking places are fairly common and orderly. Not all have facilities, electric hook-ups, water, grey/black water. You also may have noticed that the SatNav is not always accurate. Although that happens everywhere, I was told here it is because the Dutch government only releases updates once a year. Not sure if that is true or not, but I was caught out once where the road was non-existent as it had only be planned, not built, although construction had recently begun! The bulldozer drivers thought it was hysterical. Even if they'd let me through, there was no bridge over the river beyond...! In Utrecht there are signs in Dutch telling drivers to ignore what their SatNavs tell them... I did not, so again ended up in a waterside building site down a one-way street which was very difficult to extract myself from! Closed roads also do not necessarily display detour route signs.
I enjoyed a lovely drive through rural Friesland earlier this year, but it is more for bird-watchers than beach goers having miles of mud-flats beyond the dykes. It is home to most of the broccolli grown in Europe as well as potatoes and onions, so roadside veg stalls are common. Look out for the amazing pumkin displays at this time of year. Be aware that Fresian is to the Netherlands, as Welsh is to Britain. I love driving the A7 across the Afsluitdijk, although the Vlieter Monument with car park and café halfway across is currently closed. My next adventure will be to follow the coast all around the Ijsslemeer crossing from Enkhuizen to Lelystad. I stumbled across a huge radio mast in Dronten and saw sea eagles, cranes, herons, storks and thousands of waterfowl last spring. Off the top of my head I'd offer some of the following, but personally stick to the smaller towns avoiding the highways. It all depends where your interests lie.
I enjoyed a lovely drive through rural Friesland earlier this year, but it is more for bird-watchers than beach goers having miles of mud-flats beyond the dykes. It is home to most of the broccolli grown in Europe as well as potatoes and onions, so roadside veg stalls are common. Look out for the amazing pumkin displays at this time of year. Be aware that Fresian is to the Netherlands, as Welsh is to Britain. I love driving the A7 across the Afsluitdijk, although the Vlieter Monument with car park and café halfway across is currently closed. My next adventure will be to follow the coast all around the Ijsslemeer crossing from Enkhuizen to Lelystad. I stumbled across a huge radio mast in Dronten and saw sea eagles, cranes, herons, storks and thousands of waterfowl last spring. Off the top of my head I'd offer some of the following, but personally stick to the smaller towns avoiding the highways. It all depends where your interests lie.
- Amsterdam: A beautiful Capital city with so much to see and do besides what you expect! Be aware it has a high crime rate and tourists are not immune, so it is worth parking outside town and traveling in on the marvelous Dutch public transport system. Visit the world-famous Rijksmuseum and Ann Frank House if you don't visit another museum.
- Delft: Home of the Girl with the Pearl Earring, the artist, Vermeer, as well as the famous blue and white Delftware ceramics.
- Rotterdam: Offers a blend history & culture just down the road from Hoek van Holland.
- The Hague: For nightlife as well as international institutions.
- Maastricht: Medieval-era architecture
- Edam & Gouda: Both homes of cheeses! I personally love mature Gouda!
- Volendam: Near Edam, home of what we think of a the dutch National costume.
- Eindhoven: Offers several museums
- Leiden: Join in on 3rd October to celebrate the end of the Spanish siege of 1574.
- Utrecht: Explore the buildings and architecture
- Giethoorn: Famous for scenic waterways
- Leeuwarden: in Friesland, the least populated Dutch area but worth visiting.
- Dokkum: An interesting fortified medieval city in Friesland, where St Boniface was martyred.
- Zwolle is worth a visit for admirers of Art Nouveau and gourmet diners. One of only three Dutch Michelin starred restaurants is to be found here.
- Haarlem: Another medieval city with too much of interest to list here!
- Groningen: Known for its canals, in this country famous for them!
- Middelburg: In Zeeland was flattened in 1940! Great harbour and impressive Stadhuis (Town Hall). Historic centre of lenses, microscopes and spectacle making.
- Kinderdijk: A UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Holland famous for its windmills and the Legend of the Cat and the Cradle.
- Thorn: In the Limburg area, known as the "White Village"
- Alkmaar: Dutch architecture centre famous cheese market, Dutch cheese museum & a Beatles Museum!
- Breda: Brabantine city "where royal history and street art meet"
- Arnhem: Ancient settlement with WWII significance.
- Texel: An island with sweeping sandy beaches, mud flats, forests, beer and sheep.
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We really enjoyed our time in Holland this year to me if you go in a MH you will really benefit from taking bikes. Then it's just a matter of choosing what sort of things appeal I would never want to visit a concentration camp others like their war history
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We spent 10days in The Netherlands this year and loved it! Will return to see the bits we couldnt.
As others have said - Cycling is great and easy.
Stand out place for me was Den Bosch ('s-Hertogenbosch), which is a Must Do - Great Aire/site near the centre..lovely old city, great boat tour and be sure to eat some Bossche bol (they are life changing!)
If you're over that way, then the Loonse/Drunense park is great for walking/ cycling.. we did a 36Km bike ride with only 9m of total elevation.
We then headed West and based ourselves on Noordwijk which was good for the beach, plus bike rides up to the Waterleidingduinen park (lovely walks/rides). You can cycle to Keukenhof as well
We could also cycle to a bus stop for access to buses/trains to Leiden, Amsterdam etc.
Overall we felt the sites were a little dearer and shabbier than, say in France, but dont let that put you off - it's great and the Dutch are super friendly folks
As others have said - Cycling is great and easy.
Stand out place for me was Den Bosch ('s-Hertogenbosch), which is a Must Do - Great Aire/site near the centre..lovely old city, great boat tour and be sure to eat some Bossche bol (they are life changing!)
If you're over that way, then the Loonse/Drunense park is great for walking/ cycling.. we did a 36Km bike ride with only 9m of total elevation.
We then headed West and based ourselves on Noordwijk which was good for the beach, plus bike rides up to the Waterleidingduinen park (lovely walks/rides). You can cycle to Keukenhof as well
We could also cycle to a bus stop for access to buses/trains to Leiden, Amsterdam etc.
Overall we felt the sites were a little dearer and shabbier than, say in France, but dont let that put you off - it's great and the Dutch are super friendly folks
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If you are the sporty types, this is a great place to visit...
https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/snowworld-landgraaf/
https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/snowworld-landgraaf/
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Bobbydaisy
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- Oct 13, 2021
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Love the Netherlands 
. Try Dokkum , lovely little town with traditional buildings and great restaurants, camp site a short stroll from the centre at the playing fields
Gouda is similar but with the cheese , good aire in the town , easy short walk into the centre from there
welcometogouda.com
Arnhem , this site is on the outskirts in National park , a 20 min bus ride into the city is well worth a visit , bus stop is right outside the site . The Arnhem WW2 museum is nearby , a walk through the woods via the WW2 graveyard to the museum is about 45 mins or shorter on a bike.
campingwarnsborn.nl
A visit to Delft is a must , the pottery factory the old town and the museum’s are a must , loads of lovely places to eat. This site is just outside the town and an easy walk to all attractions.
I could go on as we have been all over the Netherlands, love it and totally recommend. Have a great time.
. Try Dokkum , lovely little town with traditional buildings and great restaurants, camp site a short stroll from the centre at the playing fields Gouda is similar but with the cheese , good aire in the town , easy short walk into the centre from there
Camper place Klein Amerika - Welcome to Gouda
welcometogouda.com
Arnhem , this site is on the outskirts in National park , a 20 min bus ride into the city is well worth a visit , bus stop is right outside the site . The Arnhem WW2 museum is nearby , a walk through the woods via the WW2 graveyard to the museum is about 45 mins or shorter on a bike.
Camping Warnsborn
Camping Warnsborn is a nice, quiet and clean campsite, located on one of the most beautiful estates of 'Het Geldersch Landschap' on the edge of the Veluwe. The campsite is completely grassy and surrounded by centuries-old trees that protect you from the wind. We do not have a canteen or swimming...
campingwarnsborn.nl
A visit to Delft is a must , the pottery factory the old town and the museum’s are a must , loads of lovely places to eat. This site is just outside the town and an easy walk to all attractions.
City camping in Delft
Camping in Delft met topfaciliteiten | Perfecte uitvalsbasis voor een vakantie in Zuid-Holland
www.delftsehout.co.uk
I could go on as we have been all over the Netherlands, love it and totally recommend. Have a great time.
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Netherlands is a lovely country, especially if you like cycling. Places we enjoyed
Maastricht
Delft
Rotterdam
Middleburg (driving and then cycling over the delta works bridge)
Utrecht
Lots of lovely small towns to cycle around
Least liked Amsterdam although worth a visit. Very busy.
Maastricht
Delft
Rotterdam
Middleburg (driving and then cycling over the delta works bridge)
Utrecht
Lots of lovely small towns to cycle around
Least liked Amsterdam although worth a visit. Very busy.
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Bobbydaisy
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If you do fancy Amsterdam, this is great little site in nice location near town for shops and restaurants, bus stop for Amsterdam Central bus station 5 mins walk from site , about 30 min ride on bus .
www.eurocampings.co.uk
Camping Het Rietveen | ACSI
Camping Het Rietveen is a campsite in Landsmeer, North Holland, located by a lake/recreational pond.The campsite has which are marked out, pitches...
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Nightmare in Nijmegen
Stopped over at Nijmegen yesterday , went to first campsite it was closed for winter???? went to another which was closed due to loss of licenses??? all are still on various apps . Now near town centre where there is a city campervan site listed , arrived there only to be told I will get...
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- Jan 26, 2017
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Did I read that wrong?.. was he/she driving around at midnight looking to stop?Nightmare in Nijmegen
Stopped over at Nijmegen yesterday , went to first campsite it was closed for winter???? went to another which was closed due to loss of licenses??? all are still on various apps . Now near town centre where there is a city campervan site listed , arrived there only to be told I will get...
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