Day trips from Amsterdam

The most common visit to Amsterdam is only two or three days, often a weekend break or a stop on a bigger European trip. You can see most of the important sights in that time, and if that's your plan, our weekend in Amsterdam ideas will help.

But with more than three days, you can see the main sights and still squeeze in something outside the city. Stay five days or more and you can probably fit in two of these. The Netherlands is small and the trains are frequent, so a few of these work as half-day trips.

Aalsmeer Flower Auction

One of the largest buildings in the world by floor space sits just outside Amsterdam, and it's where Royal FloraHolland trades a huge share of the world's cut flowers and plants every weekday morning. You watch from a raised visitor gallery as trolleys of flowers shuttle around below you. It's worth it even if you aren't much of a flower person.

• When: Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 11:00 (Thursdays only until 9:00). The earlier you get there, the more you'll see.
• Price: 11.50 euros for adults, 9 euros for children up to 11 (as of 2026).
• Getting there: bus 357 runs from Amsterdam and stops right in front of the main entrance, in about 45 minutes.

Details are from Visit Aalsmeer. Check the list of non-auction days before you set an alarm. More in our Aalsmeer Flower Auction guide.

Muiderslot Castle

There are castles all over Europe, but most people don't know one of the better-preserved ones is just outside Amsterdam. The Muiderslot is a moated brick castle at the mouth of the Vecht river in Muiden. If you've already toured a dozen castles elsewhere, you can skip it. If you aren't sick of them yet, it's a fine example and worth half a day.

• When: daily 10:00 to 17:00 from April through October. From November through March, Tuesday to Sunday.
• Price: 19.50 euros for adults, 7.50 euros for ages 4 to 11, under 4 free (as of 2026).
• Getting there: train to Weesp, then bus 110 to Muiden Centrum and a 10-minute walk.

Source: the castle's opening hours and prices and route pages. See our Muiderslot Castle page for more.

Beaches, and even nude beaches

The Netherlands has its share of beach resorts. They don't compare to the Mediterranean, but when the sun is out they can be pretty great anyway. Zandvoort is the biggest and most popular, around half an hour from Amsterdam by train via Haarlem. On a hot summer weekend, half of Amsterdam has the same idea, so go early.

This is Europe, so topless sunbathing is fairly normal, though not allowed everywhere. There are also designated nude beaches near Amsterdam, usually a walk down the sand from the main beach areas. See our guide to nude beaches near Amsterdam.

Visit another Dutch city

Amsterdam is by far the most famous city in the Netherlands, but it's not the only one worth your time. Several good ones are an hour or less by train, and an ambitious traveler can do two in a day. Buy tickets from NS, or just tap in and out with a contactless bank card. Rough travel times from Amsterdam Centraal:

Haarlem (about 15 minutes)

The easiest day trip of all. Haarlem has a lovely old center around the Grote Markt, the Frans Hals Museum and a much calmer feel than Amsterdam. It also works as a quieter base for an Amsterdam trip. See our Haarlem guide.

Utrecht (under 30 minutes)

A big university town with a historic center that beats Amsterdam in some ways, with sunken wharves along the Oudegracht canal lined with cafes. The Dom Tower is the city's most famous sight, and the climb is worth the trip by itself.

Rotterdam (about 40 minutes)

The second-largest city in the Netherlands has one of the world's biggest ports and a center that was almost entirely rebuilt after World War II, so it makes a sharp contrast with Amsterdam. Expect bold modern architecture, the harbor and some very good museums. The fastest trains are the Intercity Direct, which need a small supplement between Schiphol and Rotterdam. Slower trains don't.

The Hague (about 50 minutes)

The seat of the Dutch government and the king's working palace, on the coast. It has a modern center, the beach at Scheveningen and some of the best museums outside Amsterdam, including the Mauritshuis with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. See getting from Amsterdam to The Hague.

Delft (about an hour)

The blue and white pottery called Delftware is still made here, and the historic center is small, canal-lined and very pretty. It's between The Hague and Rotterdam, so it's an easy stop if you're traveling from one to the other. See getting from Amsterdam to Delft.

If you want a longer loop through the country, our 10 days in the Netherlands itinerary strings several of these together.

Getting from Amsterdam to other European cities

These won't be day trips for most people, but they're where most travelers head next. A lot has changed since this page was first written: the old Eurolines buses are gone (FlixBus bought the business in 2019), Thalys is now part of Eurostar, and night trains are back. Journey times and starting fares below are from Seat61, as of 2026.

• Amsterdam to London: direct Eurostar trains in about 4 hours, centre to centre. You can also fly, take FlixBus, or go by train and ferry via Hoek van Holland, by day or overnight.
• Amsterdam to Paris: Eurostar (formerly Thalys) every hour or two, in 3 hours 25 minutes, from 35 euros.
• Amsterdam to Brussels: as little as 1 hour 53 minutes by train, from 25 euros.
• Amsterdam to Bruges: by train with a change, usually in Antwerp or Brussels.
• Amsterdam to Berlin: an ICE every two hours in about 5 hours 40 minutes, from 37.99 euros, plus the European Sleeper night train three times a week. Amsterdam-Berlin trains are diverted with longer journey times from 2 October to 12 December 2026.
• Amsterdam to Prague: the European Sleeper runs direct three nights a week, or take a day train via Berlin. KLM and easyJet fly it nonstop.
• Amsterdam to Copenhagen: no more night train. It's a long day by rail with changes at Osnabrück and Hamburg, from 49.99 euros, or a 1.5-hour flight.
• Amsterdam to Stockholm: most people fly. By train it's two days with a night in Copenhagen.

Heading further than Europe? AirTreks, BootsnAll's sister company, has been booking multi-stop and round-the-world trips since 1987, and Amsterdam works well as one stop among several:

Now that you know you're coming: see our pages on flights to Amsterdam, Amsterdam hotels and hostels in Amsterdam.