We will have 4 days outside of town with a rental car and would like to visit small towns, less touristy spots,
Late March this year, May not be tulips yet but visit the tulip fields nonetheless.
Any ideas welcome, thanks!
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8247 posts
Most of the tulip fields are just outside Amsterdam, so no car needed.
With a car, I would avoid the very busy corridor from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and down to Utrecht. Places to look for possibilities would be to the East, the area around Zwolle and up to Groningen. Another option would be to the South, maybe roughly the area around Eindhoven and down to Maastricht.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2135 posts
A car is ideal for exploring the countryside, meaning for the densily populated area’s Paul already notes, a burden.
You can go to the eastern part of the Netherlands, for instance a drive along the Yssel River is very worthwile, or visiting the country estates and castles near Zutphen and Deventer (both very lovely places btw). But March is very early in the shoulder season, likely much is not open to public yet. Vorden Castle and nearby Ruurlo Castle for instance are open all year round, nevertheless check opening times. Hamlet Bronkhorst, with 100 inhabitants boasting being the smallest Dutch city, which is not the case, is not to miss btw.
You can also do a drive around the IJsselmeer, including a visit to the province of Friesland. Places to visit are there for instance Hindeloopen, Stavoren, Sloten and much more. Other places ofcourse Giethoorn, further Kampen, Zwolle, Hattem, villages and countryside in the province of Drenthe like Orvelte are absolutely worth to visit. Driving over the 32,5 km long Afsluitdijk is an unique experience and places north of Amsterdam like Hoorn and Enkhuizen with it’s open air museum deserves considering too.
The Delta Region or more specifically Zeeland is also a good destination for driving around. Places like Middelburg, Veere and Zierikzee are the mustsees. You can drive along the coast and start with a stop in cute Goedereede and continue further driving over that massive Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier on the way to Middelburg. If you are interested in hydraulic engineering you can visit it’s visitor center there. The Maeslantkeering west of Rotterdam is certainly worth to include too, and best to reach with a car. On the way back you can drive over the Zeeland bridge to Zierikzee and beyond.
There is much more to see, just a few ideas. Buy a guide covering the whole country asap, the green guides of Michelin are very helpfull for this as far as I know. Maybe someone else has better ideas.