Netherlands round trip

The Netherlands is a perfect country to do a round trip. It is not too big and all of the major cities are just few hours of drive one from another. And if you still have doubts whether to visit this country or not, we give you 5 reasons to visit Netherlands so you could have an unforgettable experience!

1) Eindhoven

Let’s start our trip on the south of the Netherlands. A century ago, Eindhoven was more of a village than a city. With the arrival of industrialisation the number of inhabitants grew to over 200 000, especially because of Philips electronics thanks to which Eindhoven earned the title of the City of Light. Although today it looks very modern, it is in fact the oldest city in the Netherlands considering the fact that it was already established back in 1232. We could say that Eindhoven has quite a rich historical culture – to be specific, there are more than 140 national heritage sites such as Saint Catarina church, Van Abbemuseum or Genneper park, one of many green areas in the city.

From Eindhoven to Rotterdam:

• By bus: Buses depart up to six times from Eindhoven, the earliest bus departing at 09:20 and the latest at 20:20. The price of the bus ticket varies depending on the day and time of departure, but the cheapest costs 7€. → see here timetable and other information

Church of Saint Lambert

2) Rotterdam

Being Europe’s largest and busiest port, it is no wonder that the majority of Rotterdam’s attractions are related to its maritime heritage. Visit Maritime Museum Rotterdam which possesses  a large collection of ship models and paintings. Probably the most interesting museum in the city is Harbour Museum which gives you the opportunity to actually explore ships from 19th century and during summer the museum organizes cruises through Rotterdam with these ships. The most recognizable landmark in Rotterdam is definitely the Euromast, the iconic 185-metre-high  tower with the observatory with the most spectacular view of the city. Close to the central train station is located Miniworld Rotterdam, the biggest miniature museum in the Benelux. It is very detailed and you can practically ‘visit’ the whole city in less than two hours, and all of that for only 10€ which is the cost of the entrance fee. To make it even more interesting, you can ask at the entrance to play the treasure hunt game.

From Rotterdam to the Hague:

• By bus: There are three departures from Rotterdam to the Hague, the earliest departing at 04:45 at the latest at 21:30. The travel time is 30 minutes. → see timetable
• By train: Trains depart from Rotterdam Centraal station to Den Haag Centraal every 10-15 minutes and the journey time is 25-30 minutes. One way ticket costs around 6€.

3) The Hague

The oldest ‘World Court’ and the seat of the Dutch Government is in the Hague, home to more than 150 international organisations. Visit the Binnenhof, the complex of parliament buildings around the central courtyard. The most significant building in the complex are the Knights’ Hall, the First and Second Chamber and the North Wing, also known as the residence of the Prime Minister. One of the many architectural masterpieces is definitely the Peace Palace, a mixture of Gothic and Neoclassical styles. There are guided tours on weekends which take you through the palace and palace gardens. The Prison Gate is located on the north side of the Binnenhof and it was once used as a prison with torture chambers but today it is a very popular museum among tourists. Witness creative medieval torture devices while your tour guide talks about political conspiracies in the history of the Netherlands.

From the Hague to Amsterdam:

• By bus: Amsterdam is only 64 km away from the Hague and it takes 45 minutes to get there. The price of a single ticket costs 5€ → timetable

The Peace Palace

4) Amsterdam

And we have finally arrived to the capital of Holland, the city which everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Amsterdam is filled with museums so whichever you choose, you won’t regret. But, we recommend visiting the Rijksmuseum which has some of Rembrandt’s best artwork or Van Gogh museum which takes you through every detail of this famous painter’s life. Don’t forget to take a photo in front of I Amsterdam letters. Yes, it may be a total cliché but really, who cares? After sightseeing, it’s time for some food and fun. First try delicious waffles which locals eat at any time of the day – you’ll find the best ones at Crepes & Waffles. Amsterdam also has one of the best club scenes in Europe and there are even some clubs which have license to work 24 hours, such as RADION, DeSchool or Tolhuistin.

From Amsterdam to Groningen:

• By bus: The earliest departure from Amsterdam to Groningen is at 07:55 and the latest at 23:15. The journey lasts 2 hours and 25 minutes and the price of a single ticket ranges from 7€ to 18€. → timetable

Canals in Amsterdam

5) Groningen

As the last stop of our round trip we have put Groningen, also known as the ‘cycling city’ thanks to numerous cycling paths throughout the city. This means that you can explore the entire city on bikes which sounds like a great option after so many days of strenuous walking. Groningen is mostly a student city with two large universities and more than 50 000 students. Some parts of Groningen are very popular for students’ gatherings, such as the Grote Markt, the Vismarkt or the Poelestraat which are crowded almost every night and the best of all is, the bars are opened until dawn!

City square, Groningen
Source: Pixabay

Cost of Netherlands round trip

Transportation: If you do this trip as a bus trip, the transportation will cost you around 25€ in total but you can do it as train trip too, it depends what you prefer more.

Accommodation and food: You should expect to pay around 25-35€ per night in each of these cities. The cheapest option is booking a room in a hostel, preferably those with more beds, that way it will cost even less. Avoid restaurants and eat in fast foods or buy something in food market. You can easily find pizza, pasta or burger for 5€, so the daily food budget should not go over 15€.

Attractions: Each attraction and museums are, of course, optional and it depends entirely on you whether you want to visit them or not. If you wish to visit at least one attraction in each city, the total cost should be around 80€-100€.

Finally, this trip should not cost you more than 350€, but it might be even cheaper if you are traveling with your friends or family.