The Amazing Road Trips in the Netherlands

The Amazing Road Trips in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is one of the world’s most interesting, liberal and forward-thinking nations. A road trip is a great way to experience this great country, as Netherlands has many wonderful, quality highways. You can explore the country either by your own vehicle, hire a vehicle, or even cycle.

Netherlands is synonymous with tulip wheels, clogs, cheese, windmills and total football (courtesy of Johann Cruyff). The main cities here are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.

Through the road trips you’ll discover beautiful coastal areas, green forests, modern cities, picturesque villages, fairy tale castles and so much more. Below, we have suggested the most amazing road trips in the Netherlands for you;

1. Zeeland Delta Route

The Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier – Wikimedia Commons

The Delta Route takes you along the 13 delta works that were built after that infamous North Sea Flood of 1953. These structures are a testament to the nation’s engineering ingenuity and listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

The main attraction of the Delta Works is the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier, a unique flood protection construction of 9 kilometers in length, that can shut off the entire Eastern Scheldt in 80 minutes.

Located along the south coast of the Netherlands, the Zeeland Delta Route is a 380 km stretch in Zeeland, Brabant and South Holland.

As you drive along the Zeeland Delta Route, explore its outstanding water management constructions on this scenic route as you learn more about the Dutch water defense.

2. Amsterdam to Rotterdam

The Glorification of the Virgin (c. 1490–95) by Geertgen tot Sint Jans at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen – Wikipedia

The direct drive from Amsterdam to Rotterdam is 46.0 mi (74 km). Top cities along this route are The Hague, Utrecht, Zaandam, Delft, Haarlem, Scheveningen, and Leiden. Hague is the most popular city on the route, and it is less than an hour from Amsterdam and less than an hour from Rotterdam.

During your road trip you can stop at university town Utrecht on the way and soak up its awesome architecture including the iconic Protestant and Catholic churches, enjoy masterpieces from Bacon, Cranach and Bosch at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, experience the city’s hardcore techno music scene and much more.

3. Veluwe National Park Route

Veluwe National Park scenary – Unsplash

Veluwe is the largest push moraine complex in the Netherlands, stretching 60 km from north to south, and reaching heights of up to 110 meters. It features many different landscapes, including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe’s largest sand drifts.

To explore what is considered to be the most beautiful and best-known nature reserve in the Netherlands, the journey starts in the town of Arnhem and ends in the more northern city of Apeldoorn.

In between enjoying the beautiful park scenery you will also drive past castle Rosendael, Kröller Muller museum, the stunning Radio Kootwijk, the Pomphulweg and Royal Palace ‘t Loo.

4. Six-castle route in Friesland

The Poptaslot – Wikipedia

Friesland is home to dozens of castles, called ‘stinten’ or ‘staten’ in this specific part of the Netherlands. This a must take road trips for all the people who love castles, their intricate architectural designs and the wholesome stories associated with each individual castle.

The Six-castle route in Friesland takes you past six beautiful Frisian castles and country houses. This 89 km circuit starts at a castle near Leeuwarden and ends in Leeuwarden.

The gems you will see along this route are; The Poptaslot with gardens in Marssum, the Dekemastate in Jelsum, the Fogelsanghstate in Veenklooster, the Schierstins in Veenwouden, the Uniastate in Bears and the Princessehof in Leeuwarden.

Fun fact Fun, there are more than 50 ‘stinten’ in this northern province.

5. The Holland America Route

Ruins of Batenburg Castle – Wikipedia

Early in advance, this road trip won’t take you to the United States, but a parish village located in the southern province of Limburg. This road trip is a nod to the historic Holland-America line from the port of Rotterdam to the United States.

The Holland America Route starts in America and leads you along the Maas River for 150 kilometers. The tour ends in Gelderland at the castle ruins of Batenburg and castle of Hernen.

Even though this road trip won’t bring you that far away from the Netherlands, you will still have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this beautiful part of the Netherlands.

6. Den Helder to The Hague

Grote Kerk (Great Church) or St.-Bavokerk (Church of St. Bavo) on the Grote Markt, Haarlem’s central square – Wikipedia

The Den Helder is in the province of North Holland and is home to the country’s main naval base. The Hague is the administrative and royal capital of the Netherlands and its seat of government, as well as the capital of the province of South Holland.

This 119.9 km scenic road trip takes you through the authentic old-style Dutch houses and classic landscape of Julianadorp and the old capital Haarlem with its museums and breweries, then on to The Hague.

Your final destination is filled with elegant architecture and hosts the Dutch parliament as well as the International Court of Justice.

7. Drenthe road trip

Ancient dolmens (‘hunebed’ in Dutch) along the Hunebed Highway – Wikimedia Commons

Drenthe is located in the northeastern part of the country and is known as the “Cycling Province” of the Netherlands. It is an exceptional place for a cycling holiday, having hundreds of kilometers of cycle paths through forest, heath and along canals and many towns and villages offering refreshment along the way.

Drenthe is worth not just one, but two road trip itineraries: the Hunebed Highway and the Middenveldroute.

The Hunebed Highway is the tourist inspired name for the N34 road. Along this road are 47 of all 52 ancient dolmens (‘hunebed’ in Dutch) located. The red-blue signs along the road will indicate where to stop to visit these unique, prehistoric structures. The surrounding area at the dolmens are beautiful with heather, forest and sandy plains, creating perfect stops to go for a hike as well.

This Middenveldroute focuses on this beautiful Drenthe landscape. Highlights along the Middenveldroute are the former Nazi camp Westerbork, medieval museum village Orvelte and Dwingelerveld National Park.

8. The Sagenland Route in Twente

Singraven country house – Wikimedia Commons

Although Twente is the most urbanized part of the province of Overijssel, it is renowned for its scenic countryside, which is sometimes characterized as a bocage landscape. This beautiful scenery attracts many tourists.

The Sagenland Route is created by the ANWB (Dutch road assistance) and is the only one clearly signed along the way, so you don’t even need to bring your road map for this trip.

This is the ultimate road trip through the Dutch landscape as it takes you past pretty villages, old churches and watermills, Singraven country house and Springendal nature reserve.

9. Utrecht to Maastricht

Basilica of St Servatiu – Wikipedia

The direct drive from Utrecht to Maastricht is 112 mi (181 km) with the top cities along this route being Aachen, Eindhoven, Roermond, Amersfoort, Nijmegen, Den Bosch, Valkenburg, and Tilburg.

Starting at Utrecht, this scenic road trip takes you first to Nijmegen near the German border, which is one of the Netherlands’ oldest settlements and is surrounded by undulating hills and valleys.

Eindhoven is your next stop, where you can take in the cathedral and PSV Eindhoven football stadium, then at Maastricht you’ll enjoy wandering the cobbled streets and the beautiful Romanesque Basilica of St Servatius, with its wonderful religious art collection.

10. Groningen to Zwolle

Aerial view of the 18th century Fort Bourtagne – Wikipedia

The largest city in the north of the Netherlands, Groningen is full of narrow winding streets and old buildings overhanging canals. Zwolle is well known as a historic Hanseatic city, but it also has a modern dynamic and lots of commercial activity.

Driving distance between Groningen and Zwolle is 106.14 km. 

On this road trip, you can stop off at 18th century Fort Bourtagne, a unique village arranged in a stellate design, before passing through Drenthe and Assen prior to reaching Zwolle. Here you’ll enjoy panoramic views of surrounding rivers and canals, an excellent cathedral bookstore and an interesting computer and gaming museum.