Unknown places in the Netherlands to reach by car

The Netherlands is a country that most of us associate with tulips, bicycles, windmills and the capital – Amsterdam. But it is also a country where you will find many little known, but equally interesting places! In this article we will tell you what to see in the Netherlands, especially if you are going by car. For people without a car, we recommend renting https://www.avis.nl/.

Unknown and recommended places in the Netherlands:

The first place is Bourtange – a unique star-shaped fortress located in the north-eastern Netherlands, near the border with Germany. It was built in the 16th century during the Eighty Years’ War and was used to control the only road between Germany and the city of Groningen through marshes. Today, it is a well-preserved open-air museum, where visitors can admire the original fortifications, moats, gates and charming buildings inside the fortress, feeling like in a 17th-century Dutch military settlement.

The second place is Terschelling, a picturesque island in the Wadden Sea available by ferry. It is the second largest of the West Frisian islands in the northern Netherlands, famous for kilometers of unspoiled beaches, extensive dunes and unique nature. The red lighthouse of Brandaris, the oldest in the Netherlands, was built in 1594 and is still used by sailors. Every year in June Terschelling becomes a cultural center during the Oerol Festival, when the whole island turns into a stage for theater, music and artistic performances.

Another place for nature lovers and cyclists – De Hoge Veluwe National Park. It is one of the largest uninterrupted natural areas in the Netherlands, covering over 5,400 hectares of forests, heaths, inland dunes and grasslands. It is famous not only for its rich fauna, including free-living deer, wild boar and mouflons, but also for the unique Kröller-Müller Museum located in the heart of the park, which has the world’s second largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh and an impressive sculpture garden. A characteristic element of the park are white bicycles, which are available free of charge for visitors, allowing them to visit vast areas on designated bicycle paths with a total length of over 40 kilometers.

If you are in Amsterdam, it is worth visiting Broek in Waterland, a charming Dutch village located just a few kilometers north of the capital. It is famous for its perfectly tended wooden houses painted in characteristic pastel colors, mainly white and gray. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was a wealthy settlement where retired ship captains and merchants lived, as can be seen from the elegant buildings and perfectly maintained cleanliness, for which the village was nicknamed “the cleanest village of the Netherlands”. The settlement has preserved its historical charm thanks to picturesque canals, bridges and traditional architecture, and at the same time offers peace and quiet, providing an excellent escape from the hustle and bustle of the nearby capital.

Another little-known place is Kasteel De Haar. It is the largest and most luxurious castle in the Netherlands, located near Utrecht, which was thoroughly rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century by the famous architect Pierre Cuypers for the wealthy Van Zuylen van Nijevelt family. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens and parks with an area of over 135 hectares, designed by a French landscape architect with rose gardens, ponds, bridges, pergolas and over 7000 mature trees that were replanted in their entirety during the renovation. The castle’s interiors delight with their richness, including valuable collections of antiques, paintings and Japanese porcelain, as well as modern amenities such as central heating and early electrical installations, which made it an ideal luxury facility for aristocratic parties and visits by famous guests, including members of the Rothschild family.

And finally, the Lauwersmeer Nature Reserve. Lauwersmeer National Park is a large water and wetland area located on the border of the provinces of Groningen and Friesland in northern Holland, which was created in 1969 after fencing off part of the Wadden Sea with a dam. It is an international bird reserve with more than 100 species, including rare water birds and predators, making it a paradise for ornithologists and nature photographers. Characteristic of the Lauwersmeer landscape are its vast shallow waters, reed beds, wetland meadows and forests, forming a mosaic of natural habitats that can be traversed by foot, bike or boat on numerous trails and canals, and the area is also considered one of the best places in the Netherlands to observe the night sky thanks to minimal light pollution.

We hope that if you ever visit the Netherlands, you will be able to visit one of our proposed destinations. You will certainly not regret, and you will get to know this charming country from a completely different side:)