Best Things to Do Outside of Amsterdam: Perfect 2 Day Itinerary
Looking to go off-the-beaten-path in the Netherlands? There’s so much to offer in this amazing country only moments away from Amsterdam. In fact, the Netherlands countryside is home to some of the most beautiful places in Europe. This post will focus on an area coined as the Castles and Gardens area as it’s home to the most gorgeous medieval castle of Muiden and so many lovely green spaces. Get ready to explore how you can spend 2 perfect days outside of Amsterdam.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase something through the links, at no additional cost to you. Read our Affiliate Disclosure here. This trip was sponsored by I Amsterdam but all opinions are my own.
Top tip: buy an I Amsterdam City Card. to get entry to many museums, public transport, and activities across the Netherlands. This handy card is not just limited to central Amsterdam but covers castle entry in Muiden and the museum visit in Laren!
How to Get There
By Plane
You can fly to the closest airport which is the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) and hire a car or take public transport to get to the towns mentioned in this post. I chose to fly with KLM when I visited which is a premier airline that allowed me to get in with ease from London.
By Train
You can also arrive by Eurostar train if you’re already in Europe. From London, Amsterdam is a quick 4 hour journey.
Day 1: Best Things to do outside of Amsterdam
9 am: Cycling through the moors in Huizen
You can start your 2 days exploring the outskirts of Amsterdam by renting an e-bike in Huizen. We rented ours through the hotel we first based ourself at: Fletcher Hotel Nautisch Kwartier.
Your hotel can probably suggest a nice biking route. The one we took was towards Tafelbergheide, a heathland area that is part of the Goois Natuurreservaat. This beautiful nature reserve is really scenic and offers so much green space. Along the way you’ll pass up the most beautiful homes, you’ll wish you lived there! Don’t miss Tafelberg, which is the highest point of the Gooi & Vecht.
10:30 am: Take a Walk in the charming village of Laren
Laren is an adorable town in the North Holland known as the artists’ village. This is because artists and scientists have flocked here since the 19th century. In fact, Josef Israels first visited and fell in love with Laren in 1874. Then, more and more artists came to the area. This led to the creation of the Laren School of painting.
You’ll find Laren surrounded by lots of greenery and charming thatched farmhouses. So many nice cafes and shops line the streets with bicyclists constantly riding through the beautiful streets. Don’t miss a visit to Poffertjeskraam de Haan where you can enjoy Poffertjes which are small, fluffy pancakes.
The real highlight of the town is the famous Singer Laren Museum. This museum is home to artwork from Piet Mondriaan, Kees van Dongen, and Anton Mauve.
What I loved the most was the large garden area at the back of the museum built by the architect Piet Oudolf. You could really relax here for hours especially on a nice day.
Pro-tip: you can visit the garden free of charge even without a museum ticket. The cafe is connected to the garden area and you can order coffee and cake to enjoy.
Tickets to the museum are around €15 and can be purchased ahead of time here.
12pm: Explore Naarden Vesting
Naarden is a unique fortified town in the Netherlands. You can easily explore it by foot just by strolling the charming streets. This town became part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam.
The entrance to the town has this stunning arched gate known as “Utrechtse Poort” (Utrecht Gate). This gate is one of the primary historical entry points into the fortified town and is a significant landmark in Naarden.
Some of the key points you’ll want to discover in Naarden are the Town Hall (Raadhuis), St. Vitus Church, and the Dutch Fortress Museum.
For lunch, you should definitely stop by at the Vesting Lounge which is part of the Vesting Hotel.
3pm: Admire Muiden Castle
Muiden Castle (Muiderslot) is one of the most famous castles in the Netherlands and is still well-preserved. Floris V. founded this medieval castle around 1285 and it has been restored from 1895-1910.
What’s most unique about this castle is that it was really built to keep away the enemies. The design of the castle has many entries one of which has 82 steps up. All the steps are shaped different sizes in an effort to make it more difficult for intruders to enter or know their way around the castle.
The interiors will give you a glimpse into how the castle really came to life. It includes a Great Hall with a fireplace, private chambers, a kitchen, library, and even a dungeon. The castle is surrounded by beautiful gardens and a moat.
Entry to the castle is €17.50 (buy tickets here) but you can get free entry if you have an I Amsterdam city card. Included in your ticket are free audio tours which will guide you through the castle and its history.
If you wish to visit only the castle from Amsterdam, you can take a private tour like this one.
Muiden, the town surrounding the castle is also worth a stroll as it’s very picturesque. The houses all have a charming feel and there are many restaurants to eat at.
6pm: Spend the evening in Amstelveen
Now, you might want to change base and stay in Amstelveen to continue exploring the surrounding areas on day 2 of your perfect itinerary outside of Amsterdam. I’d recommend Cityden Stadshart as your second base of the trip.
Amstelveen is a modern area located in the North Holland, just south of Amsterdam. It’s a well sought after area known for it’s high quality of life. This area is home to many businesses like Nestlé among many others. Amstelveen has 2 national monuments including the Amsterdamse Bos and the Heemparken. It also has a mall with over 200 shops!
For dinner, you can enjoy delicious Japanese food at Izakaya Tanuki. They have fun floor seating and it’s a great break from Dutch food.
Day 2: Best Things to do outside of Amsterdam
10 am: Cobra Museum
In Amstelveen you can explore the Cobra Museum which is one of the best things to do outside of Amsterdam. This museum is perfect for art lovers. It has changing exhibitions featuring famous artists from the 20th century.
The CoBrA movement was a group of artists in the late 1940s and early 1950s who liked to make colorful, energetic paintings and sculptures. They wanted their art to feel fresh and free, unlike traditional art styles, and they often used ideas from children’s art and different cultures to inspire them.
12 pm: Visit a Goat Farm
Goatfarm Ridammerhoeve is a family-run business. At this goat farm, you will get a chance to interact with these playful goats who seem to love attention. There’s a cafe area where you can sit and relax with a cake and a coffee.
Kids love this place as there are many fun swings amongst all the goats to entertain. You can also take a tour of the farm and learn how it came about. There are over 300 goats on the property.
The family extracts milk from the cows twice a day and it’s used to source all the fresh products they sell. They make everything from ice cream to cheese (it smelled so good inside!) and they even sell the meat right on the farm.
1 pm: Enjoy a leisure stroll through a forest
Right behind the goat farm you will find a huge forest perfect for relaxing at. The Amsterdam Forest in Amstelveen has a whopping 220,000 trees. The most interesting part of it all is that it’s all man-made.
There are also 15,000 waterways. You can hire a boat and enjoy strolling down one of the waterways. Many people run, bike, and bring their dogs to this wonderful green area.
4 pm: Have a drink or dinner in a church!
Yes, you read that right. You can have dinner and drinks in a church! ANNA Amstelveen is one of the most unique places to eat or enjoy a beer in the Netherlands.
It’s situated in an actual church that was established in 1927. The interior was equally as stunning as the exterior and was meant to give the feeling as though you were in someone’s living room. It definitely had that homely feel.
For dinner, we had open-faced sandwiches with different toppings. My favorite was the cheese and mustard one for sure. I also tried a beet hummus sandwich and a carpaccio sandwich too.
If you come here, you’ve got to try the beer, which is homemade right on the premises – Naeckte Brouwers. There are also events hosted here and music on the weekends making it a lively place to be.
Where to Stay
It would be great to have 2 bases for your 2 days outside of Amsterdam. We choose Huizen and Amstelveen. Both areas will allow you to be within easy reach of all the attractions mentioned in this post.
Fletcher Hotel Nautisch Kwartier in Huizen
Fletcher Hotel Nautisch Kwartier is located in the heart of Huizen next to the harbor. Some rooms have a really nice view of the harbor straight from your window. I loved the charming architecture in this cute area. I also stopped for lunch at Loetje for a quick bite to eat. Porterhouse is another lunch option right behind the hotel.
The hotel also has a restaurant called Marina Lounge where we enjoyed dinner. They have a large selection of food including beef, fish, risotto, and more. For breakfast, there’s a buffet.
Cityden Stadshart in Amstelveen
Cityden Stadshart is the perfect place to stay in Amstelveen especially if you plan to be here for a longer period of time. The hotel is really chic in design and they have apartment-style rooms. These rooms are equipped with a kitchen, washing machine and dryer, and even a separate living room area. The breakfast is really great. Instead of a buffet style, you can order from a menu.
