Things To Do and Places To Visit Near Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Short Distances)
For many the Netherlands is readily associated with its capital, Amsterdam. This city is known for its bicycles, the canals and many daily and nightly pleasures. Without a doubt you can have a nice holiday in Amsterdam itself but there are also various destinations around Amsterdam that you should pay a visit. The Netherlands is not only known for Amsterdam but also for windmills, tullips and cheese.
In this article I'll share some places to visit near Amsterdam and also some things that you can do. The Netherlands is a small country so it doesn't take long to travel and to see more of the country. You'd be missing out if you limit your holiday to just Amsterdam; and cities such as Berlin (Germany), Brussels (Belgium) and Paris (France) are not too far either if you're used to living in bigger countries.
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Keukenhof
Distance to Amsterdam (roughly)
24 kilometers (15 miles)
The Keukenhof Gardens - Lisse, The Netherlands
The Keukenhof is a very large garden with many flowers, in particular tullips for which the Netherlands is known. The Keukenhof can be found just west of Schiphol, the national airport of the Netherlands, which is close to Amsterdam. There is a bus directly from Schiphol Airport to the Keukenhof so isn't too difficult.
The Keukenhof is open during spring each year (see their website for exact dates) as that's when the flowers are blossoming. In addition to tullips, you can find orchids, freesias, and amaryllis.
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Madurodam
Distance to Amsterdam (roughly)
50 kilometers (30 miles)
Madurodam - The Hague, The Netherlands
If you have limited time to travel around the Netherlands then this attraction provides the opportunity to see many of the famous buildings on a smaller scale. Madurodam is divided into four areas focusing on famous buildings, work, living and recreation in the Netherlands.
In Madurodam you'll find well-known buildings of the Netherlands rebuild on a scale of 1:25, including buildings of the parliament and of the royal family. An interesting fact is that the Crown Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (at that time) has been the mayor of Madurodam until she became the Queen of the Netherlands in 1980.
Getting to Madurodam is easy with public transport. You can take the train to The Hague from Amsterdam and then take the tram or bus to Madurodam itself.
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Cheese market
Distance to Amsterdam (roughly)
30 kilometers (20 miles)
Cheese market - Alkmaar, The Netherlands
The Netherlands is known for its Dutch cheese and the cheese market in Alkmaar is a prime example of an event that you shouldn't miss. It's a great place to try some Dutch cheese and to see more cheese in one place than you've ever seen in your life.
The cheese market itself takes place each Friday (see their website for the exact dates) and lasts about two hours. You'll get an explanation about the history of cheese and related information in English, German, and French during the event.
You can visit Alkmaar by taking the train from Amsterdam. The cheese market takes place at the Waagplein, Alkmaar.
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