3 Days in the Netherlands: The Ultimate Netherlands Itinerary

Written by Harry & Lydia, The Nomads You Know

How to spend 3 days in the Netherlands from St. Pancras

The Netherlands offers the perfect long weekend trip from St. Pancras. Not only can you be walking around Amsterdam within a matter of hours, but there are plenty of other beautiful towns and even a surprisingly underrated stretch of coastline, to spark your wanderlust too. If you are looking for inspiration on your next short trip, this guide will dive into everything you need to know to ensure that you have the most memorable three days in the Netherlands.

How to get to the Netherlands

From the UK you can catch a 4-hour high-speed train from St. Pancras International to Amsterdam Centraal. From Amsterdam, you can very easily hop across to other cities such as Haarlem or Leiden in under 40 minutes via train. The Netherlands is a relatively small and well-connected country, which makes train travel efficient and journey times short.

Day one: Arrive in Amsterdam and Travel to Haarlem

Getting to Amsterdam

The high-speed train from St. Pancras International has two early morning departures, which we recommend you take, to arrive in the afternoon and still have plenty of time on your first day to explore. Travelling from St. Pancras is very hassle-free. Getting to the station around 1 hour before, will leave you with plenty of time to grab some breakfast at one of the many choices of cafes or eateries in the station.

Getting to Haarlem

Once onboard, the train journey will likely fly by and before you know it, you will be stepping out into Amsterdam Centraal. From the train station you can take a short 20-minute train ride towards Haarlem. Note that you will need to go past the exit barriers with your Eurostar ticket, before you can purchase an onwards ticket to Haarlem, via the yellow ticket machines in the departure hall.

Arrival at Haarlem Railway Station will leave you only a 10–15-minute walk to the centre of town. The walk towards the heart of Haarlem will give you the first glimpse of this historical city. We recommend that you stop for lunch on your way towards your hotel. One of the best places to grab a quick bite is Het Broodjeshuis. They serve the most delicious, freshly made Dutch style sandwiches and have multiple shops throughout Haarlem.

Where to stay

After lunch, head towards your hotel to drop your bags. You will likely want to stay very central, so that you can easily walk to attractions. The Amrath Grand Hotel Frans Hals is located right within the historic centre of Haarlem and is the perfect base for your stay. It is a 4-star modern and comfortable hotel, ideal for short stays and those looking to explore the Netherlands, without the Amsterdam prices.

Things to do in Haarlem

Haarlem is one of those cities where the best thing to do is simply wander. However, there are a few stand out spots that are worth planning into your afternoon.

Grote Markt and St Bavokerk Church

This is the heart of Haarlem’s historic centre and is hard to miss as you will almost certainly have already walked past the magnificent church. Grote Markt is the central square surrounded by cafe’s, terraces and historic buildings. It is rather photogenic and a great place to start on your wander around the city.

Sitting in the centre of Grote Markt is the 78-metre tall St Bavokerk Church. The church itself dates back to the 15th century and was originally a Catholic church, before becoming Protestant after the reformation. Step inside and you’ll be greeted by a huge open space, with Gothic arches and ornate altars. The church is home to a famous organ that dominates one end of the church. It is one of the largest historical organs in the world and is still used regulary for concerts and services.

The entry fee to St Bavokerk Church is 4 Euros per person and guided tours are also available for around 9 Euros.

Teylers Museum and Frans Hals Museum

Haarlem has a surprisingly strong museum scene for its size; these are the two most popular.

The Teylers museum is the oldest museum in the Netherlands and offers visitors a unique collection of natural history, physics, fossils and drawings. The overall vibe of this museum is is quiet and atmospheric with a focus on seeing how people once tried to understand the world with the tools they had at the time.

The entry fee to the museum is 18.50 Euros per person. Do check the opening times to ensure they align with your afternoon plans.

The Frans Hals museum is the main art museum in Haarlem and one of the best places in the Netherlands to see Dutch Golden Age painting. The museum is centred around the work of Frans Hals, a Haarlem based painter from the mid 17th century. It offers visitors the opportunity to get up close to some of his greatest work, perfect for any art lovers out there.
The entry fee to the museum is 17.50 Euros per person and again check opening times to align with your afternoon plans. We recommend that if you do want to visit a museum in Haarlem, that you choose one to allow yourself enough time to explore.

Canal walking and dinner

The best way to get lost in Haarlem in all the right ways is to wander along the canals. This is how you will find some of the prettiest streets and hidden corners of the city. Around sunset is a lovely time to enjoy a stroll and take in the laidback vibe as many people will be sat out in bars and restaurants enjoying the early evening.

There are hundreds of wonderful restaurants to choose from in Haarlem. However, heading back to Grote Markt and choosing one with a view onto the square and church is a great idea and a very atmospheric way to end your first day in the Netherlands.

Day two: Heading to the Netherlands coast

If you want to explore the Netherlands like a local, then you must rent a bike whilst you are in Haarlem. The coast is only a short 25-minute cycle from the centre of Haarlem, and the Netherlands is very bicycle friendly; in fact, there are cycle paths everywhere and even cars give way to bicycles. In Haarlem there are many rental shops. However, Green Bikes is one of the most highly rated shops in town and they are known for their reliability and affordability.

You should consider renting an e-bike for this ride to the coast, as it can turn into a long day and having that extra bit of power on your way back, will really help you out. If you rent from Green Bikes they offer brilliant e-bikes for 30 Euros per day. Arrive early, when they open at 9am and you will have the bike all day until 6pm, when they close.

Zuid Kennemerland National Park

As you cycle towards the coast make sure you go via Zuid Kennemerland National Park, it is incredible that this nature spot is so close to the city (15-minute ride). This national park is home to coastal dunes, lakes and forest. It is also one of the best places in the country to spot free roaming Konik horses.

There are dedicated cycle paths throughout the park, and it makes for a wonderfully scenic bike ride. The park offers quite the contrast to the city and canals that are so synonymous with the Netherlands, it is one of the most accessible ‘wild’ places in the country and is well worth a visit.

Bloemendaal aan Zee

On the edge of the national park, you will find the small beach resort of Bloemendaal aan Zee, which will give you your first taste of the Dutch coast with wide North Sea views backed by white sand dunes that stretch on for miles. The beach here feels very underrated and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

This is the ideal place to take a rest and enjoy the views. If you sit high up on the sand dunes, this is where you will get the best views across the beach and North Sea. It feels very peaceful and natural here. But there are also some laidback beach clubs and restaurants to enjoy lunch with a sea view.

There are plenty of bike racks to lock your bike up whilst you have lunch. However, note that the bike racks are situated near the car park at the top of the hill, whereas the restaurants are at the bottom of the hill. There is nowhere to lock up at the bottom.

Zandvoort and Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen

After lunch you can continue your journey further down the coast towards the coastal town of Zandvoort. In comparison to Bloemendaal aan Zee, Zandvoort is much more built up and offers a classic Dutch seaside town atmosphere. However, just past the town the landscape opens up again and makes way for some huge sand dunes and Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen, which is a stunning nature reserve stretching all the way to Noordwijik.

Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen is one of the quietest and most wildlife rich dune areas in the Netherlands. It is one of the few places where you can see Deer up close in the wild. This area is strictly protected wilderness, and there is much less infrastructure meaning cycling is not allowed. You must lock your bike up outside the reserve and continue exploring on foot. You can expect to find peaceful hiking trails, wide open spaces and hopefully some wildlife spotting.

There is a small fee of 1.50 Euro per person to enter the reserve, and it is payable by QR code at the entry gates.

Back to Haarlem

This trip to the coast gives you a full day trip along the North Sea and the ride back to Haarlem follows the same way you came or back via the main road that leads straight into town. Once you arrive back in town, you will likely be ready for a big feed. Therefore, we recommend heading towards Lange Veerstraat, where you will find a quaint street lined with restaurants. Nolita Pizzabar is a great choice for dinner, they serve some of the best pizza in town and the service is fabulous.

Day three: Leiden and Amsterdam

There are evening departures on the Eurostar back to St Pancras, which is great as you can still make the most of your final day in the Netherlands with a stop in another beautiful and historical town and of course a short visit to the iconic city of Amsterdam.

Leiden things to do

Getting to Leiden from Haarlem is again very easy, from Haarlem Railway Station you can catch a direct train to Leiden, which is only 20 minutes away. The small city of Leiden is probably the most picturesque city on this trip, it has the same buzz as Amsterdam, just without the flurry of tourists. It is the perfect stop for a morning of exploration and relaxation before your journey back to London.

Leiden is one of those Dutch cities that feels compact but is full of things to do. From the train station start walking towards the historic centre, which is around a 10-minute walk. As you leave the station and head towards the centre, you will quickly come across one of the main points of interest in Leiden.

Molen De Valk

This is a traditional Dutch windmill from 1743, that has now been turned into a museum about windmills in the Netherlands and milling history. It is one of the few remaining windmills in the centre of Leiden and makes for some iconic photos. Just next to the windmill is a gorgeous park, that offers the most picturesque view onto the windmill and the canal that runs right past it. The view from here really provides that stereotypical Netherlands scene, blending windmills and canals into one.

Burcht van Leiden

You can find this beautiful spot in the heart of the historic centre of Leiden; it is a medieval fortress built on a raised mound in the middle of the city. The Burcht van Leiden is one of the oldest monuments in Leiden and it offers spectacular panoramic views across the city skyline, churches and canals. This is another lovely spot for some photos and pairs history with beautiful views perfectly.

Pieterskerk and Hoolandse Kerk

These are the two main medieval churches in Leiden. From Burcht van Leiden you can see Hooglandse Kerk which dominates the cityscape. Both churches are 14th-16th century and are of Gothic architecture. They are both part of the same medievall city core and if you are walking around the centre of Leiden, you can easily see both churches in under 10-15 minutes.

Lunch in Leiden

Once you have had time to take in the city and wander the beautiful streets and canals, make time to have lunch in one of the many canal side restaurants. We recommend heading to Waag, this lovely restaurant has outdoor seating right by the central canals and on a sunny day it is the perfect spot to enjoy a relaxing lunch by the water before taking the train 40 minutes back to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam things to do

With a few hours left in Amsterdam before the train back to St Pancras, there is still just enough time to scratch the surface of this idyllic city. Amsterdam is fortunately very walkable despite its size, meaning you can hit a couple must see spots and areas.

Jordaan neighbourhood

This is a historic neighbourhood just west of the canal ring, from Amsterdam Centraal it is around a 15–20 minute walk. It is one of Amsterdam’s most desirable and pretty neighbourhoods, with quiet canals to wander alongside, small independent shops and cafes and photogenic viewpoints. In comparison to the centre of Amsterdam, it offers a more peaceful and local experience of the city.

Hortus Botanicus

If you’d prefer to escape the busyness of the city, then this could be an ideal place to spend an hour or two. The Hortus Botanicus is Amsterdam’s historical botanical gardens, home to tropical greenhouses, rare and exotic plants and a butterfly garden. It is around a 25-minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal to the east of the canal ring.

Dam Square and Canal Ring

This is the most iconic part of Amsterdam; Dam Square is the historic and geographic centre of the city. It is a big open square with a lively atmosphere and street performers; it offers a great starting point for exploring the city centre and canal ring. The canal ring is the network of central canals that Amsterdam is so well known for. This area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with those classic narrow 17th century canal houses, small bridges, houseboats and quiet side streets. It is much calmer than Dam Square and offers those postcard views of Amsterdam.

Travel back to St Pancras

After some final exploring in Amsterdam, head back towards Amsterdam Centraal with enough time to pass security for your train back to St. Pancras.

The Netherlands feels like the perfect long weekend adventure from London, with plenty to explore beyond the obvious and travel made seamless via St. Pancras International and the high-speed train. It’s a country that offers a blend of the unexpected and iconic within a single trip. So, whether you are city lover, nature enthusiast or history mad, the Netherlands has something for everyone and will absolutely leave you with memories to last a lifetime.