I’ve had such a great time and so much fun during my 10 days in the Netherlands.
Actually, I even wished I had more time to explore the country. There are still many places that I want to visit in the Netherlands.
I’ve wanted to visit Amsterdam for such a long time. One evening I was staying home and I was looking at Ryanair’s website and of course, I found such a cheap flight from Sofia to Eindhoven and then from Eindhoven to Bologna and then from Bologna to Sofia. I’ve booked that itinerary straight away!
I wasn’t sure at the moment of booking the flights that I’ll make that trip (it was on the way of my final exam) but I didn’t have anything to lose. I mean, all those flights cost me 60 euro.
However, after you’re here and you’re reading this post you can guess that I did.
When I was planning which places to visit in my 10 days in the Netherlands, I didn’t think much. Amsterdam and Den Haag were guaranteed destinations and I was also sure that I will visit friends in Katshuvel.
With all this in mind, I couldn’t include any other destinations on this trip. But hey, another reason to be back!
So, this is how my 10 days in the Netherlands looked like and how could yours look like too:
10 days in the Netherlands / Day 1-5 AmsterDAMN
First stop, Amsterdam!
Hello AmsterDAMN!
Amsterdam is definitely a charming and beautiful city. There are many things to see and do in Amsterdam, but I mostly enjoyed doing nothing. I’m not a museum fan, so I didn’t even visit the Van Gogh museum and the Ann Frank House.
I enjoyed hanging out in the parks and relax by the canals, exploring the small streets, and even some nice views of the city! I was visiting the Netherlands in June and I believe that summer it’s one of the best times to visit Amsterdam.
Besides all of this, I enjoyed meeting some awesome people with whom we’ve made a barbeque in the Westerpark, had beers, enjoyed some very nice conversations, and guess what else.
There was one thing that I didn’t like though. The crowds! OMG, so many people!
Most of the people were obviously in the city just to have a party, which is absolutely fine, but it’s impossible to walk the streets because of them. And I usually don’t like big crowds of inadequate people.
The best things to do in Amsterdam:
- Hangout in the Vondelpark or in the less known from the tourists Westerpak, which is one of the parks in Amsterdam that I liked the most
- Relax by the canals
- Walkthrough the Jordaan area, both during the day and during the night
- Eat the best Apple pie at Winkel 43
- Visit the library and go to the top to enjoy some nice views
- Go to the summer roof of the NEMO Science Museums. Enjoy the views and just hang out there for a while.
P.S. All of the above things, except for the apple pie are free.
Yummy!
The view from the library
Where to stay in Amsterdam:
In Amsterdam, I spent 4 nights in total. For 2 of them, I stayed at Stayokay Vondelpark, and for the other 2, at Stayokay Stadsdoelen.
READ NEXT: Where to stay in Amsterdam Vondelpark READ NEXT: Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen Review READ NEXT: How to spend 3 days in Amsterdam
10 days in the Netherlands / Day 5-7 Den Haag
My second stop in the Netherlands was Den Haag.
The beach in Den Haag
Den Haag is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. It’s lovely, vibrant, relaxed and there are not so many tourists like in Amsterdam.
Like any other city in the Netherlands, Den Haag is also pretty expensive. However, there are many things to do in Den Haag for free, and they are absolutely awesome!
During my stay in Den Haag, I’ve gone for a day trip to Delft, a small and beautiful town, which also can offer a lot to its visitors.
READ NEXT: Weekend in The Hague
The best things to do in Den Haag:
- Go to the beach, Scheveningen
- Explore and relax at the parks
- Feed the ducks and see the deers in the center of the city
- Go on a day trip to Delft
You can find these cuties in the park, just on the other side of the street from the Den Haag Centraal railway station.
Delft
How to get from Amsterdam to Den Haag:
There are two options available, by trains and by bus. The bus is cheaper, of course, but the train is more convenient and it’s faster.
The train departs from Amsterdam Centraal and arrives at Den Haag Central. The ticket costs 11.50 euro.
The bus departs from Amsterdam, Sloterdijk, and arrives at Den Haag, Centraal Station. The ticket costs 5 euro.
Where to stay in Den Haag:
In Den Haag, I stayed at the Stayokay Den Haag Hostel. Great location and rich & delicious breakfast.
10 days in the Netherlands / Day 7 Den Haag – Tilburg – Katshuvel
After Den Haag, it was time to go to Katshuvel, where I visited friends for the last days of my 10 days in the Netherlands.
Half of this day I spent in Den Haag and then I took the train to Tilburg.
Tilburg
I met with my friends in the early evening and in the meantime, I stayed at one nice coffee close to the train station and did some work.
However, after we’ve met, we went for dinner at the Ribsfactory. Great place, I highly recommend it to the meat lovers, great ribs. I don’t usually like and eat ribs, but these were really very good!
We’ve tried different flavors – sweet honey, Jack Daniels and Tequila
Things to do in Tilburg:
Tilburg is a university city and there are many students living there. There are lots of bars and places to have fun at, and at the same time, the city is very relaxed.
If you visit Tilburg as a day trip or just have more time to spend in the city, you should also visit the Animalpark Oliemulen, ranking as one of the weirdest animal parks in the Netherlands. My friends really enjoyed it and the next time I’m visiting them, I’m definitely going!
10 days in the Netherlands / Day 8 Katshuvel
I spent this day in Katshuvel working, relaxing and walking through the small town. The day finished with dinner in a Greek restaurant.
More Ouzo, please!
What else can you do in Katshuvel? You can also visit the amusement park, Efteling. Efteling is the largest theme park in the Netherlands and one of the oldest theme parks in the world, and it’s also what attracts tourists as well as locals to this quiet and small town.
10 days in the Netherlands / Day 9 Katshuvel – Breda
I spent this day almost the same way, I spent the previous one.
I forgot to mention the library, though! Very calm and quiet, the perfect place to work from, oh, and free Wi-Fi.
In the evening, we went for a walk and dinner in Breda.
Breda is lovely
Breda is also a smaller but very lively city. It’s very pretty and relaxed.
Things to do in Breda:
- See the Grote Kerk in the center of the old town
- Check the Breda Castle
- Hang out in the Grote Markt
- Walk by the canal
- Relax at the Valkenberg Park
- Eat more apple pie
Catching up 🙂
10 days in the Netherlands / Day 10 Flying to Bologna, somewhere else or back home
On my last day in the Netherlands, I flew to Bologna.
There are many reasons to visit and fall in love with Bologna. Beautiful city, beautiful views, wonderful atmosphere, and delicious food!
If you’re planning 10 days in the Netherlands, you can also consider visiting Bologna after. Ryanair offers cheap flights between Eindhoven and Bologna.
Beautiful Bologna!
READ NEXT: Reasons to visit & fall in love with Bologna
Because maybe you wouldn’t like wasting your time in Katshuvel, you can add to your 10 days in the Netherlands trip other, bigger cities. You can add Utrecht, Rotterdam or Leiden. I would definitely love to visit all of them next time when I’m in the Netherlands.
Thanks for reading,
Bilyana
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