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City hopping

The Netherlands Explorer

Three Dutch cities in a week, close enough that no drive takes more than an hour. Museum mornings, wharf-cellars in the afternoon, then Rotterdam's harbour skyline to finish.

  • Amsterdam's museum quarter before the crowds
  • Utrecht's canals, with the cellars at the waterline
  • Rotterdam's Markthal and harbour architecture
Duration
7 nights · 8 days
Destinations
3 stops
Travel style
Easy city-hopping, short drives, park once per city
Indicative budget
£1,690–£2,280
Ferry crossing
Harwich – Hook of Holland
Customise this holiday

Every detail is editable: change the dates, add a stop, swap a hotel or start again from the ferry.

The route

451 km · about 6 hours driving in total

Drawing the route…

P · ferry port1–3 · overnight stopDashed line · suggested route, illustrative

Night by night

The suggested shape of the trip, in driving order. Take it as it is, or treat it as a starting point and move a night, swap a hotel or drop a stop.

  1. Outbound · Harwich – Hook of Holland6h 45m crossing · overnight, cabin included
  2. Drive from Hook of Holland · 1h 05m · 84 kmillustrative estimate
  3. 1

    AmsterdamNetherlands

    3 nights · nights 1–3

    Arrive by sea overnight and step into a city built on canals. Museum mornings, brown cafés, and a bicycle that gets you everywhere before lunch.

    Suggested stay

    Jordaan Canal Rooms · hotel · from £215 a night

    Suggested attractions

    • Rijksmuseum · £25
    • Van Gogh Museum · £24
    • Vondelpark · free
  4. Drive from Amsterdam · 30m · 42 kmillustrative estimate
  5. 2

    UtrechtNetherlands

    2 nights · nights 4–5

    Utrecht's canals sit a storey below the street, with brick wharf cellars turned into cafés and workshops. Smaller than Amsterdam, easier to cross on foot, and just as pretty at dusk.

    Suggested stay

    Wharf Cellar Guesthouse · guesthouse · from £138 a night

    Suggested attractions

    • Dom Tower · £14
    • Oudegracht wharves · free
  6. Drive from Utrecht · 45m · 58 kmillustrative estimate
  7. 3

    RotterdamNetherlands

    2 nights · nights 6–7

    Rotterdam was rebuilt after the war and never stopped. Cube houses, a market hall you can eat your way through, and Europe's largest port on the doorstep.

    Suggested stay

    Maas River Hotel · hotel · from £172 a night

    Suggested attractions

    • Markthal · free
    • Cube Houses · £4
  8. Drive from Rotterdam · 3h 25m · 267 kmillustrative estimate
  9. Return · Harwich – Hook of HollandSailing home