A 2-night, 3-day tour of the Netherlands' major cities and the UNESCO World Heritage windmills. May 2023【90】

I took a day off on a weekday and went on a 2-night, 3-day trip to the Netherlands from London.

The trip cost about 230 pounds round trip per person via Eurostar.

I arrived in Amsterdam in about 4 hours after boarding the Eurostar from London's St. Pancras station.

You can see the canal from the north exit of the station.

The south exit of the station is like a plaza, with a tram stop and many people.

Amsterdam Central Station is said to have been modeled after Tokyo Station.

The station building across the canal was beautiful.

I checked in at the hotel called 'NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace', dropped off my luggage, and went out.

Walking around Amsterdam.

De Oude Kerk (Old Church)

Beursplein

Dam Square

Magna Plaza

There are canals running through the city, with buildings lined up on both sides.

Amsterdam seems to have a bicycle culture.

Everywhere you look, there are parked bicycles, and the city is overflowing with people of all ages moving by bike.

For lunch, we ate at The Pantry, a famous Dutch restaurant.

After lunch, when we headed to Anne Frank's house, it was bustling with many tourists.

A short walk north from Anne Frank's house, you'll reach the famous apple tart shop, Winkel 43.

We enjoyed a generous amount of whipped cream and a large tart with coffee.

The tart wasn't too sweet, and the inside was mostly apples, so it wasn't as heavy as it looked.

You can also opt for no whipped cream, so you can adjust the sweetness to your liking.

And so, our first day in the Netherlands came to an end with a walk around Amsterdam.

Afterwards, we returned to our hotel, enjoyed a sauna, and then went to bed.

Morning of our second day in Amsterdam.

From Amsterdam Central Station, we headed to Utrecht.

Utrecht station was more spacious and beautiful than I expected.

There's a large shopping mall in front of the station.

Shops continue along the cobblestone streets.

We had breakfast at the Graaf Floris Café Restaurant.

We entered just as they opened, so there was no one else inside.

We enjoyed Utrecht's specialty apple ball with coffee.

St Martin's Cathedral

Dom Tower

It was under construction.

Compared to Amsterdam, the canals flow at a lower elevation.

Miffy Museum

Miffy Square

Miffy Traffic Light

Left Utrecht and headed to Rotterdam.

Rotterdam Central Station

There are various unique buildings and art installations around.

About 30 minutes walk south from the station, you can see a large canal.

We boarded a water bus at the Rotterdam Erasmusbrug dock.

Tickets can be purchased onboard as crew members come around once the boat starts moving.

We got off at Kinderdijk and headed to the World Heritage windmills after a 5-minute walk.

Kinderdijk has old windmills that were actually in use, and you can tour along the canals.

We walked back and forth on a small path for about an hour.

From Kinderdijk, we took the water bus back to Rotterdam and continued sightseeing.

The Cube Houses, a unique architectural wonder.

Markthal

It contains restaurants and grocery stores.

At a potato shop, I ate croquettes and fries.

Returned to Rotterdam Central Station and headed to The Hague.

Binnenhof

Walked around the city and returned to The Hague Central Station.

By the time we returned to Amsterdam from The Hague, it was night, so we went to an Italian restaurant we had researched beforehand.

Enjoyed a salad with cheese and prosciutto, shrimp ajillo, and seafood pasta with wine.

Passed through the streets of Amsterdam at night and returned to the hotel.

Day 3 in the Netherlands.

Checked out of the hotel, left only the luggage, and went sightseeing.

Took a tram to the museum.

Had apple tart and coffee for breakfast at the museum café.

Saw some famous paintings and a beautiful library, but left early due to time constraints.

Shopped for souvenirs around Amsterdam Central Station.

Took the Eurostar and returned to London in about 4 hours.

Upon arriving in London, headed to King's Cross Station and visited the Harry Potter's Platform 9¾.

Waited in line for about an hour and got a commemorative photo taken.

And with that, by around 6 pm, I was back home and the Netherlands trip came to an end.

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