4 Dutch Canal Cities That Beat Amsterdam for Crowds and Character
Amsterdam gets all the attention. But the Netherlands has four other canal cities that are smaller, quieter, and honestly just as beautiful.
None of them require a full week. Most can be done as day trips from Amsterdam. All four are worth it.
Utrecht: The City With Two Levels
Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, with around 400,000 people.
What makes it different from every other canal city on Earth is how its waterways work.
The Oudegracht canal is about 2 kilometers long and runs through the entire old town. But because Utrecht sits higher above sea level than most Dutch cities, the canal sits well below street level.
That means there’s a second level of life down there. Bars, cafes, and restaurants are built right into the stone wharf cellars along the water’s edge.
You eat at water level while pedestrians walk past above you on the street. There is no other city that does this.
The Dom Tower is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. A section of the city filled in part of the canal in the 1970s to make room for cars.
Residents voted in 2002 to undo that, and by 2020 the full 6 km loop around the city center was restored to water.
Utrecht also runs a free public light art program called Trajectum Lumen, open every night from sunset to midnight, that lights up the canal buildings after dark.
It’s 30 minutes from Amsterdam by train.
Leiden: Rembrandt’s Hometown With 88 Bridges
Leiden has more canals than any Dutch city except Amsterdam. There are 28 kilometers of waterways in the historic center alone, crossed by 88 bridges.
Rembrandt was born here in 1606. The Rembrandtbrug marks the spot where he grew up, near a windmill his father may have operated.
The Museum De Lakenhal has paintings by both Rembrandt and Jan Steen.
The oldest university in the Netherlands is here too, founded in 1575 by William of Orange as a reward to the city for resisting a Spanish siege. Ten percent of the city’s population today are students.
Naturalis, one of Europe’s top biodiversity museums, is also in Leiden. Its headline attraction is Trix, one of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found, named after former Dutch Queen Beatrix.
The Hortus Botanicus is the oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands, with over 400 years of plant collections.
And the Singelpark, a green loop around the old center, runs 6.3 kilometers alongside the canals.
Leiden is 37 minutes from Amsterdam by train.
Delft: Vermeer’s Blue City
Delft is where Johannes Vermeer was born, lived, and painted. Walking the canals here, it’s easy to see why. The light off the water is unlike anywhere else.
The Vermeer Centrum traces his life and work, including a re-creation of the northern window light that defined his style.
The Royal Delft factory, founded in 1653, is the last surviving producer of hand-painted blue and white Delftware and still has artists painting cobalt oxide by hand.
The Nieuwe Kerk in the main market square took 100 years to build, from 1396 to 1496. It’s where William of Orange is buried, along with the rest of the Dutch royal family.
The Oostpoort, built around 1400, is the only surviving medieval city gate in Delft. Its twin towers reflect in the canal below. It’s now a private residence, which somehow makes it even more charming.
Inner-city canals in Delft run nearly 7 kilometers. A 45-minute boat tour covers the main routes and passes under arched stone bridges dating back centuries.
Delft is 45 minutes from Amsterdam Schiphol by direct train.
Haarlem: 20 Minutes From Amsterdam, Worth Every Minute
Haarlem is right next to Amsterdam but feels nothing like it. The streets are quieter, the squares are easier to navigate, and the crowds are smaller.
The Spaarne River runs through the city center, connecting to a canal network that dates to the 13th century.
Haarlem was the epicenter of the tulip mania craze of 1636 to 1637, when single bulbs sold for the equivalent of 25,000 kilograms of butter.
Teylers Museum, opened in 1778, is the oldest museum in the Netherlands. The Grote Kerk on the main square has a pipe organ 100 feet tall with 5,000 pipes. Mozart played it as a child.
The De Adriaan windmill on the Spaarne River offers canal views from its observation deck. The Jopenkerk is a former church that’s now a working brewery.
The Corrie ten Boom House tells the story of a family that hid Jewish families from Nazi forces during the occupation.
The train from Amsterdam takes 20 minutes and costs around €5.