3 Towns In Holland To Visit Besides Amsterdam

I know this is a controversial take, but Europe is played out. (With the exception of the U.K. coastal Italy, Portugal, Scandinavian and Mediterranean countries – sorry not sorry!) I will now be adding Amsterdam and other parts of Holland to that “exceptions” list. The country has a lot of charm. Interacting with people can be daunting since the Dutch said to be stern and brut, but I think they’re similar to New Yorkers in some ways. They may seem a bit cold on the surface, but some people are willing to point you in the direction of the station when you look lost. (Yes, that happened, and I received help unprompted.)

Weesp

Weesp is a town that is now technically considered part of Amsterdam, which defeats the purpose of the title, but bear with me! By car, It is only ~30 minutes away from Amsterdam, but it is so far removed from the chaoticness of the city. It felt very suburban and calm in a uniquely European way.

Here is where I had my first try of bitterballen; a Dutch meat-based snack, made by making a very thick stew thickened with roux and beef stock and loaded with meat, refrigerating the stew until it firms, and then rolling the thick mixture into balls which then get breaded and fried (Wikipedia.) My friend and I walked into a bar with a group of men enjoying each other’s company. The owner of the bar had just served the group bitterballen and they generously offered both of us a taste. Before taking a bite, they kindly said “take care” to warn us how hot the snack was. They were right – the round balls were right out of the fryer and scalding. In my opinion, bitterballen is better when eaten hot due to its soup-ish origins. Additionally, it’s solid as a drunk food, which is probably why it is served at virtually any bar, but can become overwhelming when you eat more than 2 while completely sober.

Nijmegen/Wijchen

Nijmegen is touted to be one of the oldest towns in The Netherlands. At least that’s what some people say. Others argue that there are other towns that claim to be the oldest in the country.

In Nijmegen, there is a castle-like structure called Valkhofvereniging. It was said an emperor called Fredrik Barbarossa built it in 1155. A sign near the castle explains, “material[s] used from the castle of Charlemagne which stood on [its] spot” was used in its construction. (Fun fact: the chapel was named after Charlemagne and is dedicated to St. Nicholas.)

Stichting Museum Kasteel (seen on the left) is a castle-turned-museum in Wijchen. The tour guide imparted a lot of knowledge about the castle to us. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the castle probably started as a hall tower. Today, it’s surrounded by a moat and in its latest iteration after a fire in 1906.

Lisse

I wish I had more time in Lisse, but I spent my time well in its Keukenhof Tulip Garden. When you travel to The Netherlands, chances are one of the main attractions you’ll be told about are the country’s beautiful tulips. I was lucky enough to visit during the last week of the season. A number of the tulips were still holding on, while others were dead or beheaded. (Tulips are beheaded at the end of the season in order to have nutrients transferred to the bulb, which will create a new cluster of bulbs for the next season – the more you know!)

The Keukenhof grounds, which were about 2 hours away by train from Amsterdam, were huge! My friend and I spent 3 hours there. We ate frites (or chips/fries) and strawberries covered in whipped cream. We also searched tirelessly for a seemingly nonexistent petting zoo! Aside from the invisible petting zoo, we got to see a windmill (finally) up close and personal. As well as ride a boat in the canals dividing massive tulip fields – most of which were beheaded. 🌷