Welcoming the holiday season always comes with the need to travel. Especially being an international student in the Netherlands, you’ll see everyone going back to their home countries, or travelling around Europe with friends and family. But for some people, home is half a planet away and travelling around to far away places can be too expensive. But that doesn’t mean travelling is not an option at all. The Netherlands offers beautiful places that will give you the typical homey Christmas vibe you’re looking for. So take a day trip to these places while you’re still in your holiday spirit!
Here’s a couple gorgeous places to visit on a day trip from Amsterdam :)
Gouda, also known as the cheese city of Amsterdam, is worth a visit during Christmas. The pristine city hosts a beautiful christmas market right in the heart of the city centre where you could explore a bunch of delicious christmas treats and of course lots of cheese! Don’t forget to check out the stalls with the festive gluhwein, hearty soups, and scrumptious hot chocolate. You could also shop for adorable christmas souvenirs and enjoy the beautiful lights and decorations that come along with the market! In addition, you’ll also stumble upon a beautiful ice-skating rink, which will be overlooking the Stadhuis, decorated with innumerous magical fairy lights and is definitely a sight for sore eyes!
The Castle de Haar country and christmas fair: Castle de Haar near Utrecht is one of the Netherland’s most beautiful and luxurious castles and rests on the most charming gardens which will be full of christmas trees and lights during the month of December. This castle hosts a traditional and homey Christmas fair every winter and is definitely a sight to see. The smell of poffertjes, waffles and mulled wine will definitely enchant you once you enter the castle grounds. You will find stalls everywhere around the property. There will be heated stands with the most beautiful flea markets, antiques, jewellery, clothing, Christmas gifts and the most delicious wines and delicacies. To get the feel of that typical royal dutch culture, you should definitely check this beauty out!
Winter wonderland in Haarlem: The Haarlem Christmas Market is a fantastic occasion where more than 300 stalls are laid out throughout the heart of the city, coming together in the Grote Markt to form one of the most celebrated Christmas events in the Netherlands. Haarlem is a particularly good place to host a market thanks to its beauty, neat size and pedestrian-friendly streets. The quality of the items being sold is of an impressively high standard, with lots of handmade crafts and artisan foods.
Other winter events in the Netherlands include Castle Christmas Fair, Valkenburg Christmas Market and Magical Maastricht.
Hope this article gives you a peek into what the dutchies have to offer during Christmas and motivates you to pack your bag, hop on a train and get going!
Article by Shayree Majumder