Top 5 cities to visit in the Netherlands

With lively nightlife, beautiful scenery, and liberal values, the Netherlands is always a fail-safe holiday choice. As a world superpower in the 16th and 17th centuries, it gave rise many spectacular towns and cities, yet nowadays Amsterdam takes all the glory. If you travel a bit further afield (not that far, the Netherlands is small) you'll find plenty of other charming places to visit, and possibly a more authentic experience. To steer you in the right direction, here's our pick of the top five cities to visit in the Netherlands.

1. Rotterdam

The resulting post-war architecture and modernist skyscrapers make Rotterdam a treasure trove for design fans. Make sure you check out the Cube Houses, Nieuwe Luxor Theatre and the Van Nelle Factory. For more insight into the artistic movements that inspired these buildings head to the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen to see its exhibition on De Stijl and the Bauhaus, plus several centuries of Dutch and European art.

Rotterdam is also the largest port in Europe, from where hopeful Dutch families once emigrated to New York, or New Amsterdam as it was once known. You can learn more about Rotterdam’s nautical past at the Maritime Museum.

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2. The Hague

There are plenty of good museums to choose from too, like Museum Beelden an Zee – hidden in the sand dunes of the Scheveningen beach resort – which focuses on contemporary sculpture, to the Prison Gate Museum that brings alive tales of crime and punishment in years gone by (a great one for kids and adults alike). Before you leave make sure you see Vermeer's masterpiece Girl with a Pearl Earring at the Mauritshuis.

3. Arnhem

Most of the Allied soldiers are buried at the Oosterbeek War Cemetery, a visit to which is a sobering yet worthwhile experience. To find out more about Arnhem’s role during the war, you can also visit the Arnhem War Museum. The city is also featured in our new book Travel the Liberation Route Europe which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Europe.

4. Gouda

But back to cheese for a moment… If you're in town on a Thursday make sure you head to the cheese market held in the beautiful town square from 10:00am-12:30pm from April to August. The market is a full-on celebration of things Dutch – national costumes, clogs, huge wheels of cheese and traditional crafts, plus merchants and farmers clapping hands in the traditional way each time they agree on a deal.

If you haven’t had your fill of cheese after that, you can also visit the Cheese and Crafts Museum in Goudse Waag building, where you can watch how cheese is made.

For a souvenir that won't make you put on weight, you can buy some of your very own traditional Gouda pottery at shops in the town, or at the annual ceramics market held at the end of May.

5. Amsterdam

After this, take the time to soak in the laid-back vibes, wandering along the canals and sampling a craft coffee or craft beer at one of the many excellent cafe bars.

Amsterdam's nightlife is a wholly unique experience – running the gamut from hardcore Club NYX (which even has a DJ booth in the toilet), or Progress Bar, which mixes socially progressive talks and events with epic club nights.

Find more holiday ideas in the Netherlands with our guide to the best things to do in the Netherlands.

For more information on these cities and the rest of the country, purchase the newly updated Rough Guide to the Netherlands.

Top image: Goudas cheeses in the window © Jose Luis Carrascosa/Shutterstock