Trains & Delays: The 12 Provinces of the Netherlands
The Netherlands has an excellent rail network - and a tradition of complaining about it. This guide explores 12 provinces (and a few islands) to show how much of the country can be reached by train.
Dutch people complain about trains. A lot. Even when they are not travelling by train at all, they are grumbling1.
Our country has a very dense train network (especially in the western part of the Netherlands), and when something fails, delays are upon us.
NS, the national rail company, has difficulties coping with extreme weather conditions such as snow. Yes, snow2 is extreme in the Netherlands. A few years ago, a snow blizzard was coming our way and Dutch media had live blogs warning us of Snowmageddon. Oh, so sweet. Like André Hazes once sang: “Hoe een klein land groot kan zijn.”3
However, we do have a proper autumn every year and, with so many trees along the tracks, the national rail company still has a hard time4 dealing with the falling leaves. They make the tracks more slippery. Yup.
Centrally located Utrecht is the most vital city in the train network. When Utrecht is down, the whole of the Netherlands is down.
But it’s not all that bad. Delays can also be quite short, and the rail network offers many opportunities to discover the Netherlands. So here are some ideas for train trips.
Travel the 12 provinces
The tiny Netherlands has 12 provinces5. And all have a capital, and they are not always the ones you would expect. (To give you a hint: Rotterdam6 and Amsterdam aren’t among them.)
This is not an actual itinerary7, but just some inspiration for your (next) trip to the Netherlands. I guess you could do it in two days, but in that case you wouldn’t see much of the country. And you’d have to be very enthusiastic about Dutch trains.
» Den Haag (Zuid-Holland)
Start in Den Haag (also known as ’s-Gravenhage, or in English The Hague), the capital of Zuid-Holland and the city where the government is seated. The International Court of Justice is housed here as well, so it’s quite an important one.
The Hague has two major train stations: Holland Spoor (HS) and Central Station (CS), which is not far from the city centre and the Malieveld (a popular park for concerts and protests – maybe you could join one).
From CS it’s a short walk to the Binnenhof (where the parliament sits — currently under a long renovation), the Mauritshuis (a beautiful museum with Rembrandt and Vermeer paintings) and Noordeinde (the working palace of the King).
The Hague has more excellent museums, such as the Kunstmuseum (a stunning Art Deco building designed by Dutch architect Berlage), and in neighbouring Wassenaar (easy to reach by bike or public transport) you’ll find Voorlinden with appealing modern-art exhibitions.
The beach is also close. Take the tram to Scheveningen from The Hague Central Station. Skip the tacky area around the Pier; head to the harbour for seafood or the northern part of the beach (the last stop).
» Haarlem (Noord-Holland)
From The Hague, there is a direct train to Haarlem, the capital of Noord-Holland. The station is centrally located and near the city centre. Haarlem is a historical, very charming and compact city you can easily explore on foot. There are multiple hofjes hidden throughout the city, and around the market squares, you’ll find many cafés and restaurants.
For classical art, head to the Teylers Museum (in a beautiful building) and the Frans Hals Museum (in what you could call a picturesque street).
From Haarlem Central Station, the beach is close by: take a train to Zandvoort or buses to Zandvoort and Bloemendaal aan Zee. The area near Bloemendaal is excellent for walking and cycling.
Haarlem has some very popular events throughout the year, like Haarlem Jazz and the Bloemencorso.
» Lelystad (Flevoland)
The next capital is that of our youngest province, Flevoland: Lelystad. You can leave the train and explore the city, but you can also skip it. Lelystad is quite ugly and has not much to offer.
Ah well, apparently the train station is an official monument because of the so-called high-tech architecture8 of the 1980s. It was the setting for the music video of the legend Rocco Granata below.
Between Almere (also in Flevoland) and Lelystad, you’ll find an impressive nature reserve that took shape just over 50 years ago. The Oostvaardersplassen is a mix of wetlands, reed beds, grasslands and young woodlands, and it’s a fantastic area for birdwatching.
» Leeuwarden (Friesland)
From Lelystad travel onwards to Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland. Don’t be confused if you read Ljouwert on the signs at the station. In Friesland, they have their own language (and not a dialect!), and it is simply the Frisian name for the city.
Leeuwarden is the finish city of the Elfstedentocht, the epic 200-kilometre skating marathon along 11 Frisian cities. The last one was held in 1997 and, because of the mild winters, there is a yearly alternative Elfstedentocht on the Weissensee in Austria. Despite climate change, every year when temperatures drop below zero, the Elfstedentocht fever rises in Friesland and among ice-skating fanatics.
The Fries Museum and House Van Eysinga are worth a visit.
It’s not all ice-skating up north. Friesland in summer is all about sailing.
» Groningen (Groningen)
From Leeuwarden, take the train to the other northern capital, Groningen. It’s the ultimate student city, home to the Martini Tower (also known as “the old grey one”), and the city with one of the most beautiful train stations in the Netherlands.
After admiring the building, it’s a short walk to the Groninger Museum (a rather exceptional building with attractive art exhibitions) and the city centre. For the real student vibe, visit the city on a Thursday evening.
In Groningen, you can go to De Oosterpoort for music concerts. Every summer, the charming Noorderzon Festival (which lasts over a week) offers theatre, music, food and drinks.
» Assen (Drenthe)
It’s a maximum 20-minute train ride between Groningen and Assen, the capital of Drenthe. To be honest, I have nothing much to say about Assen. For me, it is nothing more than a train stop between Almelo (where I grew up) and Groningen, and I’ve never explored it. As I’ve heard — from my mother-in-law (and she’s always right) — the city centre is quite nice. What I do know is that the nature in Drenthe is exceptional for cycling and walking, starting near Assen with National Park Drentsche Aa.
Assen is world-famous (among MotoGP enthusiasts) for the TT circuit. It also hosts other racing and motorised events.
In Drenthe, there are more national parks suitable for walking and cycling, such as Dwingelderveld and Drents-Friese Wold.
» Zwolle (Overijssel)
Go southwards to Zwolle (it’s a direct train), the capital of Overijssel. It is a Hanseatic city, just like Deventer, Kampen and Zutphen.
Like the other Hanseatic cities, the city centre is historical and has an old wall around it with the Sassenpoort as its main gate. Zwolle has the only three-star restaurant in the Netherlands, De Librije. It’s located in an old monastery and you can even stay there overnight. This year, Jonnie Boer, the famous chef, suddenly died.
In Zwolle, art museum De Fundatie is hard to miss because of the striking architecture.
From Zwolle, you can take the train to Heino or Dalfsen and explore the beautiful surroundings and estates there.
» Arnhem (Gelderland)
From Zwolle go to Arnhem (also a direct connection), the capital of the biggest province we have: Gelderland. Arnhem is located on the River Rhine (or Rijn). Because the Veluwezoom is nearby, the city itself is quite hilly. You can experience this in the beautiful Sonsbeek Park, for example.
Arnhem is all about Airborne history but also about fashion — some of the most famous Dutch designers studied here, like Iris van Herpen and Viktor & Rolf.
Highly recommended as a museum about the Netherlands: the Open Air Museum in Arnhem.
As mentioned, Arnhem lies close to the Veluwezoom, which is one of my favourite areas for cycling (including gravel!).9
» Maastricht (Limburg)
As we go further south, the journey becomes longer. But as this is still the Netherlands, it’s relatively short (but we like to complain about how far we have to travel).
Take the train to Maastricht, the capital of Limburg. It’s far in the south, almost at the border with Belgium. It’s an end or a beginning.
Maastricht is the finish point of the Pieterpad long-distance walking route through the Netherlands, the departure city of the Amstel Gold Race, and the birthplace of the Euro. The beautiful city along the River Maas definitely deserves a longer stay.
South of Maastricht, you can find the Sint-Pietersberg (the end point of the Pieterpad), which is great for a hike. We know it’s not actually a mountain, but you could call it a serious hill.
The Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht is worth a visit (you can walk there along the River Maas).
» Den Bosch (Noord-Brabant)
There is a direct train between Maastricht and Den Bosch, the capital of Noord-Brabant. Yes, there is also a southern part of Brabant, which is in Belgium.
Den Bosch is also known as ’s-Hertogenbosch (to make it sound fancier) or Oeteldonk during Carnaval (that’s not fancy at all).
Den Bosch is famous for the Bossche Bol, a big choux pastry filled with cream and generously covered in chocolate. After eating one, you’ll feel defeated for the rest of the day.
Den Bosch has the Design Museum with very interesting exhibitions now and then.
Every summer, the Boulevard Festival brings theatre and music to the city centre of Den Bosch.
» Utrecht (Utrecht)
It’s a short ride between Den Bosch and Utrecht, the capital of Utrecht. The renovation of the train station took many years, and it has improved massively. Before, it was a huge, depressing hall connected to an outdated shopping centre. It felt like you were stuck there forever. They made it more open with several exits on both sides.
Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and has a very charming centre, concentrated in an area surrounded by a canal (the Stadsbuitengracht). The heart of the city is located around the Dom Church (also recently renovated).
Near Utrecht (within cycling distance), you’ll find Landgoed Amelisweerd and Rhijnauwen. A recommended place for lunch there is De Veldkeuken.
In Utrecht, check TivoliVredenburg for all kinds of music and the Central Museum for interesting art exhibitions.
» Middelburg (Zeeland)
Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland (“Zee” means sea), is in a far corner of the Netherlands and not well connected by train. Coming from Utrecht, you have to change in Rotterdam. Zeeland consists of multiple peninsulas and islands, and you’ll find Middelburg on Walcheren. The flood disaster of 1953 showed how vulnerable the area was, and it led to one of the major Dutch water-engineering projects: the Delta Works.
Despite the fact that Middelburg is not that big, it has a high density of monuments (more than 1,150!), which makes it quite charming.
Middelburg offers the Vleeshal museum (the Meat Hall — yes, once literally that) for modern art.
The North Sea coastline of Zeeland is easy to reach from Middelburg.
From Middelburg, you can take a direct train back to Den Haag HS (the other station in The Hague).
A train to the Wadden Islands
As a country famous for water, we also have islands. The Wadden Islands in the north are beautiful and great for a few days away. You can travel by train and ferry to three of the five of them.
The biggest island, Texel, is easy to reach. Take a train to Den Helder station (there is a direct connection from Amsterdam) and then a short bus ride to the ferry terminal. The ferry takes only 20 minutes and it is a frequent connection.
Travelling to Vlieland or Terschelling by train is very straightforward, because the ferry terminal is within walking distance of Harlingen Haven railway station. The ferries to both islands do take a while, but there are also fast services.
The islands of Ameland and Schiermonnikoog are a bit harder to reach by train, as a way longer bus ride is involved to the ferry terminals at Holwerd and Lauwersoog.
Travelling by Train in the Netherlands
Skip peak hours on weekdays. A lot of Dutch people take the train to work or for their studies. In the morning that will mean between 07:30 and 09:00, and in the afternoon between 16:00 and 18:00.
We have the Public Transport Chip Card, but you can use your debit card as well.
Tip: When buying a ticket online, check for discounts, visible as an ‘NS PriceTime Deal’. These are available outside peak hours and a few days in advance.
Planning a long journey? Opt for an NS day ticket.
You can bring your bicycle on the train. It’s only allowed outside of rush hours (except in July and August), and you’ll need to buy a separate ticket. Find more info on the NS website.
Download the NS app and buy tickets online (also possible through the website).
Check timetables on ns.nl and, for all public transport, on 9292.nl.
A delay? 😭 You can get a refund!
Read, watch & for your agenda
New new new! Recently I introduced my Dutch Substack ‘Ik ben geen niche’ and my first new story is about my bikepacking trip from Amsterdam to Paris:
Talking about Dutch fashion designers from Arnhem: you can visit the exhibition Sculpting the Senses | Iris van Herpen until 1 March 2026 in Kunsthal Rotterdam.
Interested in speed-skating? You can buy tickets for the competitions held in Thialf ice stadium in Heerenveen (also reachable by train). The Olympic Qualification Tournament is planned for end of 2025.
De Nieuwe Wildernis is a beautiful documentary about the Oostvaardersplassen near Lelystad. Watch the trailer:
Train delays — and trains in general — are among the Dutch favourite topics to complain about. Just like the weather.
We rarely have snow (and even then not much; we’re not talking in centimetres here), but it can have a huge impact on the train timetable.
It literally means: “How a small country can be great." It’s a quote from a popular Andre Hazes song called ‘Wij houden Van Oranje’ (We love Orange)
Wikipedia has a nice overview about our 12 provinces.
Recommended: Timeless Rotterdam: the Classics.
I wanted to create a route map of it, but ChatGPT was bugging me so much with this result that I gave up:
Find out more about cycling (and walking) in the Netherland in The Dutch and Their Bicycles.
This post made me want to visit The Netherlands again just to ride the trains. And very jealous - our national train network really sucks.
Very cool! When we lived in Wageningen we got around a lot, it takes me back. That AI map is hilarious. We hear about the
Elfstedentocht on the Weissensee here in Austria but I’ve never been.