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All Netherlands

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Netherlands

302 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in the Netherlands

Updated May 26, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Netherlands

Electric Ladyland in full color.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Electric Ladyland: The Museum of Fluorescent Art

The world's only museum devoted to the wonders of fluorescence.
Speciality shop in scientific and pharmaceutical objects.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Nieuwe Spiegelstraat

An Amsterdam street lined with antique shops each one dedicated to a different obscure collection.
"The Cat Boat."

Amsterdam, Netherlands

De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat)

A floating cat sanctuary on an Amsterdam canal.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Torture Museum

Museum preserving torture methods from the past.
Beautiful palms in an equally beautiful building.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

Established in 1638 to battle the Black Death, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a treasure trove of rare flora.
KattenKabinet

Amsterdam, Netherlands

KattenKabinet

Cat art as far as the eye can see.
Cross section of dog skull

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Museum Vrolik

A curious collection dedicated to human and animal anatomy and pathology.
Micropia

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Micropia

The world's first zoo for microbes collecting the horrible and wonderful things living on and around us.
See All 302 Things To Do in Netherlands

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Netherlands

In't Aepjen

Amsterdam, Netherlands

In't Aepjen

This historic Amsterdam bar used to accept sailor's monkeys as payment.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Café Papeneiland

Famed for its pie, this eatery has a hidden tunnel that allowed Catholics to secretly walk to church during the Reformation.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Cheese Museum

This cheese shop also houses a museum devoted to Dutch dairy.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Brouwerij’t IJ

This bird-loving brewery is situated in an old municipal bathhouse, nestled beside a 300-year-old windmill.
See all 10 Places to Eat in Netherlands
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Amsterdam

Forge your own path in this tourist magnet, toward places that are less crowded but no less wondrous.

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Explore the Netherlands

Art 31
Architectural Oddities 28
Collections 25
Museums And Collections 25
History 19
History & Culture 19
Science 19
Plants 17
Churches 17
Homes 15
Sculptures 14
Monuments 14
Places To Stay 8
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3

The Netherlands Leaderboard

Places Added

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Places Edited

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Places Visited

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Recent Netherlands Activity

  • J

    janthuishuissen

    has been to Groene Bedstee

  • J

    janthuishuissen

    has been to Nederlands Openluchtmuseum

  • J

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    has been to John Frost Bridge

  • P

    pattiterando

    wants to go to Red Light Secrets

  • E

    ed860

    has been to Temple of Taffeh

Stories About the Netherlands

Schmeinck has been serving airborne meals for almost 20 years.

Aboard the World's First Hot-Air Balloon Restaurant

A Dutch master chef cooks meals among the clouds.
by Elisia Guerena
July 29, 2022
Thin layers of peat and silt capture the aesthetic nature of soil horizons in this artistic rendering.

Soil Scientists Dig Deep to Understand the 'Skin of the Earth'

What's beneath our feet is crucial to life on the planet—don't you dare call it dirt.
by Mary-Rose Abraham
April 12, 2022
With about a third of the country below the current sea level, the Netherlands is embracing floating houses and other buildings that can adapt to rising waters.

The Future is Floating for the Netherlands and Other Low-Lying Countries

Houses and other buildings that rise and fall with water levels are becoming more common in Dutch cities.
by Shira Rubin
January 3, 2022
Muusers adapted a WWII-era recipe to make this tulip bulb soup.

Tulip Bulb Soup: the Dutch Dish Born From Tough Times

Once used as a survival food during World War II, these flower bulbs are making their way onto restaurant menus.
by Diana Hubbell
June 11, 2021

Cracking the Code of Letterlocking

A tale of Black Chambers, lost correspondence, and high technology.
by Abigail Cain
May 14, 2021
This poor perch was trapped inside a plastic glove.

We're Finally Getting a Picture of How Dangerous PPE Is for Wildlife

More than a year into the pandemic, scientists are seeing the impact of disposable gloves and masks on ecosystems.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
April 7, 2021
Some people are surprised, even offended, by the Dutch tendency to include illnesses among their curses.

The Wide World of Disease-Based Dutch Profanity

"Get the corona!" is starting to make an appearance.
by Dan Nosowitz
May 6, 2020
Jobbe Wijnen, a contemporary archaeologist in the Netherlands, is a pull-tab connoisseur.

The Archaeology of Those Weird Metal Things That Open Your Soda Can

Meet the man building the world's biggest—and probably only—reference collection of pull tabs.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
March 17, 2020

Lists Featuring the Netherlands

The nave has been repurposed to include the reception, restaurants, and guest spaces.
Cube House

8 of the Most Unusual Hotels in the Netherlands

Proof the Dutch can convert nearly anything into a place to stay the night.

8

Including Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren, Kruisherenhotel , and Cube Houses

(Flickr/andreakw)
The bathroom
Some of the decorations include broken crockery that have been priced back together

11 Homes Transformed Into Amazing Mosaics

If you own your property, why not bedazzle it?

11

Including Wyckoff Street Mosaic, La Maison Picassiette, and House of Mirrors

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