bucket list for a great summer in The Netherlands
Are you ready to spend an unforgettable summer in the Netherlands? We have great sports & outdoor activities, food to try, along with free events and festivals across the Netherlands that you should add to your summer bucket list.
Vierdaagsefeesten and other free festivals
- Vierdaagsefeesten: From 15-21 of July you will find the biggest parties of the year in Nijmegen. Thousands of people come together to walk the 4Daagse, but even more, attend the free open air festivals.
- Utrecht Pride is coming up on June 3rd. Visit the beautiful city of Utrecht and enjoy the party on the street and canals.
- Amsterdam Pride: Take part in the Amsterdam Pride from 1-6 of August.
- Rotterdam Carnival: Celebrate cultural diversity on 28 and 29 July at the Zomercarnaval Rotterdam. A parade of performers in costumes and music is happening on the streets of Rotterdam for free.
FOOD
- Try Dutch food: Try famous Dutch snacks such as bitterballen, kibbeling, frikandel, poffertjes and stroopwafels.
- Get some ice creams: get delicious ice cream at one of the many ice cream parlors in the Netherlands. You can also make your own popsicles at home.
- Get fresh summer fruits: the best spot to find fresh fruits are local markets. The farmer’s market in Nijmegen takes place every Saturday and Monday, for example.
- Make a picnic at the park or beach. Takeaway pizzas with some fruits and drinks are easy and enjoyable activities to do during summer.
- Arrange a BBQ event. Portable BBQ sets are sold at Action and premade BBQ food is available at supermarkets.
- Setting up a table and having meals in front of your front door is a common thing to do in the Netherlands in summer. Try this out with your housemates!
sport activities
- Volleyball, frisbee, and spike ball are great games to play in the park or at the beach
- Discover a city by bike: You can always explore the city you’re living in by bike. But we also recommend renting an OV bike in other cities if you have a personal OV chip card. In Amsterdam, you should try cycling at the Nescio Bridge, for example.
- Surfing is also possible in the Netherlands. Some top surfing spots are Noord Scheveningen in the Hague, Domburg in Zeeland, and Zandvoort.
outdoor activities
- Go to the beach: You can find great beaches in North Holland, South Holland, Zeeland, The Hague, and on the Wadden Islands. There are not only great beaches but also next to rivers like the Waalstrandje in Nijmegen.
- Go to a Kermis: Summer is Kermis time, the Dutch version of funfairs. The Tilburgse Kermis from 21-30 July is the biggest one, but you will find them all across the Netherlands.
- Spend a day in a park: The Netherlands has about 20 national parks where you can spend a great time in nature. Next to that you can, of course, find smaller parks in every city.
- Watch the sunset with friends
- Take a boat trip on the canals: The Netherlands is famous for its beautiful canals. Two great locations to take a boat trip are Giethoorn, the Venice of the Netherlands, and Edam, one of the Dutch cheese towns.
- N70 walk in Nijmegen: N70 is a 14,2 km hiking route in the surroundings of Nijmegen. You can choose between several starting points for your walk in nature.
- Visit the Efteling: The Efteling is the largest theme park in the Netherlands with a fairytale atmosphere.
- Have a drink and dinner at the waterside terraces in Utrecht.
work with friends
- Get a summer job: We offer summer jobs in the Netherlands for international students. Full-time student jobs in the summer are also available on our website. You can apply with your friends and combine it with your summer plans. Click here to check out our summer jobs and other open vacancies.
