If you’re searching for things to do in Heemskerk Netherlands, the biggest thing to know is that this is not a nonstop tourist-heavy destination like Amsterdam. Heemskerk felt much quieter, more residential, and far more local compared to a lot of the bigger Dutch cities we visited during our trip. But that slower pace ended up being part of why we liked it so much.
This area works especially well if you want a calmer home base while exploring northern Holland. You’re still close to major cities, beaches, windmills, tulip areas, and smaller Dutch towns, but you can come back somewhere peaceful at the end of the day instead of battling city-center chaos and parking garages every night.
For us, Heemskerk ended up being more about location, convenience, nature, and slower Dutch mornings than checking off a huge list of attractions.
If you’re still deciding where to base yourself during your trip, my Where to Stay in the Netherlands (Best Areas to Do in One Trip) guide helps break down which areas work best depending on your itinerary and travel style.
One of the biggest advantages of staying in Heemskerk is the location. From here, it was easy to take day trips around northern Holland without constantly dealing with Amsterdam traffic, expensive parking, or packed tourist areas all day long.
We found ourselves within driving distance of:
Driving around this part of the Netherlands also felt much easier compared to larger cities. Parking was simpler, roads felt less stressful, and getting between towns was pretty straightforward once we got outside the busiest Amsterdam areas.
It felt like a good middle ground between sightseeing and preserving your sanity.
We stayed at Hotel Heemskerk, which sits on the historic Marquette Estate surrounded by trees, walking paths, and quiet green space. The property felt modern but still peaceful, and the entire area had a slower atmosphere compared to larger Dutch cities.
The hotel itself worked well as a road trip base because it included free parking, breakfast options, bike rentals, and easy access to nearby towns and beaches. It made day trips around northern Holland feel much easier without constantly dealing with city-center logistics every time we left for the day.
One thing I liked was that you could still get around northern Holland pretty easily during the day, then come back somewhere quieter at night.
The estate itself is also home to Marquette Castle, which dates back to around 1250. Even if you’re not doing some huge sightseeing day, the area around the property is nice for walking around in the morning or after dinner.
I go into more detail about the property, rooms, breakfast, and location in my full Hotel Heemskerk Netherlands Review (What to Expect) guide.
The Marquette Estate ended up being one of the main highlights of staying in Heemskerk.
The grounds are filled with trees, walking paths, open green space, and historic buildings scattered throughout the property. It feels much more relaxed than staying directly in a city center packed with traffic and crowds.
Marquette Castle itself dates back to around 1250, the castle area is more about atmosphere than huge tourist attractions. It’s peaceful, scenic, and easy to wander around.
One of our mornings in Heemskerk was very intentionally slow.
We wandered around town, went into a few stores, and spent time just walking around the center without rushing to the next thing. Compared to Amsterdam, the atmosphere felt much quieter and more local.
This is not the type of place packed with major landmarks every few blocks. It’s more everyday Dutch life, local shops, bakeries, biking paths, and calmer streets.
And after several busy sightseeing days, that slower pace felt nice.
One of my favorite parts of our morning in Heemskerk was breakfast at Wim Koelman Bakery.
We had a long, slow breakfast there and ended up trying several Dutch pastries while hanging out for a while before heading off for the day. It felt much more local compared to some of the busier café areas we experienced in larger cities.
If you’re staying nearby, I’d absolutely recommend stopping there one morning. I also wrote a full Wim Koelman Bakery Review in Heemskerk (Best Dutch Pastries Near Amsterdam) with everything we ordered and what stood out most.
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Another big advantage of staying in Heemskerk is being close to the North Sea coast.
This area gives you easy access to beaches, dunes, coastal biking trails, and smaller beach towns without needing to stay directly in a crowded tourist beach area.
You can also reach places like Zandvoort fairly easily from here, which makes Heemskerk useful if you want to combine city sightseeing with beach time during the same trip.
The surrounding dune landscapes were one of the things that surprised me most about this part of the Netherlands. I expected canals, windmills, and tulips. I did not expect giant coastal dune areas that felt completely different from the cities.
This area is especially good for travelers who enjoy biking, walking, nature areas, and slower-paced travel days.
There are trails running through forests, countryside areas, dunes, and coastal sections nearby. Even just driving around this region felt easier and less crowded than the larger city areas.
Heemskerk works well for travelers who like road trips, slower evenings, quieter hotels, beach towns, biking routes, nature areas, easy day trips, and less stressful parking situations.
It’s probably not the best fit if you want nightlife, nonstop attractions, or a packed city-center atmosphere the entire trip.
Parking in Heemskerk was surprisingly easy compared to many other areas we visited in the Netherlands.
We found free parking across from Sint Agnes, and it was only about a 2–3 minute walk into town. Considering some of the parking situations we dealt with elsewhere during this trip, this felt like a tiny victory worth celebrating.
Especially after learning that Dutch parking garages love surprising you with words like “Vol,” which means full parking. A term I became emotionally familiar with during this trip.
The best things to do in Heemskerk Netherlands are less about famous attractions inside the town itself and more about the overall experience of staying there.
For us, Heemskerk worked best as a peaceful home base surrounded by nature while still being close to major northern Holland destinations. We liked having quieter evenings, easier parking, slower mornings, and convenient access to both cities and coastal areas without staying directly in the middle of tourist crowds the entire time.
I’d especially recommend Heemskerk for travelers planning a Netherlands road trip, tulip season itinerary, beach-focused trip, or anyone wanting a calmer alternative to Amsterdam hotels.
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10 stops. One very full day. Zero regrets. Amsterdam has one of the best food scenes I’ve experienced anywhere in Europe, but the honest caveat is that some of the viral spots come with lines that will genuinely test your character. I skipped a few. I regret nothing.
Here’s what actually made the cut on my self-guided Amsterdam food tour:
Fresh stroopwafels at Hans Egstorf: made right in front of you, warm caramel, no line. This one won.
Lourens cookie croissant: flaky outside, gooey chocolate inside. Did not share.
Café Winkel 43 apple pie: one of the rare viral places that fully lives up to the hype.
Davie’s Amsterdam for the Lelie sandwich: pastrami, pickles, marbled bread. Deceptively simple. Absolutely excellent.
De Kaaskamer to end the day: 400+ cheeses, grilled cheese with what they call ketchup (it’s not ketchup, and it’s better), and bunker cheese aged in underground military bunkers.
The full route covers 10 stops through Jordaan, the 9 Streets, the canal district, and the flower market area with a Google Map included so you can just follow along.
Full guide with every stop, tips for beating the lines, and what I’d skip vs. do again | link in bio.
#amsterdam #visitamsterdam #netherlands #travel #visitnetherlands #traveleurope
There’s a version of Gatlinburg that’s all fudge shops and tourist crowds, and then there’s the version that actually makes you want to come back.
Here’s everything worth doing downtown, in the order I’d do it: 🏔️
✨ Start at @gatlinburgskypark before the crowds hit
✨ Walk the strip mid-morning when it’s still manageable
✨ @googooclusters stop (see my post from Tuesday: don’t skip it)
✨ Dinner at one of the local spots off the main drag
✨ Wander back out at night when the lights are on and it gets actually pretty
This isn’t your overscheduled Smoky Mountain itinerary. It’s more of a “here’s what I’d actually do if I had one solid day” kind of list.
Full downtown Gatlinburg guide linked in bio. 🔗
If someone told me I’d spend five hours at SkyPark, I would not have believed them. And yet. 😅
Gatlinburg SkyPark sits above the strip and it’s one of those places that looks like a quick stop on paper and turns into most of your afternoon. The SkyBridge alone is worth it — longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America, and yes, you will look down.
✨ SkyBridge (longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America)
✨ SkyLift ride up with views of the Smokies
✨ Walking trails with mountain views in every direction
✨ Way less crowded than downtown
Fair warning: if heights genuinely freak you out, the bridge might not be your thing. The rest of the park is still 100% worth it. Full guide with tickets, tips, and what to skip linked in bio. 🔗
I walked into Goo Goo Cluster in downtown Gatlinburg thinking I’d spend five minutes and leave with a small piece of candy. I was wrong on both counts. 😅
You build your own chocolate cluster at a kiosk: caramel, sea salt, pretzels, cocoa pebbles, you name it, and then watch them make it right in front of you. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes and costs $15.
The caveat? This is not a snack. This is a full-size brick of chocolate that I was still eating two days later.
If you’re already walking the Gatlinburg strip, this is an easy yes. Especially if you have absolutely no self-control around caramel. (Asking for a friend.) Full experience breakdown linked in bio. 🔗
Your Knoxville Airport survival guide, from someone who’s flown through TYS 100+ times is now up on my blog🛫
Parking, TSA wait times, where to grab food before your flight, rental cars, all of it, from someone who actually knows this airport. No guessing, no googling at the last minute.
TYS is small, easy to navigate, and honestly one of the less stressful airports I’ve been through. You just need to know a few things going in.
Full guide linked in bio. 🔗
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