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With its UNESCO-protected waterways, world-class museums and the hip Red Light District, home to an abundance of entertainment options and a thriving nightlife, Amsterdam is probably on your radar for a future trip to Europe.
Something tourists often don’t take into account when planning a visit is how busy and expensive it can be, with most museums and popular attractions requiring reservations months in advanceAnd modest at best hotels making you $180 per night.
If you want to beat the crowds and don’t particularly feel like spending a lot of money, then Amsterdam shouldn’t be your destination of choice – that’s not to say it’s all the Netherlands has to offer.
This city is only 2 hours by train from Amsterdam moment crossed by canalsand with fewer tourists it feels much more authentically Dutch than the capital:
This is the oldest city in the Netherlands
Dordrecht, a compact city with just over 119,000 inhabitants, is typically avoided by tourists in favor of the crowded canal belt of Amsterdam or the globalist appeal of The Hague, even though it of the country eldest settlement.
You read that right: before there was even a Dam, there was Dordrecht, with its fortified harbor and harbor markets.
Its importance as a trading center would eventually decline, but its cultural wealth would live on in centuries-old buildings and winding canals that, despite being fewer extensivehave provided the blueprint for the complex navigable water system of Amsterdam itself.
Although at least eight centuries have passed since its foundation, there are still as many as 950 historic structures scattered throughout the old city, including the monumental Great Churchor Grote Kerk, a Brabant Gothic initiative whose construction started in 1285.
The 65 meter high clock tower that rises triumphantly above the otherwise flat cityscape home to 67 bellsincluding the heaviest in the Netherlands, weighing 9830 kilos – you can be sure to hear the echoing call every hour.
What else is there to see in charming Dordrecht?
Other historically important churches include the Augustinian Church, which dates from about 1293, and the Nieuwkerk, or ‘New Church’. This is funny, because despite the name, it is in fact the eldest building throughout Dordrecht, built as early as 1175.
In addition, Dordrecht is famous for its 14th-century ‘Munt van Holland’, where almost all coins used in medieval Netherlands were minted. Kyck over den Dyck windmill, the last remaining of its kind in the city, and the medieval… him, *clear sound*, Groothoofdspoort.
That one was a bit of a mouthful.
Anyway, this richly decorated city gate is part of the original 14th century fortifications of Dordrecht and is located exactly where the rivers Maas, Merwede and Rhine, which flow into the western half of Germany, all meet.
Throughout the city you can expect to find well-preserved merchant houses, antique shops, quirky art galleries and, as usual in any place in the Netherlands, cheese markets selling fresh gouda, maasdam and every regional variety under the sun.
If you feel like tasting Dutch delicacies, Dordt’s Pleasure is the place to go.
Located in the Voorstraat, a 1.2 km long shopping street that claims to be the longest in the Netherlands, it serves the best apple pies in town.
Smaller crowds!
For a city with so many incredible sights and as culturally rich as Dordrecht, you would expect it to be bustling with tour groups or, on thAt least day trippers from nearby The Hague or Rotterdam, which are only a 15 to 50 minute drive away away by train.
In reality, if you stroll the canal streets of Dordrecht, visit the riverside museums and visit the occasional medieval church, you will find no sign of the tourist hordes normally found in larger Dutch metropolises.
Dordrecht feels very frozen at a time when Instagrammers had yet to discover the Netherlands and its many treasures: whichever picturesque corner you turn into, which charming café with a northern Mannerist facade, long lines of people are unusual.
The absence of mass tourism also means that Dordrecht is not often targeted by pickpockets and criminal gangs: it was even listed as one of the ten safest municipalities in the Netherlands according to a report. study performed by Travel safely – abroad.
We still recommend that you take good care of yourself and keep a close eye on your personal belongings, but petty crime and violence are less of a problem in Dordrecht than in Amsterdam or Rotterdam, where massive, illegal immigration and ghettoization have led to reduced safety levels.
Dordrecht is more affordable to visit
Aside from its off-the-path appeal, Dordrecht is considerably cheaper to visit than Amsterdam, from food to accommodation.
Based on Numbeo estimatestourists spend an average of €14.95 on meals in cheap eateries – we are talking about combo kebab meals and stroopwafel straight from the market.
In middle class restaurants a more extensive three-course dinner for one typically costs $41.50.
When it comes to hotels, the price of 3-star listings (including breakfast) ranges from $96 to $133, while beds in shared hostel dorms start from $44. Booking.com.
Traveling to Dordrecht by train from larger Dutch cities is extremely easy (and cheap), but if you’re coming from Amsterdam Central, this usually means you have to change trains in Rotterdam.
Tickets cost only $25.56, and several trains depart every hour.
The Amsterdam-Rotterdam route takes 43 minutes, while Rotterdam-Dordrecht takes only 15 minutes.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.
