Hoorn river cruises, Netherlands

What's great about Hoorn river cruises?

This small city is 30 minutes away from Amsterdam, and it feels like one of the Netherlands’ best-kept secrets. Even the city’s best-looking streets – like Grote Noord – aren’t swarming with tourist crowds. Instead, you’ll have plenty of elbow room to see its line of houses dating back to the 1600s and 1700s. It’s also dotted with quaint pubs that serve authentic Dutch beer on draught. Elsewhere, Westfries Museum is one of the focal points of the city centre – it’s where you can learn about Hoorn during the ‘Golden Age’. It doesn’t look like a museum from the outside – it’s set within an old church with blue-and-yellow shutters poking out of the stone-grey façade, and gold lion emblems dotted around. For a bit of retail therapy, there’s Hoorn shopping centre – it’s full of independent boutiques, gifts shops, antique stores, and craft stalls.