Amersfoort travel guide
The Koppelpoort, wall houses and Mondriaan's birthplace
A medieval town in Utrecht province, ringed by canals and a 10-minute walk from one of the busiest rail junctions in the country. Come April to October for canal boats and terraces on the Hof. A day covers the centre; add a second for the zoo or Kunsthal KAdE. Prices are very high, and many passports enter without a visa.
Amersfoort grew up at a ford over the Eem in the province of Utrecht, and it still sits on the main route east, now as one of the biggest rail junctions in the country. Amsterdam Centraal is about 33 minutes away and Utrecht 14. The draw is a near-circular medieval centre a 10-minute walk from the station.
Inside the old walls the Eem runs diagonally to the Koppelpoort, a 15th-century gate that controlled boats as well as road traffic. Follow the curve of the Muurhuizen, houses built into the line of the first city wall. Piet Mondriaan was born at Kortegracht 11; the house is now a museum with a reconstruction of his 1920s Paris studio.
Evenings belong to the two main squares, Hof and Onze Lieve Vrouwekerkhof, both ringed with bars. Families should head to Dierenpark Amersfoort in the woods on the western edge, one of the better zoos in the country. One warning at the station: trains in different directions leave from both sides of the same platform at similar times, so check the sign.
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Top things to do in Amersfoort
Medieval gates, wall houses and a painter's birthplace inside a ring of canals.
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Best time to visit Amersfoort
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Comfortable for walking the old walls, canal boats from the Hof and evenings on the squares.
Short, damp days; the Mondriaanhuis, Museum Flehite and Kunsthal KAdE fill them well.
English-language tours of the Mondriaanhuis and Museum Flehite are by advance booking only, so arrange one before you travel.
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Getting there
One of the main rail junctions
Amersfoort Centraal is one of the main Dutch rail junctions, where lines from Amsterdam and Utrecht meet and fork east to Apeldoorn and Enschede and north-east to Zwolle and Groningen. The Amsterdam-Berlin ICE calls every two hours. From the station, the old centre is about a 10-minute walk east.
- Amsterdam Centraal
- 2 Intercity trains an hour, about 33 minutes, plus 2 slower ones
- Utrecht
- 4 Intercity trains an hour, about 14 minutes
- Zwolle or Deventer
- Intercity in about 35 minutes from either
- Schiphol (AMS)
- Direct Intercity via Amsterdam Zuid and Hilversum, or change at Utrecht
- Regional buses
- From Hilversum, Harderwijk, Apeldoorn and Wageningen; check 9292 for current line numbers
- Trains bound for different cities stand on either side of one platform at almost the same minute, so read the destination board before stepping on.
- Schothorst and Vathorst are suburban stops; stay aboard until Amersfoort Centraal for the old town.
Where to stay
Station side or inside the canal ring
Chain hotels dominate Amersfoort, used by business travellers as much as tourists, with rates highest in high season and inside the old town. Utrecht is only 14 minutes away, so many visitors come for the day; if you stay, choose between the station side and the medieval centre.
- Station area
- Chain hotels such as the NH at Amersfoort Centraal; best for early trains, a 10-minute walk from the old town
- Old centre
- Near the Hof bars and the canals, the place for evenings out; pricier in summer and noisy on weekend nights
- Utrecht
- A bigger choice of hotels 14 minutes away by Intercity, for those combining both cities
Getting around
Langestraat on foot, Waterlijn by boat
Walk inside Amersfoort's canal ring, where the Langestraat crosses the old town and cars are largely kept out. City buses run less often than you might expect, so rent a bike at Amersfoort Centraal for anything beyond the walls. Waterlijn hires boats and runs canal tours from the Hof.
- Walking
- Station to the old centre in about 10 minutes
- City buses
- Around ten lines, with gaps between services
- Bike
- Quickest way to Dierenpark Amersfoort in the Birkhoven woods
- Waterlijn
- Canal tours and boat hire from Krommestraat by the Hof
- On trains and buses alike, check in and out with a contactless bank card or an OV-chipkaart.
- Drivers should follow the parking guidance signs to one of the eight garages around the centre and skip the hunt for street space.
Know before you go
What makes Amersfoort worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Koppelpoort, the 15th-century water and land gate on the north-west edge of the old town.
- The Muurhuizen, a curving street of houses built into the old wall.
- The Mondriaanhuis, his birthplace on Kortegracht, with the Paris studio rebuilt inside.
Good to know
- Check the platform sign: trains in different directions leave from both sides of the same platform.
- Book English tours in advance at the Mondriaanhuis and Museum Flehite.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Amersfoort, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Amersfoort are being researched.
Walking Amersfoort's Muurhuizen to the Koppelpoort and Kortegracht
Pick up a map at the tourist office below the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren, the lone church tower on Breestraat, and walk the Muurhuizen, houses built into the old city wall, to the Koppelpoort water gate over the Eem. In the afternoon see the Mondriaanhuis on Kortegracht, and at dusk take a Waterlijn boat from the Hof.
Follow the Langestraat to the point where it crosses the Eem, then turn north and trace the Muurhuizen, the street of houses built into the first city wall, all the way round to the Koppelpoort. Stand on the bridge outside the gate to see how it guarded the river and the road at once.
Afternoon. Double back to Kortegracht for the Mondriaanhuis and its rebuilt Paris studio, or to Museum Flehite on the Westsingel for the town's own story in buildings from around 1540. Kunsthal KAdE on the Eemplein is the pick for contemporary exhibitions. With children, skip the museums and cycle out to Dierenpark Amersfoort, where the Dinosaur Forest and the Land of Giants hold attention for hours.
Evening. Take a Waterlijn boat from the Hof as the light softens, then settle on a terrace on the Hof or the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerkhof.
Bitterballen on the Hof and dinner on Bloemendalsestraat
Most of Amersfoort's restaurants sit in the shopping streets on the western side of the old town, from French cooking to sushi. Restaurant Voor Iedereen on Bloemendalsestraat is the good-value choice, and drinking happens on the two big squares, the Hof and the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerkhof, over beer and bitterballen.
Restaurant Voor Iedereen on Bloemendalsestraat is the good-value choice: every dish on the menu can be ordered as a starter or as a main, so you can graze across three or four plates. For a slower evening, De Aubergerie on the Kamp serves French food in an old house on the eastern side of the centre, and Yosshi on Utrechtseweg is the sushi address locals send you to.
Drinking happens on the two big squares. The Hof and the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerkhof are lined with bars whose tables spread over the cobbles in summer; Lobbes and the Blauwe Engel are two of the better pubs there, and the Boothill Saloon on Krankeledenstraat, just off the church square, is the rowdier option. Order a plate of bitterballen with your beer, the crisp fried ragout balls that every Dutch café keeps on the menu. Weekend tables on the Hof go quickly, so book dinner if you have a set time.
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How we research our Amersfoort travel guide
Amersfoort's rail and ICE connections are checked with NS Dutch Railways, and the Koppelpoort, Mondriaanhuis and canal details against the city's official website, Holland.com and Wikipedia's Amersfoort entry.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of AmersfoortHolland.comNS Dutch Railways
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Amersfoort.
Getting there
About 33 minutes by Intercity from Amsterdam Centraal, with two fast trains an hour plus slower stopping services.
About 14 minutes by Intercity, with four an hour, so Amersfoort is easy to combine with a stay in Utrecht.
It is about four hours from Amsterdam and 90 minutes from Utrecht by bike. The LF9 long-distance route between Breda and the German border passes through the town.
Amersfoort Centraal is one of the main Dutch rail junctions, where lines from Amsterdam and Utrecht meet and fork east to Apeldoorn and Enschede and north-east to Zwolle and Groningen. The Amsterdam-Berlin ICE calls every two hours. From the station, the old centre is about a 10-minute walk east.
General
Comfortably. The Mondriaanhuis on Kortegracht and the Koppelpoort are a short walk apart, and the old centre itself starts a 10-minute walk from the station.
At Kortegracht 11 in Amersfoort, now the Mondriaanhuis museum, which includes a reconstruction of his 1920s Paris studio.
A direct Intercity from Schiphol runs via Amsterdam Zuid and Hilversum to Amersfoort Centraal; otherwise change at Utrecht, which has four fast connections an hour.
A 15th-century gate on the north-west edge of the old town that controlled both river traffic on the Eem and the road beside it. It is the town's best-known sight.
Yes, along with English brochures and labels, but the tour has to be reserved ahead. Museum Flehite works the same way.
The Hof and the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerkhof, the two main squares, are ringed with bars and terraces; Lobbes and the Blauwe Engel are reliable choices.
Walk inside Amersfoort's canal ring, where the Langestraat crosses the old town and cars are largely kept out. City buses run less often than you might expect, so rent a bike at Amersfoort Centraal for anything beyond the walls. Waterlijn hires boats and runs canal tours from the Hof.
Families & accessibility
Dierenpark Amersfoort on the western edge of town has around 150 species and themed areas such as the Dinosaur Forest, plus playgrounds. A canal trip with Waterlijn also goes down well.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Amersfoort is Apr to Oct. Dry weather for canal boats, the wall houses and terraces on the Hof.
- Best overall: April - October (Comfortable for walking the old walls, canal boats from the Hof and evenings on the squares)
- Winter: November - March (Short, damp days; the Mondriaanhuis, Museum Flehite and Kunsthal KAdE fill them well)
Visa & documents
Schengen rules govern entry to the Netherlands. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime in the Netherlands is low. Bike theft and pickpocketing in busy areas are the main issues; watch out for cyclists.
