Our Top Three: Stunning Lakeside Spots, For Easy Summer Days
The Lowdown:
Beach days are glorious — but for families with young children, lakes are often hard to beat. Smaller scale, less exposed and just generally that little bit more manageable.
The Netherlands isn’t short on beautiful spots, but not all lake days are created equal. You want sand underfoot (and plenty of it), a decent cafe and minimal time in the car.
These three charming spots deliver — all within an hours drive from Amsterdam (traffic permitting), yet worlds away in feel.
As always, you should check the water quality via Zwemwater before you head to a lake.
Oudekerkerplas
Ouderkerkerplas is one of those spots that makes you feel quietly smug about living in Amsterdam. For those in Amsterdam Zuid, it’s a perfectly manageable cycle (battery powered, of course) through Amstelveen — and suddenly, you’re lakeside.
A wide sandy beach for running about, a café right on the water with plenty of outdoor seating and delightful wooden play structures for when the bucket and spade lose their appeal.
It may not have the wild, out-in-nature feel of some of the further afield lakes, but Ouderkerkerplas strikes that ideal balance between relaxed and practical - often what matters most with young children!
Add a stop in charming Ouderkerk on the way home and it feels like a proper ‘mini day-away.’
Henschotermeer
If the long, silky sandy beaches and sparkling waters of Henschotermeer don’t give you instant holiday vibes, nothing will. Roughly an hours drive from Amsterdam, tucked within a sprawling pine forest in Utrecht, this place feels like a true escape.
There’s a sense of space here that’s often hard to come by — wide sandy shores and a setting that feels beautifully natural, yet (in that very Dutch way) also impeccably maintained.
Children will make a beeline for the magnificent wooden pirate ship and scattered play structures. And when it comes to refreshments, it’s all been thoughtfully considered — think a retro poffertjes stand for something quick, or a really rather lovely beach-chic café, if you’re in the mood to linger on a sandy terrace.
Worth noting: access to Henschotermeer requires purchasing entry online in advance, along with parking.
‘t Wed
Tucked within the dunes of the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, the beautiful lake ’t Wed feels a world away from the city — yet it’s just a short half an hour drive from Amsterdam to Overveen.
Surrounded by rolling sand dunes and wild greenery, it’s one of the few lakes where the landscape itself becomes part of the fun. Children aren’t confined to a flat stretch of beach — they’ll be up and down the dunes, climbing trees and turning the entire setting into an adventure.
The sandy shores of ‘t Wed may be smaller than the neighbouring Bloemendaal coastline, but what it lacks in scale, it more than makes up for in variety. Just a two-minute walk from the Koevlak entrance, where you’ll find a brilliant nature playground and the ever-reliable Duincafe, making it easy to stretch this into a full day out.
It’s the kind of place where you genuinely feel immersed in nature — with just enough structure nearby to keep things easy.
Quick reminder, always a good idea to check water quality before heading out to a lake: Zwemwater.
