South Holland, Netherlands: Towns to Explore on Foot

South Holland is a flat, densely settled province shaped by the North Sea, rivers, polders and cities. The region brings together historic towns, major ports, government institutions, greenhouses, dunes and waterways in a compact landscape. Neywo offers free audio guides for 7 cities in South Holland, with 902 narrated places in total.

Things to do in South Holland

South Holland is a region to explore through its cities as well as its wider landscape. The Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt delta runs through the province towards the sea, while dunes mark the coast and the Groene Hart opens out across the east. Much of the land consists of polders, and water remains a constant presence.

Rotterdam

The largest city in South Holland is Rotterdam, a major port in the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt delta and Europe’s busiest seaport. Its wider surroundings also include the petrochemical industry around Pernis, where Shell operates Europe’s largest oil refinery. Neywo’s Rotterdam guide includes 353 narrated places, among them the Stieltjesmonument, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Erasmus and Hillegondakerk.

Explore Rotterdam to discover its monuments, museums and urban landscape.

The Hague

The Hague is the capital of South Holland and the seat of the Dutch government. The city is also home to international institutions and the headquarters of large international businesses. Its cultural and historic places include the Peace Palace, Huis ten Bosch, Noordeinde Palace and the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. Neywo covers 258 narrated places in The Hague.

The city also reflects the province’s connection with the North Sea: the coast and the seaside resort of Scheveningen form part of the wider urban area.

Visit The Hague for government buildings, historic residences, art and the coast.

Delft

Delft is one of South Holland’s historic towns and is associated with the painter Johannes Vermeer. Its artistic heritage forms part of a wider provincial story that also includes Rembrandt and Jan Steen, who came from Leiden. Delft’s Neywo guide features 100 narrated places, including Nieuwe Kerk Delft, Oude Kerk, Prinsenhof and Lutherse Kerk.

See Delft for historic churches, the Prinsenhof and the city’s connection with Dutch painting.

Leiden

Leiden is linked to both art and learning. Rembrandt and Jan Steen came from the city, while South Holland’s intellectual history also includes Desiderius Erasmus, Christiaan Huygens and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. The province’s Roman past can be felt nearby too: the Roman frontier followed the Old Rhine towards the North Sea near Katwijk, with fortresses along the route.

Neywo’s Leiden guide contains 100 narrated places, including Pieterskerk, Burcht van Leiden, Hooglandse Kerk and De Valk.

Explore Leiden to follow its churches, fortifications and scientific and artistic history.

Dordrecht

Dordrecht is one of the cities covered by Neywo in South Holland, with 38 narrated places. Its highlights include Grote Kerk, H. Maria Maior, Groothoofdspoort and Nieuwkerk.

Dordrecht is a useful stop for exploring the province’s historic urban heritage within a region shaped by the delta’s rivers and waterways.

Gouda

Gouda has 30 narrated places in the Neywo guide. The selection includes Galerie Montulet, Janskerk, De Goudse Waag and Gouwekerk. Like other historic towns in South Holland, it forms part of a province where built-up centres, waterways and open agricultural land are closely connected.

Discover Gouda through its galleries, churches and historic buildings.

Katwijk

Katwijk is a coastal town associated with commercial fishing and the North Sea. It also lies close to the historic Roman frontier, which followed the Old Rhine towards the sea near modern Katwijk. The Anglo-Saxon monk Willibrord later arrived in the area with permission to spread Roman Catholicism and founded a church in Oegstgeest.

Neywo’s Katwijk guide includes 23 narrated places, such as Stoomtrein Katwijk Leiden, Katwijks Museum, Andreaskerk and Dorpskerk Katwijk.

Visit Katwijk for its coastal setting, museum and churches.

A province shaped by water and cultivation

South Holland’s flatness is not simply a natural feature: much of the province consists of polders, and water covers a substantial part of its 3,308 square kilometres. The Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt delta drains through the province, while the coast has a different landscape of dunes. The influence of the North Sea and Atlantic brings cooler summers, milder winters and rain throughout the year. Open terrain can also bring strong windstorms in winter.

Agriculture remains an important part of this intensively used landscape. South Holland has around 2,550 glasshouse companies, about half of the Dutch total. In Westland, they form the world’s largest contiguous greenhouse area. Flower bulbs, dairy farming and other stockbreeding also contribute to the province’s economy, alongside coastal fishing centred on places including Katwijk and Scheveningen.

The region’s history reaches back at least 7,500 years. Finds at Hardinxveld-Giessendam show that hunter-gatherers lived in the area, while agriculture and permanent settlements likely began near Vlaardingen about two millennia later. In Roman times, the land formed part of Germania Inferior. Near modern Voorburg, the Romans built Forum Hadriani, with a grid plan, square, court, bathhouse and temples.

South Holland’s modern identity is equally varied. Protestant, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Hindu and other faith communities live in the province, while more than half of residents identified as non-religious in 2015. Government, international institutions, horticulture, industry, tourism and global trade all share this small, densely inhabited part of the Netherlands.

Explore South Holland with Neywo

Download Neywo’s free audio guides for South Holland and explore 7 cities through 32 walking tours and 902 narrated places in total. Narration is available in 11 languages. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.