Routes · Europe
Lagos to the Dutch Randstad: Utrecht, Delft and Leiden
Lagos → Utrecht → Delft → Leiden
Canal wharves, Delft blue & a university town Best season (general guide): Apr–Sep
Away from Amsterdam, the Netherlands has smaller cities with canals, history and a slower pace. This route spends six nights between Utrecht, Delft and Leiden. From Lagos you'll fly to Amsterdam, then take the train.
How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Utrecht: day one, train to Utrecht; day two, Dom Tower and the wharves; day three, Rietveld Schröder House. Then spend days four and five in Delft: day four, train to Delft, then Royal Delft; day five, Markt and canals. Then spend day six in Leiden: Leiden museums and canals.
Utrecht's Dom Tower is the tallest church tower in the country, and visitors can climb it for views across the city. Along the Oudegracht canal, old wharf cellars at water level now hold cafés and restaurants.
The Rietveld Schröder House, a small modernist home built in 1924, is listed by UNESCO and can be visited on a guided tour.
Delft is famous for Delft blue, the blue and white earthenware made here for centuries. Royal Delft still produces it and offers tours of the workshop.
The painter Johannes Vermeer lived and worked in Delft, and its market square, canals and old churches look much as they did in his time.
Safety note: Canada advises a high degree of caution in the Netherlands because of the threat of terrorism (updated 11 Aug 2026). The US rates the Netherlands Level 2 (issued 18 Aug 2026). There's no regional advisory on this route; watch for pickpockets at stations and on trains.
Leiden is home to the oldest university in the Netherlands. Its museums include the national museum of antiquities, and the canals are lined with old houses.
April to September is the most pleasant time. Spring is tulip season in the fields nearby.
Good to know: Trains between the cities take under an hour, and bikes are the local way to get around. Watch for cyclists when crossing streets.
The Netherlands is easy to cross by train, and a contactless bank card or OV-chipkaart works on most services, so there is no need to buy paper tickets for each hop. Rent a bike for a day in Utrecht to ride along the canals, but keep to the cycle lanes and watch for fast commuters. Delft is small enough to see in a day, so the extra night leaves time for a side trip.
Stroopwafels, thin waffles with syrup, are sold warm at markets.
Suggested outline
Lagos
Utrecht
A canal city with sunken wharves and a tall church tower.
Delft
Vermeer's town and the home of Delft blue.
"00 0781 Canal in Delft (NL).jpg" by W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence Leiden
A university town of canals and museums.
"00 1865 Leiden - Netherlands.jpg" by W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Day by day
- Day 1 · Utrecht — Arrive; train to Utrecht· Lagos → Amsterdam (by air), then Amsterdam → Utrecht (overland)
- Day 2 · Utrecht — Dom Tower and the wharves
- Day 3 · Utrecht — Rietveld Schröder House
- Day 4 · Delft — Train to Delft; Royal Delft· Utrecht → Delft (by train)
- Day 5 · Delft — Markt and canals
- Day 6 · Leiden — Leiden museums and canals· Delft → Leiden (by train)
- Day 7 · Leiden — Travel home from Leiden· Leiden → Amsterdam (by train), then Amsterdam → Lagos (by air)
A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.
Flights, leg by leg
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- Lagos → Utrecht (LOS → AMS) · Check today's price Search fares LOS → AMS · 3 Dec ↗
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Utrecht
Nearest airport: Amsterdam Search fares · Amsterdam ↗
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