The beating heart of the Netherlands is formed by the province of Utrecht just near Amsterdam. It's a relatively small province, but at the same time, you will find plenty of highlights and sights and a lot of variation.
Go rural
The provincial capital of the same name has grown into one of the nicest cities in the Netherlands, but there is also plenty to see and do around it. Because whether you like beautiful old cities, special museums, rural life or untouched nature reserves, the province of Utrecht has it all.
In every article about this topic, I will mention some highlights.
Former Royal Palace Soestdijk was the residence of Queen and later Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard for many years, but it is no longer property of the royal family. Today, it is the scene of various events. If you have a special interest you can visit exhibitions. A guided tour is especially recommended. The rooms have hardly changed since Juliana and Bernhard passed away and are filled with beautiful furniture, paintings and chandeliers.
The New Dutch Waterline is one of the most important defenses in Dutch history (unfortunately in WWII apparently the Germans had quite a modern Luftwaffe / airforce). This ingenious defense line served to protect the large cities in the west of the country and consisted of a low land inundation system and fortresses. Almost all the fortresses are still standing and many of them are located within the province of Utrecht. You can visit them separately from each other, but you can also take a bike ride along the various structures.
In the province of Utrecht, you will find quite a lot of forest and one of the nice places to enjoy nature is in the forest around Lage Vuursche, a tiny traditional village where former Queen Beatrix lives. In this fairy tale place, you can enjoy real Dutch pancakes and poffertjes. Don't know what these latter are? Try them :-)