Built for Admiral Cornelis Tromp, a naval hero of the Dutch Republic, by Daniël Stalpaert in the 17th century, Trompenburgh is an unusual manor house. Designed to resemble a ship, complete with railings, decks and almost surrounded by water, the house had a tumultuous past.

The Texel Lighthouse is the only place in The Netherlands where you can see the sea in three directions as it’s beside the Wadden Sea and the North Sea. Texel Lighthouse was completed in 1864 after Johannes Ludovicus Kikkert lobbied for a lighthouse to be built in the area as it was a common site for shipwrecks.

Markermeer Lake began as a saltwater inlet of the North Sea. Following different channelling of other bodies of water, the lake became freshwater and is now a popular holiday destination and nature reserve. The lake became a protected nature reserve in 2004 to protect the bird habitats on the islands of Maker Wadden.

On the outskirts of Amsterdam is Castle Muiderslot, which is surrounded by water and the perfect location for spectacular photographs. The castle dates back to 1285, and following its turbulent ancient history, was left abandoned until 1878. King William I turned into a national museum that was later renovated by Pierre Cuypers, the architect behind the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Central Station.

Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum has 200 paintings, 500 sketches and 750 documents and letters from Vincent Van Gogh. The city museum was opened in 1973 and was designed in the De Stijl style by Gerrit Reitveld, a Dutch architect. In 1999, another wing was added to the museum, designed by Japanese architect Kurokawa Kisho. Within the museum are some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, including Sunflowers and The Bedroom.

One of the most famous windmills in the Netherlands, De Gooyer windmill, dates back to the 16th century and is octagonal. The windmill served as a flour mill and was used commercially until the mid-20th century when it became a corn mill. De Gooyer was originally built from wood and is one of the last five remaining windmills constructed in a similar style.

Opened to the public in 1957 in cooperation with Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, the Anne Frank House serves as a museum and awareness centre for Anne Frank and what happened to those persecuted during the World War II. Anne Frank was born into a Jewish family and in 1942 and just after her 13th birthday, she had to hide from the Nazis with her family.

Founded in 1966 by Henriette v. Weelde, De Poezenboot is a floating home for the city’s stray cats. Henriette took in a family of stray cats who were sheltering underneath a tree near her home by the Herengracht canal, and not long after, other strays soon joined them.