A nine-minute flight over the Netherlands with your feet hanging free, in a theatre that tilts, drops and blows wind and water at you. THIS IS HOLLAND sits on the north bank of the IJ, five minutes by free ferry from Central Station, and it is the one attraction in Amsterdam that shows you the country rather than the city. From €24, and it doubles as the departure point for five day trips out of Amsterdam.
What THIS IS HOLLAND is
THIS IS HOLLAND is a flight simulator built as an attraction: you are strapped into a row of seats that lifts clear of the floor, and for nine minutes you fly the length of the country on a curved screen while the seats bank, drop and shudder in time with what you are seeing. Wind, water spray and scent are pumped in. It is unashamedly a ride, and it is very good at being one.
The whole visit takes about an hour: the flight itself is nine minutes, and the rest is an exhibition about how the Dutch built a country on land that was under water. It rates 4.7 out of 5 across 668 reviews on Tiqets, which is high for an attraction of this kind.
It is also, unusually for an Amsterdam attraction, not about Amsterdam. You fly over the tulip fields, the Wadden Sea, the Delta Works and the dunes. For a visitor with two or three days in the city, it is the cheapest way to understand where they actually are.
| THIS IS HOLLAND | |
|---|---|
| Duration | About 1 hour, of which the flight is 9 minutes |
| Address | Overhoeksplein 51, Amsterdam-Noord, beside the A’DAM Tower |
| Getting there | Free ferry F3 or F4 from behind Central Station, 5 minutes |
| Price | from €24,00 per person |
| Rating on Tiqets | 4.7 out of 5 across 668 reviews |
| Good to know | Also the departure point for five day trips out of Amsterdam |
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The 5D flight
You are seated in rows that hang free of the floor, facing a screen that wraps around and above you. The seats move on six axes, so a bank over the coast tips you sideways and a dive over a windmill drops you. Wind comes from in front, a fine spray when you cross water, and the smell of grass over the polders.
Nine minutes is short, and that is the right length — it is intense enough that longer would be tiring. Children from about six get the most out of it; under that the movement and the dark can be a lot.
The rest of the building
Before and after the flight there is an exhibition about Dutch water management: how the polders were drained, why a third of the country sits below sea level, and what the Delta Works actually do. It is more interesting than it sounds, and it gives the flight its point.
There is a Delft-blue tiled wall on the walkway that is the most photographed thing in the building, a bar with a view over the IJ, and a shop. Allow an extra half hour if you want to read the exhibition properly.
Day trips that leave from here
The Overhoeksplein is a departure point for coach day trips out of Amsterdam, and several of them check in at THIS IS HOLLAND itself. That makes a sensible combination: fly over the country in the morning, then go and see a piece of it.
| Day trip | Duration | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zaanse Schans return transfer | 3 hours | from €19,50 | Coach there and back with an audio guide, free time at the windmills |
| Volendam half day | 4 hours | from €25,00 | Fishing village, cheese farm and clog workshop |
| Keukenhof return transfer | Spring only | from €35,00 | Entry plus return coach to the tulip gardens in Lisse |
| Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans | 8 hours | from €64,50 | Both in one day, spring only |
| Giethoorn day trip | 9 hours | from €64,50 | The village without roads, transport and boat trip included |
Check the meeting point on your own ticket before you travel: several other Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn tours leave from Central Station instead, and the two are a ferry ride apart.
Practical points
- Take the free ferry. F3 (Buiksloterweg) and F4 (IJplein) leave from behind Central Station every few minutes and take five minutes. No ticket needed.
- The flight has a minimum height and a health warning. It is not suitable during pregnancy, or with neck, back or heart complaints.
- Bags go in a locker before the flight — you cannot hold anything loose.
- Combine it with the A’DAM Lookout, which is next door: the swing over the edge of the tower and the flight in one afternoon.
- Allow an hour and a half if you want the exhibition as well as the ride.
On the same side of the water: the A’DAM Lookout next door, the Pancake Boat at the NDSM wharf and the harbour cruise, which leaves from THIS IS HOLLAND itself.
Frequently asked questions
A 5D flight simulator attraction in Amsterdam-Noord. You are lifted clear of the floor in moving seats and fly over the Netherlands for nine minutes on a wraparound screen, with wind, water and scent effects, followed by an exhibition on Dutch water management.
From €24,00 per person for an entry ticket. The whole visit takes about an hour.
Walk through the station to the back and take the free F3 or F4 ferry across the IJ. The crossing takes five minutes and the building is on the Overhoeksplein, beside the A’DAM Tower.
The flight itself lasts nine minutes. With the exhibition before and after, allow about an hour, or ninety minutes if you want to read everything.
From about six years old, yes. Younger children can find the movement and the dark theatre overwhelming. There is a minimum height for the flight.
Zaanse Schans, Volendam, Giethoorn, Keukenhof and a combined Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans trip all check in at THIS IS HOLLAND on the Overhoeksplein. Other tours to the same places leave from Central Station instead, so check the address on your ticket.
Yes, they are next door to each other on the Overhoeksplein. Both fit comfortably into one afternoon.
