Hoorn
Home town of Coen and namesake of Cape Horn, with a harbour of 17th-century façades and the Hoofdtoren. The Westfries Museum is being renovated and is expected to reopen in mid-2027.
Route by public transport ↗
Spices, ships and the cost of wealth.
In 1602 six Dutch port cities pooled their Asian trade into one company: the Dutch East India Company, or VOC. Pepper, nutmeg and porcelain made the Dutch Republic rich. That wealth was also paid for with violence, conquest and slavery, and that is part of the story too.
The VOC is still everywhere if you know where to look: warehouses, offices, harbours and museum galleries. This route follows the company's six chambers: Amsterdam, Middelburg, Delft, Rotterdam, Hoorn and Enkhuizen. In Amsterdam you can see the old East India House and a replica VOC ship, while Lelystad has the Batavia. Museums increasingly tell both sides: the trade and the treasures, and the people in Asia and Africa who paid for them. With Amsterdam as your base, most stops are an easy train ride away, one town a day.
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The former naval storehouse of 1656 is full of maps, globes and ship models. Moored outside is a replica of the Amsterdam, a VOC ship from 1749. The museum gives real attention to slavery and the darker side of the company.
The VOC's headquarters from 1606, where the Heren XVII met. Today it belongs to the University of Amsterdam. Look at the façade on Oude Hoogstraat and, if the gate is open, step into the courtyard.
Golden Age paintings, ship models and objects from Asia show what the company brought home. Read the labels: they also tell you who paid the price.
The seat of the VOC's Delft chamber. The building on the Oude Delft canal is not open to visitors, but its façade is a good stop on the walk to the Prinsenhof.
Rotterdam had its own VOC chamber. The museum on the Leuvehaven tells the story of the city as a port, from sailing ships to container terminals.
The Zeeland chamber was the VOC's second largest after Amsterdam. In Middelburg's medieval abbey you see how the sea made Zeeland rich, and at what cost.
Three VOC towns around the old Zuiderzee, each an easy day trip from Amsterdam.
Home town of Coen and namesake of Cape Horn, with a harbour of 17th-century façades and the Hoofdtoren. The Westfries Museum is being renovated and is expected to reopen in mid-2027.
Route by public transport ↗The Peperhuis of 1625 was a VOC warehouse and is now part of the Zuiderzeemuseum. Pair it with a walk along the harbours.
Route by public transport ↗Museum Batavialand is home to the replica of the Batavia, a VOC ship wrecked off Australia in 1629. Since October 2026 the ship has stood on land while the museum is renewed, so check what is open before you go.
Route by public transport ↗Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl ↗.
Amsterdam was the VOC's largest chamber and is still the easiest place to stay. There are hotels for every budget, from hostels to canal houses. Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Lelystad are a short train ride away, and so are Delft and Rotterdam. Spend the day on the route and the evening back on the canals.