Jul 09, 2026
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Retire in the Netherlands
Explore charming Dutch towns offering Americans affordable living, vibrant communities, and a quality of life worth savouring.
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Love Netherlands
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Dear Netherlands,
There’s a version of the Netherlands that tourists rarely find. It’s in Jordaan on a Saturday morning, where the Noordermarkt smells of fresh bread and old cheese. It’s in Utrecht, where canal-level wharfs have become the most beautiful cafés in Europe. It’s in Delft, where Vermeer’s light still falls across the same brick walls.
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Photo: Shutterstock
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In today’s email:
- Best Towns and Cities to Retire in the Netherlands for Americans (2026 Guide)
- At The Café — Café Papeneiland — The Café on the Corner Bill Clinton Loved
- Around The Web — The Dutch Words That Don’t Translate — and What They Tell You About the Netherlands, The VOC Trail: Following Your Dutch Ancestors to the East, Dutch Healthcare for American Retirees: What You Need to Know (2026 Guide) + more
- From Love Netherlands — Tracing Your Family in Friesland: A Heritage Travel Plan
- Dutch Food You Will Love — Kroket — The Older, Stranger Cousin of Bitterballen
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Best Towns and Cities to Retire in the Netherlands for Americans (2026 Guide)
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The Netherlands has no retirement visa for Americans. But thousands of US citizens still move there each year. Healthcare is excellent. English is spoken widely. The country sits at the heart of Europe. These are strong reasons to consider it. Every Dutch city has its own personality and cost structure. Amsterdam gets all the attention, but it rarely suits retirees best. This guide covers seven cities and towns. Each offers a practical and enjoyable life for Americans — from The Hague’s international scene to Amersfoort’s quiet medieval streets. Love the Netherlands? Join our free newsletter for hidden Dutch gems → inlovewithnetherlands.com/subscribe If you’re still working out the legal pathway, our guide to moving to the Netherlands as an American via the DAFT route is the essential starting point. Once you understand the residency options, choosing the right city becomes the most…
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Have you been there? Do you have a memory of this corner of the Netherlands? Hit reply and tell us — we’d love to hear your story.
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At The Café
Café Papeneiland — The Café on the Corner Bill Clinton Loved
Café Papeneiland sits at the corner of the Prinsengracht and the Brouwersgracht, in a 17th-century building so charmingly crooked that the Delft tiles inside lean slightly to one side. It’s been a café since 1642. Bill Clinton stopped in once, ate a slice of apple pie, and the café has never quite let it go — there’s a small framed photo behind the bar. The apple pie really is the order: thick, warm, just enough cinnamon, served with whipped cream that doesn’t come from a can. Sit by the window upstairs and watch the canal boats turn the corner below.
👉 Visit the café
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Around The Web
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From Love Netherlands
Friesland feels different from the rest of the Netherlands. The skies are wider. The land is flat and ancient. And the language you hear in the streets is unlike anything you have heard before. If your family name ends in -ma, -stra, or -sma, there is a very good chance your story began here. Friesland heritage travel is one of the most rewarding journeys a Dutch descendant can take. Friesland is a province that remembers its people. Church…
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Photo: Shutterstock
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Dutch Food You Will Love
Kroket — The Older, Stranger Cousin of Bitterballen
A kroket is a finger-shaped roll of crumbed and deep-fried beef ragout — the same filling as bitterballen, but in a single satisfying portion the size of a thick chip. You eat it slid into a soft white roll with a smear of mustard, called a broodje kroket, and it’s the Dutch lunch counter’s defining order. The most famous come from automat-style FEBO walls in Amsterdam, where you slot a few coins in and pull a hot kroket out of a glass-fronted cabinet. There’s no shame in it — half the city has eaten one before a tram home.
👉 Read the full story
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