I've lived in the Netherlands for 15 years. Skip Amsterdam and head to these charming, lesser-known places.

Whenever I visit Warmond, I feel like I'm traveling to a different era.

Dana Marin I've lived in the Netherlands for 15 years and traveled all over the country.

As much as I love Amsterdam, the smaller towns here have really stolen my heart.

I love visiting the historic city of Medemblik, and Veere has some of my favorite views.

After 15 years here, one of the things I love most about living in the Netherlands is how easy it is to travel around the country, and how day-trip (dagje weg) culture is ingrained in Dutch life.

Have half a day free? Just jump on the train and go somewhere.

I love exploring Amsterdam, but I also like taking myself somewhere new.

For a weekend trip, I prefer heading to a cozier town, where the streets are quiet, I can chat with locals in the shops, and an older Dutch gentleman is likely to explain the town's entire history to me while munching on a traditional cookie in a restaurant.

Here are four of my favorite small towns , villages, and lesser-known cities to visit.

Warmond is surrounded by lakes and history. huys te warmont tk Dana Marin South Holland — in particular, the Bollenstreek — is known as the tulip region of the Netherlands.

There's more than tulips to see here, though, and Warmond, an idyllic village on the Bollenstreek border, is proof.

Warmond has a centuries-old history, evident in the few country estates that still stand.

The grandest is Huys te Warmont, with a moat and an elegant forest park, where I love to walk around and pretend I'm in a different era.

In the city center, you'll find the old school, now a modern restaurant appropriately named Old School Café, where everyone stops by for lunch right next to the old water pump.