The MapitOut tool makes it easy to familiarise yourself with the region before moving to the Netherlands. By mapping out travel time between your work, children’s schools and other key locations, you’ll find your ideal location to live, work and feel at home in. For more inspiration, read the interviews with our internationals.
You can acces the Welcome to NL MapitOut Tool below:
Start by choosing a location you’re already familiar with. This could be your office address, the home of a friend or family member, or a place you visit regularly—such as a specific train station. Selecting a well-known location makes it easier to understand and compare travel times. Enter this location as your “From” address.
To see how this works in practice, watch the video below. It walks you through each step using a practical example, showing you how to enter your starting point and use the mapping tool to explore potential areas to settle within your desired travel time.
Next, consider your preferred mode of transport and the amount of time you'd like to spend travelling between this address and home. For instance, if you prefer to live within a 30-minute walk from your workplace, simply enter '30 minutes' and 'walking.' Many residents in the Netherlands combine cycling with public transport for convenience. To explore this option, enter 'public transport & cycling.' When you click 'Go,' the tool will highlight the area you can reach within your specified timeframe. You may be surprised at how compact and accessible the Netherlands truly is
Continue by adding locations and specifying your preferred travel times to create a visual map of your daily routine. You can also add your spouse's workplace, for example. By clicking 'Show Overlapping Area,' you'll reveal zones that meet your criteria—ideal for finding potential homes.
The “points of interest” function allows you to search for schools in the region. Select primary or secondary level and all schools or international only. It’s worth noting that an increasing number of newcomers’ classes and international classes (bridge classes) help international arrivals to learn Dutch and settle into the local education system, while some schools are even moving towards bilingual education. Check the availability of schools in different parts of the region to get an idea of which areas are most convenient for your family.
