Known for its windmills, cheese, tulips, clogs and bicycles, The Netherlands is one of the most amiable countries in Western Europe, packed with culture and art in an incredibly relaxed atmosphere.
Fantastic artwork by the world-famous Dutch painters Rembrandt and Van Gogh can be admired in the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam, the charming capital, is built entirely on piles on the freshwater of Ijsselmeer and is surrounded by scenic canals you can cruise. World-class museums, 17th century architecture, stunning parks, great shopping, a famous red-light district, trendy restaurants and pubs will give you a taste of Dutch life in this laid-back, hospitable country.
More attractions to satisfy the appetite for culture and pleasure can be found in the popular port of Rotterdam, the cosy historic university town of Leiden, the open-air museum in Arnhem and the cultured political city of The Hague. No matter how much or how little time you have to spend, The Netherlands is not to be missed when visiting Western Europe.
Accommodation in the Netherlands is varied and extensive, and there is something to suit travellers of all budgets. There is plenty of cheap, good quality accommodation both in the cities and further afield, whilst those with a less restricted budget will find excellent quality hotels offering good service and facilities. For the adventurous the Netherlands can also offer some truly unique and unusual accommodation.
Top Things about The Netherlands
A large part of the Netherlands was reclaimed from the sea and the country is famous for its flat landscape. Whilst the Netherlands has no mountains, this does not mean that its landscape is boring. Indeed the Netherlands is famous for its fields of colourful tulips, windmills and dykes.
Cycling is popular in the Netherlands, or you can reach the beautiful National Park of the Hoge Veluwe by bus from Appledorn's train station. The Park can be toured on traditional Dutch white bicycles. Aside from the fantastic scenery, the Park is the site of the Kröller-Müller Museum, which currently displays a collection of 19th and 20th century art, including forty-six paintings by Van Gogh. The museum's Sculpture Garden features unusual sculptures in a large outdoor setting that is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. The Zuid Kennemerland National Park encompasses sand dunes, forests, lakes and coastal beaches, and is ideal for hiking.
Amsterdam is home to many excellent museums including the Rijksmuseum, which is the Netherlands’ largest museum that attracts well over a million visitors every year, as well as the Stedelijk Museum and Anne Frank House. The Netherlands is famous for its windmills and Kinderdijk is the best place to see them. Once used to drain water from the land the windmills are no longer used but have been preserved and are now on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Hague has the most popular beach resort in the Netherlands at Scheveningen beach, which is ideal for water sports or simply soaking up the sun. The Drievliet amusement park is a family park with adventure rides and magic shows, and at Madurodam park visitors can see Holland in miniature. The Hague also has many historic buildings and over 30 museums.
Best Cities to Visit
Think of the Netherlands and most people will have an image of Amsterdam. The city centre is one of the most charming in Europe with its canals, cobbled streets and old merchants’ villas. A tax on the width of houses means that many of Amsterdam’s old houses are tall but very narrow, with furniture having to be winched in via the windows. The city boasts several excellent museums including the Rijksmuseum, which is home to Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, the Van Gogh Museum, which contains the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings as well as many of his letters to his brother Theo, and the Stedelijk Museum, as well as a number of smaller quirky museums such as the Houseboat Museum and the Heineken Museum. History enthusiasts should visit Anne Frank House, now an interesting museum but once the hiding place of Anne Frank and others during the Second World War. The city is welcoming and friendly and visitors can relax in one of the city’s many cafés.
Don’t be put off by the name, but Rotterdam was bombed during World War II so it has no medieval centre, but its modern architecture is eclectic and interesting. The Netherlands’ second city has plenty of attractions including excellent museums, a gritty arts scene and superb nightlife. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum features art from the Middle Ages to the present, including works by Monet, Dali and Van Gogh, whilst at the De Kunsthal Modern Art Museum visitors can see original expositions and examples of modern Rotterdam design. Visit the Shipyard De Delft to view the reconstruction of an 18th century ship, visit the famous cube houses or take a rocket launch to the top of the tallest tower in the Netherlands.
Delft, one of the best-preserved historic towns in the Netherlands, is a gem to be visited. Renowned for its canals, walkways and Delft pottery, major attractions include both the Old and New Church, with the tomb of William of Orange, and the Vermeer Trail, named after a famous painter who was born and worked in Delft.
Events
Queen’s Day takes place in April with celebrations across the Netherlands. The whole country comes alive with parades, live music, dancing, flea markets (both professional and amateur) and a lot of people clad in orange.
The Holland Festival is the biggest festival in the Dutch cultural calendar. Covering almost the entire month of June, visitors can enjoy cutting-edge performances in theatre, film, dance, music and opera. Most of the musical events are held at concert halls so booking is advised.
The ABN AMRO World Tennis tournament is the largest indoor tennis tournament with matches taking place on hard courts in Rotterdam, and The Holland Flowers Festival features hundreds of varieties of crocuses, daffodils, tulips, narcissi and hyacinths. With around 150,000 blooms, the venue becomes a sea of flowers whose colours and scents assault the senses.
Local Cuisine
The Netherlands is a multicultural country with a variety of cuisines including Thai, Chinese, Indian and Italian, and given the historical links with Indonesia it has some of the best Indonesian cuisines in Europe. Visitors will be able to find plenty of traditional Dutch dishes as well, including Haring (fresh raw herring), Stamppot, which is a simple dish of mashed potato with vegetables and a smoked sausage, and Erwtensoep, which is a thick pea soup.
Heineken, Amstel and Grolsch dominate the beer market in the Netherlands, but there are also some smaller breweries. There are some companies that offer tours that take visitors beyond the top three brands to sample some of the less well-known Dutch beers. Amsterdam has hundreds of cafés and bars, ranging from the relaxed brown cafés to lively and crowded bars where patrons can enjoy coffee with speculaas (spicy biscuits) or something a bit more intoxicating.
Culture
The Netherlands are a relaxing and welcoming country. The Dutch are great travellers and as such they tend to have a cosmopolitan outlook on life. The Dutch enjoy eating out and visiting cafés and bars, and they also enjoy sport, music, cinema and other organised events. The Netherlands became very wealthy from trading in the 17th century, and in Amsterdam the many fine merchants’ houses are testament to their owners’ wealth.
There are also fine examples of modern architecture such as the ING Bank in Amsterdam and the Euromast observation tower in Rotterdam. Tourists can visit factories where traditional clogs are made by hand and where the famous blue and white delftware is made. At the Edam cheese market the traditions surrounding Edam cheese are continued. Cheeses are brought to the market by boat or horse-drawn cart and unloaded by special cheese carriers in their traditional working clothes.
The Netherlands Hotels
Accommodation in the Netherlands is extensive. In the cities there is accommodation for all budgets. Travellers who have a limited budget will find plenty of hostels, budget hotels and bed and breakfasts, whilst those who have a bit more money to spend will find some outstanding hotels with excellent services and facilities. In the countryside visitors can find campsites, holiday parks, hotels and holiday homes. Many holiday homes are privately owned and may be basic, luxurious or unusual, such as windmills.