Netherlands Travel Guide
The Netherlands has much to offer the traveler. Often called Holland, especially in Europe, this familiar name actually refers only to two of the country' s 12 provinces. The Netherlands is relatively flat. laden with canals and densely populated. The country provides a number of interesting destinations, most noted for their unique history and attractiveness.
Middelburg
The small and quiet city of Middelburg (pop. 47,000) is the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated on the peninsula of Walcheren, between the estuaries of the Eastern Scheldt and the Western Scheldt.
Gouda
Famous in the whole world for its cheese, Gouda (pop. 72,000) also boast one of the nicest town halls in the Netherlands as well as some of the best stained glass windows in all Europe.
Dordrecht
Dordrecht (pop. 120,000) is the southernmost city of South Holland and of the Ranstad metropolitan area. It has the particularity of being surrounded by water, sitting on an island in between the Old Meuse (Oude Maas), New Merwede (Nieuwe Merwede), the Lower Merwede (Beneden Merwede), the Dordtsche Kil and the Noord.
Breda
Breda (pop. 170,000, with suburbs 200,000) is a major city in the South of the Netherlands. Its name is derived from brede Aa ("broad Aa"), referring to confluence of the the River Aa with the smaller River Mark.
Scheveningen
The main beach resort Scheveningen, in the northwestern part of the city of Hague, is a popular destination for tourists and young people. With 10 million visitors a year it is the most popular beach town in the Benelux. The name 'Scheveningen' is reputedly one of the most difficult to pronounce for non-Dutch speakers, so that it was even used as a password by Dutch resistance fighters during WWII.
The Hague
The Hague ('s-Gravenhage in Dutch, shortened as Den Haag, La Haye in French ; pop. 475,000, with suburbs 600,000) is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. It is the former capital of the country, and is still the seat of the monarchy, government and judicial institutions (although Amsterdam has been the official capital since 1806). All foreign embassies and many lobbying organisations are located in the city.
Haarlem
Haarlem (pop. 147,000) is the capital of the province of North Holland. The city is located on the river Spaarne, about 20 km west of Amsterdam and near the coastal dunes. It has been the historical center of the tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and bears the nickname of Bloemenstad ("flower city") for this reason.
Utrecht
Utrecht (pop. 288,000, with suburbs 420,000, metropolitan area 820,000) has many ways to distinguish itself from other Dutch cities. It is one of the handful cities in the country founded by the Romans, but it is also the seat of the Archbishopric of Utrecht (founded over 1300 years ago), the highest Catholic authority in the Netherlands. The city was accordingly endowed with the tallest cathedral in the country.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam (pop. 584,000, with suburbs 1,100,000) is the second largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam. The city developed on the banks of the river New Meuse (Nieuwe Maas in Dutch), the main channel in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse rivers. The name Rotterdam means "dam on the Rotte", a small tributary river of the New Meuse.
Leiden
Hometown of Rembrandt, city of the Pilgrim Fathers, and seat of the country's oldest university, Leiden (Leyde in French ; pop. 118,000, with suburbs 254,000 ) is a typical Dutch city, with an architecture that has little to envy to its neighbours Amsterdam or Delft. The city host a population of 20,000 students, giving it a particularly lively atmosphere.
Keukenhof Gardens
Keukenhof (meaning "Kitchen Court" in Dutch), also known as the Garden of Europe, is the world's largest flower garden. It is one of the prime attractions of any trip to the Netherlands (in season).
Alkmaar
This charming tour to historical Alkmaar offers a fascinating glimpse of old Dutch Market life. Visit the traditional cheese market before heading to Schermerhorn to see her famous old windmills and medieval Edam, world renowned for its wonderful cheese.
Delft
It was founded around 1100 and received its charter in 1246. It prospered on trade and weaving in the late Middle Ages, and became a small port (Delftshaven, now part of Rotterdam) in the 15th century. The city was equipped with city walls, which have since all but disappeared, apart from the Oostpoort (Eastern gate).
Marken
Till 1957 the small fishing village of Marken was an island in the IJsselmeer (the former Zuiderzee). From that moment on it was connected by the mainland of the Province of Noord-Holland by a dike. The village is situated rather close to Amsterdam and part of the municipality of Waterland. About 2.000 people are living on the peninsula. Marken (together with Volendam) is one of the most well-known tourist destinations in the Netherlands; it has its own charm with the quaint green colored wooden houses on poles and the very colorful traditional costumes.
Noordwijkerhout
Noordwijkerhout is about 5 kilometers from the North Sea and provides access to the beach and nearby hiking opportunities through the dunes. Just north of town is the Oosterduinse meer (Eastern Dune's Lake) which is used for swimming and windsurfing.
Noordoostpolder
But there is a complete other way to see these wonderful flowers. In one of our polders, the 'Noordoostpolder' is the biggest area with tulips in the Netherlands. Late April/early May there are lots of activities around the flowering time of the tulips. Everywhere along the road you can buy some fresh tulips for a couple of euro's.
Windmill
The Netherlands is so closely associated with windmills, that it's often the first fact people recall about the country. The Dutch built windmills for many centuries (and to some extent, the windmills built the country itself, since without them much of the land drainage could not have occured). In that time the mills were developed for corn milling, land drainage, saw milling, and in fact all manner of industrial purposes. Despite this widespread use, Dutch mills are in may ways quite primitive - using canvas sails, and turned to wind by hand (as distinct from the automated mechanisms that were developed for English windmills, including the fantail, and shuttered sails).
Canal Cruises
A fun and leisurely way to see the city of Amsterdam, and to get an idea of its layout, is to take one of the canal cruises offered by several different companies. These popular cruises run from many points around the city. They last anywhere from one hour to two and a half hours, and many leave every 30 minutes. Visitors ride in comfortable glass-enclosed sightseeing launches, which generally seat about 40 people. The canal cruises are conducted in many languages, so visitors will have to be sure to choose a cruise in their language. Tour guides provide colorful and interesting narration explaining the sights and attractions that pass by.
Amsterdam
Although the seat of Netherlands government is in The Hague, Amsterdam is the nominal capital. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of more than 750,000, and the most visited, with over 3,5 million foreign visitors a year.
Maastricht
Maastricht is about two hours from Amsterdam and offers plenty of Roman and Gothic structures though it can hardly be described as a tourist must-see as it appears to be more allied to Germany and Belgium than to the Netherlands and aims to be an EU political conference centre rather than a Dutch tourist trip. No other Dutch town has as many bars per sq metre as Maastricht. Try popular markets if you don't mind crowds on Wednesdays and Fridays and its annual carnival is also worth a visit.
Arnhem
Arnhem is another comfortable Dutch city that was the site of a famous WWII battle between outnumbered British and Polish paratroopers and German panzer divisions. These days one of the town's biggest attractions is an open-air museum of varied, authentic Netherlands farms.