The lowlands of Europe have come a long way since being reclaimed from the sea over a period spanning many centuries. From the raucous night-life adventures to scenic bike rides through permanently green countryside, the Netherlands has developed into one of Europe’s important countries, and is well worth a visit.
You might start, as many millions do every year, in Amsterdam, the largest and most famous city. The world famous Van Gogh museum is a must-see for anyone interested in art, as is the Rijksmuseum, that celebrates the rich artistic history of the Dutch golden age with works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. For those seeking something a little less cultural, a trip to the Heineken brewery is in order, perhaps followed by a few beers in a traditional ‘brown café’, so named for the dark wooden interiors and smoke-stained walls.
The red light district is a tourist attraction in it’s own right, and is not as seedy as you might think, although not necessarily a great place for families. There are nice bars nestled in among the tourist traps, and a good rule of thumb is that the less neon signs a bar has, the nicer it will be.
Amsterdam is great fun, but for an authentic Dutch experience you’ll have to head somewhere less well travelled. Utrecht is a student town of 250,000 just half an hour by train from Amsterdam central station, look up a train at fromatob and is quite charming with it’s canal running through the old centre and ancient Gothic cathedral that towers over the city. Den Haag is the capital, and the center is an architectural mix of medieval, renaissance and Baroque buildings, while the seaside resort of Scheveningen is a short tram ride away if the sun is shining.
Renting a bicycle is an excellent way to see the Netherlands, and especially to see the scenic areas in the less populated east of the country. The Hoge Veluwe park is particularly pretty, with it’s fields of purple heather and towering pine trees, and can be easily accessed from Appeldoorn, a charming little town that is roughly an hour away from Amsterdam by train. The city of Maastricht is nestled deep in the south east, and the difference in lifestyle is quite noticable to that in the North.
The Netherlands is so much more than Amsterdam, so take your time to explore!