planning a trip to
The Netherlands
Here is what you need to know: Netherlands Travel Guide
A beautiful land with cute and cosy town crossed by canal. How good it is to be always surrounded by waters.
Visit tonnes of museums in Amsterdam, take a boat down the canals, discover the Zaanse windmills, ride a bike along Amsterdam streets, seat in a cosy coffee shop in Delft…
For us, the Netherlands was a great country to visit. We made it there by car making our way around easy and we opted to stay most of the time out of the big cities and travel by train there.
The Netherlands itself are a small Venice. As the country stand almost below the sea level, it has numerous city with canals making it a really enjoyable place.
About
The Netherlands, informally Holland is a small country opposite of UK.
The Netherlands are still a kingdom and as such still have a king on top of the country.
Its land cover 41 865 km² (131 biggest country) and inhabits 17.5 million people (68th most populous country).
Netherlands means lower country in references to its low elevation and flat topography, with only about 50% of its land exceeding 1 metre above sea level, and nearly 17% falling below sea level.
The original colors of the flag were orange, white and blue.
Those colors were chosen to reflect the arms of the ancestral territory of the House of Orange.
No one know why the orange became red, but it happened around the years 1654.
There are over 1 000 winmills in the Netherlands.
They were used to pump water out of the lowlands and back into the rivers beyond the dikes so that the land could be farmed.
Today some are still being used but most if them are out of comissions. But have been remarked.
Originally cultivated in the Ottoman Empire tulips were imported to The Netherlands in the 16th century.
Nowadays, they are the most popular flower in the Netherlands. Over 7 million flower bulbs bloom in spring at the Keukenhof in Lisse.
Travel to Holland in mid-April to see the tulips at their best.
Clogs (wooden shoes) are a specially in Holland.
They have been the traditional footwear of the Dutch for hundreds of years and the Dutch wear them every day.
Today, they are mostly worn in villages, and are for tourist a great souvenir to bring.
What to expect?
Language: The official language is Dutch however most of the Dutchs speaks English perfectly. Travelling in the Netherlands is therefor super easy and convenient.
Food: The Dutch breakfast is a wonder and must be try! But apart of them, you must try the local cheese and if you like sweats, the Stroppwafel (waffles) and local pancakes will be a must to try.
Transportation: The main transportation is train. Once in the city, urban buses, metro or tram can be taken to get around. Or you could simply go the Dutch way and rent a bike.
Money: The currency in The Netherlands is the Euro. The same as every countries in the European Union.
Plugs: The plugs in The Netherlands are type C (Euro). The standard voltage is 220V with a frequency of 50hz. The same in every country of Europe.
Safety: The Netherlands are safe with a super low crime rate. Pickpocketing can happen but even that is low. Hanging around the Netherlands during day or night is then really great and super safe.
