Netherlands
Amsterdam canal houses, Wadden Islands wilderness, and museums you could spend a week inside.
Introducing the Netherlands
The Netherlands is more than its capital. Amsterdam is the headline: canal-house architecture, three of the world's great museums in walking distance, brown cafés that haven't changed in a century. Outside the city: Utrecht's medieval centre, Rotterdam's experimental skyline, the Wadden Islands for tidal-flats wilderness, and Maastricht for the Burgundian south. The country runs on bicycles and trains, in that order.
See hotelsYour Travel Notes
Currency
Euro (EUR). Cards accepted everywhere. The Netherlands is almost a cashless country: many places refuse cash entirely. Contactless payments preferred.
Cuisine
Dutch cuisine is having a quiet renaissance: bitterballen with a good Trappist beer, oude kaas (aged Gouda), bread baked at De Vlaamsche Broodbakker. The country also has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than nearly anywhere in Europe.
Transport
NS intercity trains link every major city in under 90 minutes. Amsterdam to Rotterdam: 40 minutes. Amsterdam to Utrecht: 25 minutes. In cities, bikes are the local solution; hotel bike rental is the most authentic way to see Amsterdam. For the Wadden Islands, ferries from Den Helder, Harlingen and Lauwersoog.
Tipping etiquette
Service is included. Round up taxi fares to the nearest euro; leave a euro or two on a coffee bill if the staff was attentive; 10% in a fine-dining restaurant is generous, not expected.
When to go
Late April to early May for tulip season (Keukenhof opens late March to mid-May). May to September for canal-city weather. November to February is grey but cosy, with brown cafés and museum interiors at their best.