Don’t trust the first impression. It is true that the Netherlands as an initial look will appear dishes like Pannenkoek, the local version of pancakes, but by looking around you will find much, much more. Yes, as the list of this must-see in the Netherlands cannot start with a land of multicolored fields of flowers and canals, elegant and well-kept cities, an amazing coastline, even if the sea is certainly not this Mediterranean plague, factories and a lots of culture enough to remember. And just putting the names from Van Gogh to Rembrandt, from Mondrian to Hieronymus Bosch to understand what we are talking about and what is, for example, in the museums of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam
A trip to the Netherlands can only start with a visit to Amsterdam. Whether it’s your first visit or you’ve already been to the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is always a good idea to start a trip to the Netherlands. My advice is to dedicate at least four days to visit all the most important places and carry out unmissable activities in the city. But there are some suggestions: you must also travel outside the city, such as to the windmill village of Zaanse Schans, to the ancient fishing port of Volendam, to the fishermen’s island of Marken or, if it is spring, to the park. Keukenhof tulips.
The other cities
Other names not to be missed in our Dutch guide are Rotterdam and Utrecht, two cities that represent the different faces of the country and the contrast between the old and the new. Rotterdam is the second largest city in the country, one of the largest ports in the world and one of the most modern and architecturally interesting cities in Europe.
And if you think about the great humanitarian Erasmus that was born here, don’t miss the Boymans van Beuningen museum, or after the skyscrapers are watching you, go to Kinderdijk outside the city, where many traditional windmills were located in the 18th century, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Utrecht, surrounded by bear fields and sandy wilderness, spend some time strolling through the Old Town, a jewel of historic buildings surrounded by canals, and then reaching St. Martin’s Cathedral is priceless.
The North Sea
Then, our guide will focus on the sights of the Netherlands, and then take us to Haarlem between Amsterdam and the North Sea, just 7 kilometers from the coast of the small river Spaarne, this area produces tulips, hyacinths, crocuses and yellows Famous for narcissus bulbs. In the 17th century, the city was a great artistic event and a place where many painters lived. Today, the Frans Hals Museum, one of the main tourist attractions in the city, summarizes this rich cultural heritage.
The university city of Leiden is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Netherlands, it is also located in a large area full of flowers, but it is also one of the main cultural centers. In addition to its famous library, the city also has many other research institutes, including the National Herbarium and a large number of dried plants, and the Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology. Finally, Maastricht (Maastricht), the capital of the province
But there are also beaches for marine life and the possibility of renting wooden houses directly on the beaches to sleep with the sound of the sea, and the rustle of the wind in the dunes. In this area are the most famous features of Cadzand, with 11 kilometers from the famous sandy beach for fossil insights, the perfect banjaard for families with the classic dunes behind the beach, and the dome, also the sand, also combines the possibility that The forest, not too far from the sea, where the seals are swimming.
The climate
The climate of the Netherlands is quite temperate, but is characterized by extreme variability with a lot of rain. In summer, the average values are around 20 degrees and in winter 3 degrees. The best time to visit the country is in the spring (April and May) when the tulips are in bloom or in the summer (July and August), as despite hordes of tourists, long and pleasant days, even more hiking by doing and discovering even the tip coastal: Always bring a waterproof jacket and a sweater even during the summer with: rain is always possible. And in the winter all the snow so often.
For this type of travel there are many free travel guides (gratis vakantie reisgidsen) that can help you in your travels around the world, always having an idea of what to do or see where you want to go will always be an advantage because you will save a lot of time during your stay in that country.
