"A PRACTICAL AND PECULIAR GUIDE TO THE NETHERLANDS!" Top 5 Page for this destination Netherlands by ATLC

Netherlands Travel Guide: 39,827 reviews and 83,122 photos

DUTCH AS THE TOURISTS SEE IT - Netherlands

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Picture starting top left clockwise:
Cheese / Dutch new (raw) herring / Dutch folks / flower field / windmill / my wooden shoes

Discover The Netherlands!

I dare to call my Netherlands page very practical. It certainly is peculiar in places But it is not a definitive guide, nor will it ever be! I hope it is useful to tourists and natives alike.
This Netherlands page does not stand alone. It is more a portal to all my other VT pages about Dutch towns, cities and villages. You will find much more specific information on various places.
In fact, apart from this Netherlands page, I have well about 900 tips about 150 towns and villages in The Netherlands for you. As well as more than 500 pictures in 50 travelogues. So take your pick!

I hope you enjoy this personal page about everything I love or hate about my country. Feel free to ask any questions which I will try to answer as best I can. Have fun reading!

National Heritage weekend 11-12 Sept. 2010
- Free entrance to thousands of listed monuments and sites across the whole country. Some of them are private or do not open to the public during the rest of the year. Go to the local Tourist Office for a list of the participating objects in that town. Check the Open Monumentendag for more information.

Month of Forts always in September
- Visit our forts and reinforcements during this whole month., Check this website (in Dutch). On the left side is a list where you can at least make out visiting hours, entrance fees and address. Most forts are not open to the public during the year. Only in September.

Shortcut to handy travel information
This section gives you a shortcut to my most handy travel tips.
Scheduler for all Dutch public transportation (including translation of Dutch into English).
Openinig a Dutch bank account and governmental information for foreigners

Layover at Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam)
A travelogue and printable PDF file gives you all the info you need for a layover at Schiphol, including advice to make a flying visit into Amsterdam.

Major update of this Netherlands page
Summer 2010 I've progressed quite far in updating this total Netherlands page, to check broken links and old information. Replacing it with current information. Let me know if you find anything that's outdated. Thanks!
More to be added...

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MODERN THE NETHERLANDS

Picture starting top left clockwise:
Dutch coffee machine Senseo Crema (Philips) / Delft Blue heart / Oil platform / Dutch national flag along river Maas / Zoetermeer train station

WHAT WILL YOU FIND IN MY TRAVEL TIPS?

Under Must See Activities you will find a short impression about Dutch places, the distance and driving directions from Amsterdam and a link to my VT page about that place.

Under Off the Beaten Path you will find some tips with museums and activities which even Dutch people in their own country do not readily know about.

Under Local Customs you will mostly find Dutch recipes and eating habits.

Under Tourist Traps Tips you will find some cultural tips about what the Dutch people are like. Some of the tips are tongue-in-cheek!

Under Accomodations there are some general tips (youth hostels, hotel chains) and one or two hotels per province where I actually stayed,.

Under Restaurants there is not much yet. There are numerous restaurant tips on my VT pages describing places in The Netherlands. In the near future I hope to add one or two restaurant tips per large city and per province.

Under Warnings or Dangers there are also some 20 tips. That doesn't mean The Netherlands is a dangerous country but it does have some tips about how to behave when you are a tourist in our country. And also some practical tips about travelling to/in The Netherlands. Tips have been updated April 2007.

Under Transportation you will find interesting rail info and rail passes.

Under Shopping Tips you will find shops and Dutch products. I also selected a few online websites where you can order Dutch products online like clogs, stroopwafels and Dutch coins.

Under General Tips you will find some history, old maps and anything noteworthy that doesn't fit into other categories.

Under Sports Travel there are quite a few typically Dutch sports and entertainment that in most cases can be engaged in by anyone.

Under Nightlife you will find just one tip. It's a link to a constantly updated website with nightlife tips, partying, disco's, festivals etc.

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THE NETHERLANDS STREETWISE

Picture starting top left clockwise:
Parked bicycles / Dutch police car / Warning against pickpockets / road sign for tourists / sign: bicycles will be removed / Dutch mail box / entry to Schiedam metro / parking meter

WHAT WILL YOU FIND IN MY TRAVELOGUES?

Quick overview of my Netherlands tips to make it easy for you to see the titles of my tips at a glance.

Do you want a conversation topic with Dutch people? Current Affairs and Misc. News is the newest travelogue about various current issues in The Netherlands. Be they political, cultural, social or trends. Still very much under construction. I'm open to any ideas!

Dutch Literature my personal choice is one of my favourite travelogues. It's amazing how much old and contemporary Dutch literature is translated into English and other languages. Let me know if you have read one of them!

The travelogue Dutch money before the Euro is my own little monument to the old Dutch coins before the Euro. Many silver 10 and 50 guilder coins and special coins from my collection.

Dutch Art is fairly newly updated with Dutch paintings, old and contemporary. More paintings can also be found in the t'logue "Quick Overview".

The Dutch Architecturë travelogue needs more info!
I'd be happy to hear your suggestions.

ATLC promotes NL abroad shows me in my version of a Dutch costume in various countries abroad.

Sailing Dutch waters has a few pictures of my sailing trips and a few old pictures of our boat "Zeeleeuw" (a Carena 36, sold a few years ago).

Theme Parks should all be in tips but haven't gotten round to doing that yet. Nice one for family travel, I think.

Fortified towns have my special interest (I live in one myself - Brielle). I hope to have visited all fortified towns and fortifications in the years to come.

Zoos in NL should also be in tips. Full info for the time being is in the t'logue though.

The travelogue Hats is just a little silly hobby of mine.

Note:
Please help me to improve this page by telling me what you miss, or about anything incorrect or lacking. Mail to ATLC@vtmail.com

Pros and Cons

Pros:Small country big in culture.
Cons:Total traffic jam can be as long as the country's length
In a nutshell:Perfect compact country to explore!

Last visit to Netherlands: Sep 2008
Intro Updated Aug 26, 2010
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Reviews (290)

Heavy traffic Warnings Or Dangers (27)

Heavy traffic in The Netherlands is expected daily between approx. 7-9.30 am and 4-7 pm. Especially in the western area... more travel advice

Assen, capital of Province Drenthe - Netherlands

Visit Province Drenthe Things to Do (57)

Drenthe is one of the more northern provinces with a very rural character. For instance there is more than 1400 kms of... more travel advice

Wentelteefjes, how to use old bread Local Customs (39)

A hearty breakfast dish, or maybe for dessert after a light meal. For 4 persons: 4 slices of stale white bread 3 eggs,... more travel advice

Day tickets for bus/metro/tram Transportation (17)

Mind you, a 8-strippenkaart (strip card) that is stamped off as day ticket is only valid in a certain area (such as... more travel advice

Off The Beaten Path (25)
See All What's on in Dutch museums
Sports & Outdoors (15)
See All Pieterpad, long distance walk
Favorites (29)
See All Need for private nursing
Hotels (22)
See All Group or family accommodation
What to Pack (6)
See All Learn Dutch

Nightlife (4)
See All Price comparison
Tourist Traps (23)
See All Have your pants dropped? A Dutch...
Restaurants (10)
See All Food on a budget
Shopping (16)
See All Dutch cinematography
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Comments (270)

VailisGala Jun 25, 2011 at 9:07 AM Report Abuse

uhhhh, such nice the recipe.. it seems his mother made it when eh was a child, using an old clean piece of sheet to boil it! i will make it!
travelgourmet Dec 14, 2010 at 1:22 AM Report Abuse

We call your Wentelteefjes "French toast", and I make it about once a month. My wife and I went to the 1992 Floriade in Zoetermeer.
wompbomp Aug 2, 2010 at 1:27 PM Report Abuse

Thanks so much for all the wonderful information.We will be visiting the Netherlands for a couple of weeks next May, and are looking forward to seeing many of the things you recommend. Thanks again! Carol
gilldalley May 26, 2010 at 8:40 AM Report Abuse

Hi to you all, it's my Dutch mum in law's 90th birthday & i need to find a shop that can send her a hamper to the Uk with smoked eel, harring, double salt liqurice, & soute droppers & other favourites of her can any one help me please?
Feifeii Apr 13, 2010 at 9:18 AM Report Abuse

hi So i would like to ask if i m going to the Netherlands for around a week, n i plan to travel around Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag and Delft. So how can i estimate how many strips do i need?
mvtouring Jun 6, 2009 at 2:55 AM Report Abuse

Thanks for the wonderful tips, leaving for the Netherlands in 4 days time and cannot wait as I will be visiting places that I have not been to before ;-)
hindu1936 Jun 1, 2009 at 9:31 PM Report Abuse

Great pages!! wonderfullly detailed tips. a few I've bookmarked so I don't forget where your excellent directions pointed me to. a few questions I will email to you. thanks for your efforts. appreciated.
travellingtechie Oct 22, 2008 at 3:46 AM Report Abuse

Hi Do we need to have a address proof also to open a bank account in NL or will the visa and passport alone do. thnx. travellingtechie!
jumpingnorman Oct 16, 2008 at 12:26 AM Report Abuse

Amazing Netherlands page - this is how we should all make our travel pages! Thanks for sharing! More power! :jumpingnorman
Trekki Sep 14, 2008 at 1:36 AM Report Abuse

I am hallway through and really love it :-) Learned so much and am getting hungry when reading all the recipes, oh yum :-)) BTW: I LOVE vla, and haha, now I want one :-)) Back later for the rest :-)