Visiting Netherlands: My Best Tips for an Awesome Trip
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One of my favorite things about traveling in the Netherlands is that it’s just so darned Dutch. People are both friendly and reserved, serious but with a wry sense of humor.
Most Dutch people speak English and take thoughtful pride in their Dutchness. And they have a right to be proud, considering that one-third of their country lies below sea level and yet is one of the world’s top countries in terms of influence and economic strength.
Introducing the Netherlands
The Netherlands has a wealth of treasures for the enthusiastic traveler to explore. I’ve seen quite a few and look forward to seeing many more. On almost every trip to Europe, we dedicate at least a few days to exploring this remarkable country.
But even after ten trips (maybe more, I’ve lost track), we still have much more traveling to do in the Netherlands.
Although flat, the landscape of the Netherlands has a laconic charm I never tire of. The country is compact and expansive at the same time.
Highlights of the Netherlands
Get up close with the tulips in the Keukenhof and then cycle for miles along dykes under skies exploding with massive clouds rolling in from the North Sea. Luminous shafts of sunlight straight out of an Old Master painting energize the stark beauty of the countryside where few tourists venture.
Most people make a beeline for Amsterdam–and understandably so. It’s a major tourist center with some of Europe’s greatest museums. But the Netherlands has many other charming towns to visit, such as Arnhem (my favorite), Haarlem, Delft, and the Hague.
And then there’s the beer. I was a confirmed anti-beer girl until I discovered Heineken on my first solo trip to Amsterdam at the age of 18. Now one of the first things I like to do when I arrive in the Netherlands after a long flight is to find a canal-side café in Amsterdam and order a good Dutch beer, preferably with a side of bitterballen.
Ahhhh!
Arts and the Netherlands
From an arts perspective, the Netherlands has a tremendous amount to offer the visitor. Swoon in front of the Dutch Old Masters at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, then walk across the Museumplein to marvel at the world’s largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum.
You’ll also find plenty of lesser-known artsy travel pleasures in the Netherlands–distinctive architecture, world-class classical music, and cutting-edge modern art.
TIP: One of the highlights of artsy travel in the Netherlands is a visit to the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Dutch National Park near Arnhem in eastern Holland. I’ll talk a lot more about this slice of artsy heaven on Earth later.
The Netherlands and the World
Did you know that the Netherlands is one of the world’s wealthiest countries? Although one of the smallest countries in Europe, the Netherlands has wielded major influence on western culture for centuries. It’s a constitutional monarchy with a royal family headed by King Willem, and is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
Despite its small size, the Netherlands (which literally means “lower countries”) is the world’s second largest exporter of food and agricultural products, surpassed only by the United States. There’s a lot of fertile soil and intensive agriculture practices in the Netherlands.
King’s Day in the Netherlands
TIP: If you are in the Netherlands on April 27, join the entire country and celebrate King’s Day (Koningsdag). We spent King’s Day in Amsterdam in 2018. Everyone wears orange and the celebrations last well into the night with the canals in Amsterdam so full of boats you can walk across them.
In the streets and canals around our accommodations at the Apollo Hotel, hundreds of people set up tables to sell their stuff. There’s no other word for it–old records, half-used bottles of nail polish (really), toys and books, racks of second-hand clothes, you name it.
I have never seen so much old stuff in my life–the world’s biggest flea market.
A lot of the goods on display looked like they’d been bundled up and put away at the end of the last King’s Day and then brought out again for another go.
Safety in the Netherlands
In my experience, the Netherlands is a safe country to travel around. I’ve never felt in danger, even when walking alone at night alongside deserted canals in residential areas of Amsterdam. But always be aware of your surroundings and stay alert. Also, avoid Amsterdam’s Red Light district after about 10 pm when things can get a bit on the sleazy side.
The famous Dutch tolerance makes for some eye-popping window and postcard displays in Amsterdam. But you don’t have to look! As well, you’ll smell plenty of pot wafting from the tiny coffee shops in central Amsterdam. If you choose to go in, you’ll find a low-key atmosphere, friendly proprietors and an interesting selection of products.
Unfortunately, at night in central Amsterdam, you’re likely to run into gangs of loutish revelers who come to Amsterdam to partake of its more liberal offerings. Local citizens are getting fed up with the disruptions and recently Amsterdam decided to stop advertising their city as a tourist destination. This interesting article describes the problems and solutions.
Planning to Travel in the Netherlands
Although small, the Netherlands is densely populated and offers a great deal to see. We’ve been traveling there for years and still feel like we’ve only scratched the surface.
Choose Your Transportation
You’ll find good roads and a lot of traffic in the Netherlands. We still reminisce about the largest traffic jam I’ve ever seen that we got caught in after visiting Madurodam near the Hague.
Public Transit
Public transit is excellent in the Netherlands. From Amsterdam, take trains for day trips to places like the Hague, Delft and Haarlem. And in Amsterdam itself, save your feet by taking trams. Day tickets are available from local newsagents.
Consider a rail pass if you’re planning to explore more of Europe than just the Netherlands. A rail pass can pay for itself if you take several long trips; for example, Amsterdam to Barcelona or Rome to Copenhagen.
Rental Car
We frequently pick up our rental car at Schiphol Airport outside Amsterdam a few days after we arrive in Europe.
I don’t recommend driving on the day you land if you’ve flown from overseas. Give yourself a day or two to recover from jet lag, then from Amsterdam take a taxi or the train out to the airport to pick up your rental car. Driving onto the highway from Schiphol Airport is much easier than navigating the narrow one-way streets and dodging bicycles in central Amsterdam.
Driving Tips
Avoid letting your gas tank get too low when you drive in the Netherlands–or anywhere in Europe for that matter. You never know when you’ll run into traffic snarls that can extend for many kilometers and many hours. We’ve had some touch-and-go moments when we didn’t follow this advice!
That said, driving in the Netherlands is fairly easy if you have GPS, although we have managed to get lost a few times when making our way to relatively obscure small towns to visit friends.
Keep your cool and ask for directions at gas stations. Most people speak good English.
Check for Events and Exhibitions
Before you travel to the Netherlands, check online for exhibitions and performances in the places you’ll visit.
Also look for local festivals and start a conversation with your server at dinner to ask about interesting local sights and events. The multilingualism of most people I’ve met in the Netherlands puts me to shame.
Choose Your Regions
I wholeheartedly recommend four main areas for artsy travelers to visit in the Netherlands: Amsterdam, the Hague region (Delft and Madurodam), the Keukenhof Gardens (in the spring), and the region around Arnhem.
Amsterdam
My first stop in Europe is often Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Every time I emerge jet-lagged and weary after nine hours in the air into the bustling Schiphol Plaza, my heart expands with excitement.
Yahoo! I’m in Europe!
Languages bump into each other, exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke suck the freshness from the air, busses and taxis and cars vie noisily for space at the curb. I grab a taxi and within about twenty minutes, I’m being driven alongside a canal to my temporary home in Amsterdam.
Stay near the Canals
Often when we visited Amsterdam, we’ve saved a few euros by staying several tram stops outside the inner rings of the principal canals–Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht.
On our last trip, we decided that staying in the historical center of the city (the Centrum) was worth the extra cost so we booked an apartment overlooking the Herengracht.
What a great decision! The Mokum Suites overlooked the canal and was spacious and convenient. Definitely a keeper!
Staying in the center of the most beautiful area of the city immeasurably enhanced our experience. From our first-floor windows, we watched canal boats glide past and within minutes of leaving our front door, we were in the lively Rembrandtplein enjoying a beer and watching the Dutch world go by.
We hardly ever rode the tram during that visit to Amsterdam because we were within walking distance of everything we wanted to see.
Amsterdam is worth a day and a half (two nights) or two full days (three nights), especially if you love art. I’ll talk in more detail about the must-see museums in the Artsy Sightseeing section, but for a good two-day itinerary, read Two Days in Amsterdam.
The Hague Region
I first visited the area around the Hague when I was 14 and traveling around Europe with my mom. Our destination was the Madurodam theme park where you can “see Holland in one hour.” I still love this park and look forward to taking my grandchildren there!
Madurodam consists of hundreds of models of a miniature Netherlands on a scale of 1:25–the countryside, the cities, the industry and the agriculture. I love the tiny fields of tulips. You can also enjoy several interactive activities such as manning a Dutch dyke, generating wind energy, and playing with water.
Between the Hague and Rotterdam lies pretty little Delft, home of the ubiquitous blue and white Royal Delft pottery and famous for its connection to Johannes Vermeer who lived and worked there in the 17th century.
Wander along the picturesque canals, visit the various churches and mansions and of course pick up a sample of Delft pottery.
I treasure the four china houses like the ones shown above that I acquired when we traveled first class on KLM (only once, so far!). At the end of both the Vancouver-Amsterdam and Amsterdam-Vancouver flights, we were each given the choice of a house from a collection of over 100. The next time I can afford to splurge on first class, I’m definitely flying KLM so I can collect more houses!
TIP: If you do get one of the KLM houses, pack it in your checked baggage. I forgot that the houses are filled with gin and almost had them confiscated at security on my return trip to Vancouver. Fortunately, the Dutch border guard took pity on me and let me keep the houses, but I wouldn’t trust my chances a second time.
The Hague itself is worth a day to tour the historic Binnenhof and the 17th-century Mauritshuis, a top museum for 17th- and 18th-century art. Here you can view Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer.
Keukenhof Gardens & Tulip Fields
Twice I’ve visited the Netherlands during tulip season which runs from the end of March to mid-May. On both trips I trekked out to the Keukenhof Gardens about 40 minutes southwest of Amsterdam to enjoy what must be the world’s most luscious display of seven million flowering spring bulbs.
Curving beds of planted tulips in every shade and species–large, small, feathered, spiked, multi-hued, and striped–shimmered under budding trees and alongside twisting pathways. Other flowers included daffodils (so many varieties!) and chubby hyacinths in brilliant purples and pinks.
Check out the slideshow below of the Keukenhof Gardens in full bloom.
TIP: The key to visiting the Keukenhof Gardens in tulip season is first, to buy your tickets in advance and second, to arrive at the park as soon as it opens. If you wait until lunchtime or later, you’ll be hard-pressed to get any photographs of tulips that aren’t obscured by people.
Seriously. The place gets mobbed by tour busses but if you go early, you’ll have the gorgeous park all to yourself for at least an hour or two.
If you don’t want to rent a car, take a tour from Amsterdam. Book the earliest available tour to beat the crowds.
In addition to touring the park, you can drive around the tulip fields in the area or, if the weather isn’t too cold, rent a bike. The fields stretch for miles in perfect multi-colored rows. Everything you’ve dreamed about Holland as the place for tulips and windmills comes true on a spring day under brilliant blue skies.
Mind you, both times I toured the area, the clouds were thick and gray but the colors of the tulips were still extraordinary. Every so often, a shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds to illuminate a sweep of tulips and took my breath away.
If you don’t have your own wheels, book a tour to Keukenhof. You won’t want to miss this quintessentially Dutch experience if you’re in the Netherlands during tulip season.
Here’s a selection of tours that go there from various cities in the Netherlands.
TIP: If you want to take some Holland bulbs home to plant in your own garden, make sure to buy ones that are certified for export. Your best bet is to wait until you get to the airport and then buy a few boxes of the right varieties. You don’t want your bulbs confiscated at security.
I’ve often brought home bulbs from Schiphol and many months later have relived my love affair with the Netherlands when the bulbs grow into tulips on my front deck.
Amsterdam also gets in on the act during tulip season. Enjoy floating flower markets of cut flowers and a massive tulip festival where what looks like a million flower bulbs (maybe more) burst into bloom all around the city.
Arnhem and Surrounding Areas
I first visited Arnhem when I was eighteen on my first solo trip to Europe. My memories of the town are fond, thanks to a brief fling with a young man from Texas who took me to the marvelous Kröller-Müller Museum.
Arnhem is a picturesque town on the Rhine River close to the German border. Its pedestrian-free central area throngs with locals and restaurants and doesn’t feel at all touristy. Arnhem is quite close to the major site in this region–the Dutch National Park (the Hoge Veluwe National Park).
The park itself is magnificent–5,400 hectares of woodland, dunes and heathland in the Gelderland province. You can cycle for miles around the park, stopping to watch photographers that line the road, cameras at the ready, to catch glimpses of the herds of magnificently antlered deer. Four species call the park home: red deer, wild boars, mouflons, and roe deer.
Bike stations are located throughout the park and at the Otterlo, Schaarsbergen, and Hoenderloo entrances. You can borrow a white bicycle for free to explore the 40 kilometres of trails.
But the highlight of the park for arts lovers is the Kröller-Müller Museum, which I write about next in Artsy Favorites in the Netherlands.
Artsy Favorites in the Netherlands
You’ll find plenty of art in the Netherlands. I’ll focus here on my two artsy favorites: the museums in Amsterdam and the Kröller-Müller Museum near Arnhem.
Art Museums in Amsterdam
The two biggies in Amsterdam are, of course, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Also worth visiting are the Hermitage, especially if a good special exhibition is on, and the Stedelijk if you enjoy contemporary art.
Rijksmuseum
As mentioned before (and bears repeating!) a good strategy for your museum-going in Amsterdam is to visit the Rijksmuseum as early as you can on your first day. Purchase tickets online and get to the museum when it opens at 9 am.
We had the entire museum almost to ourselves when we wandered in about 9:15 during an April visit to Amsterdam. By the time we left at around noon, the line-up extended out into the rainy Museumplein. Satiated by great art and in cheery spirits after our leisurely stroll through near-empty galleries, we had to feel sorry for the sad-looking tourists huddled under dripping umbrellas. Don’t be one of those tourists!
The Rijksmuseum houses some of the greatest Dutch art in Europe, including numerous works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals, in the more than thirty galleries that feature art from the Dutch Golden Age.
A special room is devoted to displaying Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and is a great improvement from the first time I saw the painting back in 1970. Then, the painting was so dark and ill-lit that my 14-year-old self left unimpressed.
Now, the painting holds pride of place in a special gallery that most of the time teems with camera-snapping tourists. Remember – go early and contemplate Rembrandt’s masterpiece in blessed solitude.
Paintings from the Golden Age are just some of the attractions at the Rijksmuseum. I was hugely taken by the Medieval/Renaissance collection (1100 to 1600) displayed in beautifully lit and organized galleries. Since most visitors make a beeline to The Night Watch, you’ll find the medieval galleries comfortably empty. Enjoy numerous paintings, sculptures, objets d’art, furniture, and even tapestries.
As the premier museum in the Netherlands, the Rijksmuseum has even more to offer, including special exhibitions. These usually require an additional ticket so check ahead.
Van Gogh Museum
Again, pre-purchase your ticket to the Van Gogh Museum online a day or more before you plan to visit, preferably for an early time slot. The Van Gogh Museum is, quite simply, fabulous, which means that it’s also very crowded. The last time we went, we enjoyed a special exhibition of Japanese prints that inspired van Gogh.
At the Van Gogh Museum, you’ll see the world’s largest collection of van Gogh’s art, including such signature pieces as Sunflowers, The Potato Eaters, and a personal favorite, Wheatfield with Crows, one of his last paintings. Download the app provided by the museum. It’s a good one.
Kröller-Müller Museum
If you’re a fan of van Gogh and modern sculpture, then you must visit the Kröller-Müller Museum near the Dutch National Park in the province of Gelderland east of Amsterdam.
Trust me on this.
Take a day tour from Amsterdam or rent a car and explore the area for several days. When we visited the Kröller-Müller, we stayed at the Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant De Buunderkamp a few minutes’ drive from the entrance to the park.
The museum is light, airy, and filled with famous works by van Gogh and many other painters from the same era. But the highlight of the Kröller-Müller Museum is the massive sculpture garden that beckons you out of doors almost as soon as you arrive.
We wandered for hours along serpentine paths that led us past dozens of amazing modern sculptures. Every turn brought to view a new delight. Quirky, idiosyncratic, eccentric, unpredictable–these are the words that describe the sculptures scattered around the vast grounds of the Kröller-Müller. Made of wood or stone or marble or plastic, some sculptures move, some are massive, some are even ugly, but all are well worth seeing.
The Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands is one of the best modern art museums in Europe. Here’s a related post about my top ten modern art museums in Europe.
Practical Tips for Travel in the Netherlands
Communicating in Dutch
Thank goodness most people you’re likely to meet in the Netherlands, particularly people who work in the service industries, will speak English. But learn a few polite phrases to earn yourself some tolerant smiles.
- Ja – Yes
- Nee – No
- Dank je – Thank you. Pronounced “dank-u”
- Alstublieft – Please: the magic word in any language
- Hallo – Hello.
- Goedendag – Good day
- Ik spreek geen nederlands – I don’t speak Dutch.
- Spreekt u Engels? – Do you speak English?
- Goedenavond – Good evening.
Eating in the Netherlands
We’ve always eaten well in the Netherlands. Dutch cuisine is hearty and plain with lots of dairy products, particularly cheese. If you enjoy Gouda and Edam cheeses, you’ll be set.
Another specialty is thick Dutch pea soup. Called “snert”, it’s one of the signature dishes of the Netherlands, often eaten in winter but also welcome after a chilly day of sightseeing during the spring or autumn.
Rijsttafel
We ate our most memorable meal in the Netherlands in Eindhoven, a workaday town in the south. I think we might have been the only tourists for miles! We sampled our first rijsttafel–Dutch for “rice table” and a legacy of the Netherlands’ colonial ties with Indonesia.
Definitely make trying rijsttafel a part of your culinary agenda when you’re traveling in the Netherlands. You’ll enjoy up to forty small dishes–egg rolls, sambals, satay, fish, fruit, vegetables, pickles, nuts, and more, accompanied by rice. The variations of taste, texture, and heat make rijsttafel a true eating adventure.
Check online for Indonesian restaurants when you’re traveling in the Netherlands. You won’t be disappointed!
Staying in the Netherlands
While in Amsterdam, we usually stay in hotels and apartments, and believe me, Amsterdam is not a budget city. You’ll pay a lot for a mediocre hotel room in Amsterdam. But in my experience, paying extra to be located in the center of Amsterdam in a well-reviewed hotel is worth the money.
Our favorite place by far is the hotel we stayed in during our 2019 trip. Although expensive (about €350 a night), accommodations at the Mokum Suites cost less than a regular hotel because they are rooms in a house. I believe there are two suites in the house and that the owners live there too. A common area on the ground floor includes a fridge and cooking facilities. I highly recommend Mokum Suites both for its location and for the quality of the accommodations. We’ll stay there again, for sure.
We’ve also stayed in hotels a tram ride from central Amsterdam. They are all fine and not as expensive. My favorite is the Apollo Hotel Amsterdam, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel within walking distance of the Museumplein. This place was a bargain considering its location and the quality of the rooms.
We also enjoyed the WestCord Fashion Hotel which is about a 15-minute tram ride from the center of Amsterdam. We were driving and didn’t want to navigate the narrow streets in central Amsterdam.
TIP: You do not want to drive into central Amsterdam. Parking is difficult and many streets are one-way.
In Amsterdam, you’ll pay at least €300 a night for a hotel and probably a lot more. You find lower-priced hostels and budget hotels near the train station but in my experience, you don’t pay all that much more for a really nice place in a great location.
Here’s a map of Amsterdam showing options for accommodations. Prices vary considerably by season, with winter being the most reasonable and summer the most expensive.
Have you traveled in the Netherlands? Share your experiences and recommendations with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.