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Global Guide Traveler. Netherlands guide for traveler.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed

a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999.

The Netherlands (also popularly, though inaccurately, called Holland in English, in Dutch Nederland) is a Benelux country in Western Europe, facing onto the North Sea and the United Kingdom and bordered on land by Germany and Belgium. The people, language and culture of the Netherlands are referred to as "Dutch".

Quite a few smart travelers visit the Netherlands to enjoy its famously tolerant attitude: prostitution is legalized and licensed and the sale, possession and consumption of small quantities of cannabis or magic mushrooms, while technically still illegal, is officially tolerated by the authorities under a policy of gedogen (tolerance). Harder drugs (eg. ecstasy or cocaine) remain illegal both in theory and practice. In the same open minded atmosphere is the Dutch ease towards homosexuality, making the Netherlands one of the most gay-friendly countries on the planet. To experience these freedoms, you're best off in Amsterdam with coffee-shops and clubs. On a note unrelated to tourism--but still relating to its liberal culture - Euthanasia, abortion, and same-sex marriage are also legal.

Major Netherlands Cities & Destinations

The Netherlands has many cities and towns of interest to smart travelers.

The major cities in Netherlands are: Amsterdam (capital and main tourist destination), Alkmaar (historic city north of Amsterdam), Groningen, Haarlem, The Hague (seat of the national government, seat of the International Court of Justice), Maastricht, Middelburg, Rotterdam (Port city, second largest in the world), Utrecht.

Famous destinations in Netherlands: Rijksmuseum (Rembrandt paintings, and other 17-th century Dutch painting), Vincent van Gogh-museum, Keukenhof (Scenic park with a vast number of flower bulbs on display), Hortus Bulborum (Collection garden of historic flower bulb cultivars).

Getting In Netherlands

Get in Netherlands by Plain: Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam is the biggest international airport of the country, and a point of interest in itself, being the lowest airport in the World. Schiphol is located 4 meters below sea level. From Schiphol there are excellent railway connections to Hague, Amsterdam, and Utrecht and from these places to the rest of the country. The train station at Schiphol is located in the basement of the airport. Also, some hotels have a shuttle bus service.

Get in Netherlands by car: The countries are well-connected by highways, and the trip should be comparatively fast and the route easy to find. The borders between the Netherlands and their neighbour-countries are open due to the Schengen-treaty.

Sleep

Hotels & Hostels in the Netherlands.

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Trains: The Nederlandse Spoorwegen is the main train company. There is a highly convenient night train service running between Rotterdam, Delft, Leiden, Schiphol, Amsterdam and Utrecht.

There are several discount passes available, both for train transport and for all the public transport. Traveling around the Netherlands for a few days during the summer, the “Zomertoer” may be used. In autumn the “Hersttour” also gives some discounts. Staying longer in the Netherlands its advisable to get the "Voordeel-urenkaart" a premium hours card, which cost 55 euro for one year. Staying one day in the Netherlands and considering to see much of the country by train - "OV-Dagkaart" card is good choice. It's on all-inclusive ticket for all public transportation for 40 euro (to get your money's worth on the OV-dagkaart would require about 6 hours of being in a train in one day).

Smaller stations don't have ticket offices but always have ticket machines, so tickets must be bought before traveling - entering a train without a valid ticket is not allowed. When buying the ticket onboard, it cost the normal price plus a € 35 fine.

Local Transport: In the cities you can use the tram, bus and metro. Travel plan information is at 9292OV Reisinformatie. Note that, although many travelers tend to buy “Strippenkaart” - the ticket used in bus, tram and metro - in buses when boarding, it is much cheaper to buy them elsewhere. You can get these tickets in many places, including bus stations, post offices, and some supermarkets.

Cars: Drive on the right. The speed limit in build up areas is 50 km/h, outside towns - 80 km/h. On some local roads the speed limit is 60 km/h; on highways - 120 km/h except some roads where the limit is 100 km/h. The speed is being checked nationwide by the police. The police use unmarked traffic surveillance cars, especially on the highways. Fuel is easy to come by. Along highways many gas stations are open 24/7. When considering to go to bigger cities, especially Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam or even Groningen, seriously better consider going there by public transport to avoid traffic jams and the great difficulties involved in finding a parking spot.

Bicycle: Cycling in the Netherlands is much less hazardous than in other countries, because of the infrastructure - cycle paths, cycle lanes, and signposted cycle routes. However, the proliferation of bicycles also means that you're seen as a serious part of traffic - motorists will hate you if you don't keep by the rules.

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