Netherlands Travel Tips
The Dutch aren't bogged in their clichés, even though bikes, dykes, windmills and blazing flower fields are pretty much the norm outside the major cities. Do as the locals do - grab a bike and explore. It's a very big small country, and full of salutary surprises.
One of the chief pleasures of the place is its lively contrast between pragmatic liberalism and the buttoned-up just-so primness of a culture founded on Calvinist principles.
Windmills in the Netherlands
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, September 2012
The Netherlands are damp. There is no getting around the fact that a large portion of the land lies beneath sea level and the Dutch needed to get very, very good at draining the earth to make it ...
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Amsterdam Hop on, Hop off Tours
Written by Sasha, February 2013
As the pint-sized capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam is not a massive metropolis in the fashion of London or New York – and most of the major attractions are walkable – but nevertheless a hop-on, ...
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Amsterdam Jordaan
Written by Chou Fleur, Australia, October 2010
Another favorite! The Jordaan is a labyrinth of narrow streets and little canals, boutiques, galleries, courtyards and 'brown' pubs. A great part of town to stroll around and take in the atmosphere. ...
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Amsterdam’s Best Cafes
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, October 2012
There are two kinds of cafes or coffee shops in Amsterdam – the famous ‘coffee shop’ which is one of the city’s main tourist attractions (though this is fast changing with the new laws coming in), ...
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Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, September 2011
I have to say it feels like the Rijksmuseum has been under renovation forever.
In 2000 the decision was made to modernise the 1885 building designed
by Pierre Cuypers, and now the date given ...
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Biking Around Amsterdam
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, January 2012
I’m not the first to say it but really the only way to get around Amsterdam is by bicycle. It’s cheap, the city is flat, and you can go where the mood takes you and see the real Amsterdam. ...
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Canal Life in Amsterdam
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, October 2011
You cannot visit Amsterdam without thinking of canals, mainly because the city is centred on a ring of canals. The inner, historic ones Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht date from the ...
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Celebrating Christmas in Amsterdam
Written by Sasha, December 2012
Christmas preparations kick off in mid-November in Amsterdam, when the streets are adorned with Christmas lights and store windows decorated with festive scenes. On the third weekend in November, ...
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Coffeeshops and the Red Light District in Amsterdam
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, April 2012
The Red Light District (De Wallen) in Amsterdam is one of the major drawcards for tourists. It’s not far from the Centraal Station, centered around Dam Square as it has been for centuries, and it’s ...
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Day Trips from Amsterdam
Written by Viator, May 2013
There is plenty to see in laid-back Amsterdam, from world-class museums to vintage markets and more canals than Venice. And if that is not enough, any of the suggestions below make a diverting day ...
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Day Trip to Volendam
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, April 2012
If it’s the picture-postcard Holland of women in traditional floral dresses, striped pinafores and pointed white lace caps and men in baggy, woolen breeches that you’re after then it’s to Volendam ...
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Family-Friendly Things To Do in Amsterdam
Written by Sasha, February 2013
Despite Amsterdam’s reputation for cannabis smoking in the coffee shops and its notorious red-light district, it’s an ideal city to visit with young children in The Netherlands. It’s small and ...
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Haunted Amsterdam
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, September 2012
The Dutch might be the least superstitious people on earth, but in a city as old and full of history as Amsterdam, there’s bound to be some ghosts haunting the place and sure enough there are. The ...
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Indonesian Food in Amsterdam
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, August 2012
The Netherlands made itself rich during the 17th century – the Dutch Golden Age – by trading Asian spices through the Dutch East India Company. For over three centuries (1602-1942) what is now ...
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January in Amsterdam
Written by Philippa Burne, UK, May 2012
If you can handle the cold, January is one of the best times of the year to visit Amsterdam .
This is the time of year you’ll find the fewest tourists on the narrow
streets and many of the ...
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Photo by: MIRAN S, Slovenia
Doing what: Zaanse Schans Windmills, Marken and Volendam Half-Day Trip from ...
