For such a small country, the Netherlands packs a big punch. Add the friendly, laid-back vibe of the Dutch people to the mix and you’ll quickly see that a visit here is a tantalising proposition.
Capital assets
The entry point for most visitors will be the country’s charming, historic capital of Amsterdam – famous for its intricately woven network of canals.
These wondrous waterways are regularly punctuated by quaint humpback bridges and overlooked by streets of handsome 17th-century houses with their distinctive gabled facades.
Amsterdam is a major attraction for art lovers and its Rijksmuseum is the country’s foremost art museum, packing in a fabulous collection of Dutch paintings. Pride of place goes to the collection of Rembrandt pieces, but the many other highlights include the paintings of Johannes Vermeer as well as some wonderful canvases by Frans Hals.
A visit to the neighbouring Van Gogh Museum is equally satisfying and boasts the most complete collection of Vincent Van Gogh’s work anywhere in the world.
The beautiful south
Zuid-Holland (South Holland) may be the most populated part of the country, but there are many good reasons to head south. A short distance from Amsterdam is Leiden, a beautiful university town with an ancient centre patterned by canals and full of fine old buildings.
Less than half an hour further south is The Hague (Den Haag), an attractive city with a number of good museums including the world-renowned Mauritshuis. It features the best of Dutch Golden Age painting and includes such masters as Holbein, Rubens, Brueghel, Rembrandt and Verneer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Neighbouring Delft is famous as the home of the distinctive blue-and-white Delftware, and its lively market square is lined with handsome seventeenth-century buildings.
Leiden and The Hague are only a short drive from the sprawling sandy beaches of the North Sea coast as well as the stunningly bright colours of Amsterdam’s legendary tulip fields, best experienced in all their rainbow glory in spring at the nearby Keukenhof gardens.
The Netherland’s second largest city, Rotterdam, is home to the largest port in the world. It’s a vibrant city with many top cultural attractions, most notably the Kunsthal gallery of contemporary art and the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, which has an outstanding art collection including works from all the great Dutch painters.
About 20km north-east of Rotterdam sits Gouda, a picture-perfect Dutch country town, famed for its eponymous cheese and home to the Netherlands’ largest market square.
Northern highlights
North of Amsterdam is the province of Noord-Holland, a landscape of baize-green fields, punctuated by windmills. The main highlight here is Haarlem, a laid-back town with more than its fair share of Golden Age buildings and a fantastic art gallery.
A short distance to the north is the town of Alkmaar, famed for its summer cheese market and a good base for exploring the North Holland Dune Reserve and the Schoorlse Duinen Nationaalpark. In the far north you’ll find the wild and beautiful island of Texel, a great place to enjoy some serenity and solitude.
Car rental in The Netherlands gives you the freedom and convenience to make the most of your trip to this country of contrasts and beauty – from exploring Amsterdam to discovering the breathtaking tulip fields of Haarlem and Leiden.