Holland tourist tips

Buildings in Amsterdam don't really look as bad as those pictured below. This is simply an abstract image of quintessential Dutch architecture lining the streets and canals of the city.

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The Kingdom of the Netherlands covers 41,526 square kilometres and is home to just over 16 million people, about 750,000 of whom live in the capital city of Amsterdam.

About 60% of the citizens are Roman Catholic or Protestant, although the Dutch are becoming increasingly secular.

The correct name of the country is Netherlands and the word Holland is actually just a reference to the western section of the country.

Amsterdam is where tourists usually go during their Netherlands travel and the rest of the country is surprisingly devoid of tourists. The west of Holland is the most heavily populated and historically interesting region in which to travel.

Outside Amsterdam and the Randstad, Holland has a much slower pace. The southwest province of Zeeland is very remote and populated by sturdy farm folk and fishermen.

The busy northern cultural centre of Groningen (about three hours from Amsterdam by train) has a large resident student population (as well as sex shops and cafes selling pot) and is highly reliant on bicycles, while the town of Arnhem in the south of the Netherlands is surrounded by an undulating landscape of heath and moors.

Further south between the German and Belgian borders is the charming university city of Maastricht which boasts an eclectic mix of nationalities and cultures among its plethora of students. It boats narrow, cobblestone streets lined by gracious period houses. Maastricht claims to be the culinary capital of Europe and the local eateries serve an enticing menu of German, Dutch, Belgian and French cuisine. The city has plenty of markets, two of the largest staged on Wednesday and Friday mornings in the Market Square. On Thursday evenings, a quality food market operates in Stationstraat. Just outside Maastricht are the popular Caves of St Pietersburg, a labyrinth of thousands of caves dating back to Roman occupation.

About half of Holland is below sea level and a fair bit of the country has been reclaimed from the waters of the North Sea.

The landscape of the Netherlands is very, very flat, yet fertile and punctuated by windmills and church spires.

The Netherlands has one of Europe's lowest crime rates and highest standards of living.

The Dutch (they prefer to call themselves Nederlanders) are a very orderly people, despite their liberal attitudes. They speak excellent English. Travel throughout their uniformly flat country is usually simple to organise and enjoy.

The Dutch language is impossible to understand but just about everybody in the Netherlands speaks excellent English so tourists have nothing to fear.

The region known as the Low, or Benelux, Countries was originally inhabited by a Germanic tribe called the Frisians, as well as minor Celtic tribes, and it was conquered in the 1st Century BC by the Roman armies of Julius Caesar.

The boundaries of the Netherlands were drawn up fairly amicably in the 16th Century by the tribal groups that inhabited the area, including what later became Belgium and Luxembourg.

The Spanish conquistadors had invaded and war broke out in 1568, the carnage finally ending in 1648.

Despite this early turmoil, the Dutch empire was growing and dominated the seas of the world through the Dutch East India Company from 1580 till the mid 1700s, better known as the Golden Age.

The French invaded in 1795 but they were kicked out about a decade later when the first king, William I of Orange, was crowned in 1814. Belgium and Luxembourg split soon after to become independent nations.

The Netherlands took a pounding from German occupiers during World War II and in 1949 relinquished its most significant Asian colony, Indonesia.

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Holland is nowadays one of the most developed countries in the world and its population of around 16 million is the most densely packed in Europe.

Thanks to its history of colonising foreign lands, Holland has a strong multiracial mix - particularly in the cities.

If you're planning Netherlands travel, summer is the best season to enjoy the sights despite an accompanying flood of tourists in all the hotels, hostels and tourist spots.

Rain drizzles down every month of the year in the Netherlands and winter can be very cold with ice on the canals. Cloudless days are rare and average temperatures in the Amsterdam region are -1 to 4 degrees Celsius in January and 13 to 22 degrees Celsius in July.

Netherlands travel can be planned to coincide with the country's numerous festivals throughout the year. Koninginnedag (Queens Day) on April 30 sees central Amsterdam invariably turn into a massive party. The North Sea Jazz Festival at the Hague is staged each July and is the biggest jazz event in the world.

Tourists who want to see Holland's famous tulip flower industry at its best are advised to travel to Keukenhof, a 32 hectare showpiece of flower beds near the small town of Lisse. Keukenhof (meaning "kitchen garden") is the world's largest floral display and draws millions of tourists each year.

Keukenhof is in flower for just nine weeks of the year. The gardens, with their 15 kilometres of picturesque walkways, close in mid-May so the tulip bulbs can be removed and the grounds prepared for the following year's feast of flowers.

Most tour operators offer daily package trips to Keukenhof, which also has numerous displays, shops and restaurants. Keukenhof is about an hour out of Amsterdam by car, bus or train and is open from 8am to 7.30pm (adults about US$15 in 2005, discount for seniors, children 4-11 about US$6).

The Face of Spring festival is staged annually on the last Saturday in April when numerous spectacular floats created with flowers are taken from the town of Noordwijik (9.30am) through 11 tulip-growing towns on a 40 kilometre journey before arriving in the city of Haarlem (10.30pm). Every year, the festival is witnessed by hundreds of thousands of spectators who line the streets.

More than half the Netherlands landscape lies below sea level and it's fascinating to look at the dykes and other structures the Dutch have built to save themselves from drowning.

This is the most densely populated country in Europe (379 persons per square kilometre with almost 90% living in urban areas) and your travel through the Netherlands countryside mostly involves well-ordered suburbs with allotments of agriculture and nature. Wilderness is little more than a memory.

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Bargaining for goods is often frowned upon and it's not necessary to tip the waiter or taxi driver during your Netherlands travel.

Most Amsterdam shops open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, a little earlier on Saturdays, from midday on Sundays, and mostly from 11am to 6pm on Mondays.

Late night shopping is on Thursdays or Fridays and shops in tourist resorts are open at night and on Sundays.

Each Netherlands city has different trading hour regulations so tourists shouldn't rely on the times mentioned above.

Most banks open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4pm, and from 1pm on Mondays, while Netherlands pharmacies and post offices are mostly open Monday to Friday from 8am or 9am till 5pm or 6pm. Museums don't open on Mondays.

The police, fire and ambulance emergency telephone number is 112. If it's not an emergency, the national number for police in the Netherlands is 0900 8844.

The Netherlands country code is 31 and important area codes are:

Amsterdam - 20
Maastricht - 43
Rotterdam - 10
The Hague - 70
Utrecht - 30

Netherlands holiday guide

Amsterdam travel tips

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