Which city in Holland to visit. The Netherlands: my budget and exciting trip. Buying cheap flights

I only know three people who Amsterdam aroused strong opposition. Happens. The rest of the public, as a rule, is satisfied with this city.

Step-by-step algorithm for organizing a trip to Amsterdam

You need a Schengen visa to travel. It is easy to get it, I wrote about it in the article Schengen visa. Instructions for receiving .

Buying cheap flights

We buy cheap airfare. In this sense, the people of Kiev were lucky, in Amsterdam from Kyiv KLM flies, which often has promotions and sales. In addition, you can get to Amsterdam in transit and spend almost the whole day in the city. For example, when travel to Lisbon or in the case of transatlantic flights. To do this, you need to buy a ticket with a long connection, from 6 hours.

You can buy an air ticket on the KLM website, but it is better to use flight search engine . I also recommend subscribing to airline news and receiving special offers.

Flights from Kyiv arrive at airport Amsterdam – Schiphol, the airport is large, but it is impossible to get lost in it - the signs will lead you straight to the red light district to suburban trains.

On the pages of his new blog dedicated to housing - Room Expert I share my preferences for the best in terms of independent traveler city hotels in Amsterdam. Follow the link to read, choose and book The truth about hotels in the center of Amsterdam. There is a choice!

How to rent a car in Amsterdam

If you are planning to travel to Netherlands or across Europe, it is better to rent a car directly at Schiphol Airport. I use . An accessible and understandable interface, flexible prices, a large selection of not only international but also local rental offices are ideal for budget travelers.

How to buy a cheap flight to Amsterdam

You can search on the website of airlines - UIA or KLM, I use a search engine airline sales– clear and simple functionality, different ticket search modes, flexible dates and the ability to choose the airport of arrival, which are nearby. Besides,

Last modified on Tuesday, 30 May 2017

The French say: "God gave land to all peoples, but the Dutch got the land themselves."
A Dutch proverb says: "God made the sea, but the Dutch made the shores."

Coat of arms and flag of the Netherlands

Adriaen Thomasz. Key (1554-1609). William I of Orange is considered the founder of the independent Netherlands.

Tulips, Rembrandt, Delft ceramics, windmills and modern motley cities are, of course, the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. The country is governed by a bicameral parliament, which is located in The Hague.

The country is small, with an area of only 41,500 sq. km. and a population of only 16.5 million. The Netherlands is located on a flat terrain, but traveling through the country from north to south and from west to east, you can see a variety of landscapes.

The name Netherlands means "lower lands" and it is not surprising that 40% of the country's area is below sea level. The informal name of the Netherlands is Holland. It is usually used instead of the Netherlands.

Markermeer is a lake in the Netherlands, part of the former Zuiderzee. (RICK NEDERSTIGT)

Snowy Zwartsluis, Netherlands. (Luchtfoto)

Netherlands. (ANP)

Ostwardersplase - nature reserve located in the province of Flevoland, the Netherlands.(ANP)

Fields dotted with tulips, the Netherlands. (Irishman)

Scheveningen - seaside resort in the Netherlands on the coast North Sea. It is one of the districts of The Hague.(ROBIN UTRECHT)

Herhyugoward is a municipality and city in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. (XTRA LEX VAN LIESHOUT)

Maeslant Barrier

Muiderslot (Castle), Muiden, Netherlands

More than 40% of the population lives in major cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam. Famous for both art and commerce, Amsterdam has become a global shopping center fabulously rich. This wealth is reflected in his architectural masterpieces which still attract the whole world today.

Today, more than 780,000 people out of 180 call Amsterdam home various countries is a real melting pot of world cultures.

Inntel Hotels Amsterdam

Amsterdam railway station

Amsterdam is world famous for its amazingly elegant mansions along the canals, of which there are about 90 in the city. Why the city was called the "Venice of the North". Most of the canals were dug in the 17th century to transport goods. In addition, they formed a water drainage system. City canals have a depth of 3 m and are filled with fresh water.

Amsterdam residents love to walk because it is difficult to find a place to park a car in the city center. The most favorite form of transport is a bicycle, but the citizens can use a tram, bus or metro.

Almost all the streets are channels. Many people live on the water.

The National Museum of Amsterdam is the most prestigious art and history museum in the Netherlands. It has a large collection of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, many works by Vermeer and Rembrandt. The museum is currently completely renovated. One of the most visited attractions in the Netherlands.

National Museum

Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam

Nemo - Maritime Museum

Breast monument in Amsterdam

Royal Palace in Amsterdam

In the Dutch city of Halsteren there is an unusual pedestrian bridge, which seems to "cut" the water. Unseen from afar, this trench bridge, named "Moses Bridge", was awarded the title of "Best Construction of 2011" by the Union of Dutch Architects. It seems that it is well deserved - the bridge really is small work art in harmony with the environment.

The fortified city of Naarden (30 km from Amsterdam and 10 minutes drive from Heizen) is a hexagon-shaped island surrounded on all sides by a moat that repeats the shape of the city itself.

The Netherlands, the province of Groningen. This amazing building- Fort Bourtange.

Vrijthof is the most famous Town Square in Maastricht, in the southern part of the Netherlands. The photo shows the Basilica of St. Servatius (right) and the Cathedral of St. John (left).

Over 1000 old windmills still exist in the Netherlands. The highest concentration is Dutch windmills. They can be found in the area of Kinderdijk ("children's dam"). 19 windmills were built in 1740. They are well preserved to this day and are now popular among tourists.

In small neat houses there are handicraft workshops and souvenir shops.

De Hoge Veluwe - national park, one of largest reserves country, consisting of land wasteland, sand dunes and forests. Bicycles are available free of charge for visitors to the reserve.

Delft City Hall.

City Hall in Delft is a building in the Renaissance style on market square opposite the New Church. The town hall was originally designed by the Dutch architect Hendrik de Keyser. During the centuries, the town hall was constantly changing, only in the 20th century its original appearance was restored.

Zaanse Schans - village museum under open sky in the municipality of Zaanstad in the Netherlands. Samples of Dutch wooden architecture XVII-XVIII centuries, including windmills, as well as a workshop for the manufacture of traditional Dutch shoes - klompe - and an old cheese factory.

Officially, the country is called the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but many call it Holland. Holland are two western provinces - North and South Holland, from which the formation of the state once began.

South and North Holland are only 2 of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands (Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, North Brabant, North Holland, Over IJssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, South Holland). Historically, these were the two most developed provinces and the most famous outside of the Netherlands, so in many languages the whole country was often called Holland. In Russian, this name became widespread after the visit of Peter I and his retinue to the Netherlands. The interests of distinguished guests, for obvious reasons, concerned only the most technically developed part of the country - Holland, they only visited it; talking at home about the visit, very often its purpose was called that way, without mentioning the name of the state as a whole.

Groningen, The Netherlands

Do you know that...

* There are still about a thousand old working windmills in Holland.
* In the Netherlands - at least 15,000 km of cycle paths.
* Flevoland, the twelfth province, arose after the drainage South Sea in 1986.
* The Dutch are the tallest people in Europe.
* Amsterdam is built on stilts.
* In Holland - always a coalition government, so it is a country of compromises.
* Every Dutchman has a bicycle, and there are twice as many bicycles as cars.
* The Netherlands has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with 42 museums in Amsterdam alone.
* The Netherlands is one of the founding countries of the European Union.
* former island Schokland, Stelling in Amsterdam, the windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout, Willemstad (in the Netherlands Antilles) and Rietveld-Schröder's house are all on the list world heritage UNESCO.
* Highest point The Netherlands is located at an altitude of 232 meters above sea level and is called the "mountain".
* Amsterdam is the capital, but the government is located in The Hague.
* Most Dutch speak one foreign language in addition to Dutch.
* Rotterdam is the second largest port in the world.
* Most low point The Netherlands lies 6.7 meters below sea level.
* Arriving at Schiphol Airport, you find yourself four meters below sea level.
* Holland has more than 4,400 km of navigable rivers, canals and lakes.

It turns out that Holland is sinking under water at a speed of 1 meter per hundred years. Over the past 700 years, it has sunk 7 meters below sea level, and all these 700 years the Dutch have been fighting hard to save their land.
When in the 16th century Holland rose to fight for its independence from Spain, there not only "the earth burned under the feet of the invaders", there the earth literally disappeared from under the feet of the Spaniards, because the Dutch opened the floodgates and brought down on the Spaniards multi-ton masses of water. As a result, after a grueling 80-year war, having suffered enormous losses, Holland achieved freedom and became the first state in the world to put into practice the principle of freedom and equality.

The Dutch began to fight for living space more than seven hundred years ago - they first drained the swamps, exposing two-meter thick peat, and gradually, step by step, year after year, they began to reclaim the land from the sea.

Water is the strongest of the elements. Her power is immeasurable. And the man at first performed with a shovel and a wheelbarrow. He poured stones into the foundation of dams, built them up with earth reinforced with willow twigs, dug ditches for water flow. And how to divert water to the main canal going to the sea? Mills were adapted for this.

Gardens-Keukenhof-Liss-Holland

Wijnhaven, Dordrecht, Holland

From one horizon to another, passing each other, day and night, they raised water. There were times when she returned with an onslaught from the sea, and everything had to be started anew - this work lasted unceasingly for seven hundred years.

Wieringen is a community in North Holland.(PAUL PARIS LES IMAGES)

Lisse is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, the Netherlands. (ROBIN UTRECHT)

First, small bays were taken away from the sea, then they approached the dunes that lay along the entire front. sea water and did not allow it to pour into the lowlands. But the chain of sand deposits was not continuous. In such places, people began to build dams.

Thousands of kilometers of dams protect these lands from the water element.

This work required huge costs and efforts. But they fenced themselves off from the sea, and they began to pump out water from behind the fence into the sea initially with the help of the same mills.
In addition, the endless war with water had to be waged on two fronts. The land was flooded not only by the sea, but also from the south by the great floods of the Rhine. I had to skillfully regulate (again with dams and channels) the entire huge delta of a large European river. And over the centuries, the war with water has become the philosophy of life for the Dutch. Since childhood, a person was inspired by the dangerous proximity of water.

Holland is a country of WIND MILLS, WOODEN SHOES, CHEESE and TULIPS.
At least, this is what at first catches the eye of all tourists. So, first of all, let's get acquainted with all the main attractions.

WIND MILLS are common in Holland, as the country is located in a lowland and nothing blocks the path of numerous winds coming here from the North Sea. This is an indisputable fact. Wind is a cheap source of energy that never runs out. In addition, the inhabitants of the Netherlands have been using mills for many centuries to keep their lands from going under water. Mills located on dikes (dams) drive pumps. Because the maximum height the rise of water for a wind-driven pump is 1.5 meters, on one dam you can often see a string of two or three mills. Gradually, wind turbines began to be displaced, first by steam-powered pumps, and then by an electric motor.

To this day, some Dutch wear WOODEN SHOES.

To see this, you will have to drive to an open-air museum, such as Volendam, for example.

However, despite the fact that shoes are no longer in vogue, there are many popular expressions with the word “shoe”. For example, the expression "Now that breaks my klomp (clog)", which literally means "This can break the shoe," is used when a person encounters something very unusual, out of the ordinary, because wooden shoes are so strong that unlikely to break. Or "You can feel it though your klompen!" (lit. - "You will feel it, despite the fact that in the shoes!") is used when something is so obvious that you can feel it "without removing the shoes", which in fact have always been distinguished by good protective qualities.

Tulips, another symbol of Holland, were commonly imported into Holland from Turkey in the sixteenth century. Even the word "tulip" itself is of Turkish origin (from turban - turban, turban). Bulb trading is still a very profitable business. The flowers themselves are regarded as a by-product of growing bulbs and are sold in Holland at very low prices.

Tulip Park Keukenhoff (Holland).

The Keukenhof Gardens is a major plantation of the Dutch flower industry. Approximately seven million flower bulbs are planted annually in the park. These are not only tulips, but also hyacinths, daffodils and other spring flowers. The gardens are open from the last week of March until mid-May.
The combination of shady trees, emerald lawns and beautiful clean reservoirs create an amazing atmosphere.

The Belgians call the Dutch “CHEESE HEADS” because the latter eat a lot of cheese. And export even more. Being very practical people, the Dutch learned a long time ago that from perishable milk you need to make cheese that does not spoil for a long time, and besides, it can be transported over long distances.

Cities of Holland - masterpieces medieval architecture. Here are the old merchant houses, majestic cathedrals, town halls and modern buildings.

Holland gave the world a whole galaxy of outstanding artists: Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Brueghel, Frans Hals, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Vincent van Gogh. The museums of the last two are located in Amsterdam.

Dear readers, today it is with great pleasure that I bring to your attention Svetlana's photo story about how they made their trip around Holland (and not only) by car, and what is especially nice - their route was absolutely not beaten, like - - (although Van Gogh was still there 😉). I myself found it very interesting to read about the places they visited, as some of them are still on my "want to see" list. Here we go?
The first point of the journey was the village of Giethoorn in the northeast, the so-called Dutch Venice. We got there at half past seven in the evening, as we got lost a little on the way from Germany. The navigator, of course, is a good thing, but sometimes it gets stupid, I had to outwit it so that it doesn’t return to the same place where repairs are underway and travel is closed on anyone, and it’s impossible to fly over this section, turbo engines have not yet been invented in cars.
In connection with the delay in arrival at the place appointed according to the travel plan, these plans had to be changed on the go, so as not to lose at least an evening while sitting in a hotel. However, on late evening visits to famous tourist places has its own charm. There are almost no people, silence and complete peace, wander, enjoy, take pictures. The village on the canals, the houses are amazingly picturesquely decorated, as from the picture and there are many bridges over the canals. Truly Dutch Venice.

In early May, it gets dark late in these places, so we decided to stop by the seaside town of Urk and did not regret it, although the sun had already set and there was deep twilight, all the same, the impressions from Urk remained the most pleasant. A sort of greenish port city. Yachts, yachts, coastal cafes and a lighthouse with illumination. We decided on our next visit to yu to definitely visit here again in the light of day with gatherings in a local restaurant and a walk on a yacht. Tired but satisfied, they returned to the hotel in the village of Lunteren at midnight.
A little about our hotel "Parkhotel Hugo de Vries". Everything is at the highest level, and most importantly, peace and quiet. The staff is courtesy and courtesy itself, a good breakfast and complete autonomy. No one is visible, but everything functions as if by magic. The next day was dedicated to the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo in national park Hoge Veluwe.

I wanted to see original works, and there are many famous ones there, and I got great aesthetic pleasure, I also rode bicycles in the park.
There is time left until the end of the day. On arrival, we got a little confused with the parking lots, but the friendly Dutch people helped, thank you very much. By the way, there are more cyclists in the city than cars. Riding a boat on two-tiered canals was not impressive, with our experience of such an attraction (Venice, St. Petersburg, Strasbourg), the Utrecht canals are so-so.

And here main cathedral- this is power and beauty, the Dome Cathedral in Milan reminded us.
The old quarters are very cute and colorful, the main thing is not to open your mouth, otherwise you will fall under some kind of bike.
Finally, the very day has come for which we, in fact, arrived at this time. The next day of our visit was a long-awaited meeting with tulips in. In May, not a single tulip field was left, but in the park flowers were still showing off on the beds, though not in such numbers as in April.
We, tourists who are not tempted by such beauties, who have seen tulip beds only on our own summer cottages, yes, in city squares and gardens, even a flower landscape cut down by 30% turned his head. "I plunged" into every flower bed and even shed tears of tenderness.

In the same breath, we walked around and had the pleasure of visiting the wonderful exhibitions of chrysanthemums, lilies and orchids. It's hard to describe. Such spectacles create amazing phantasmagoria with the human soul.

As soon as we finished the inspection, it began to rain, the weather, as if, allowed us to do calmly, without fuss, what we came for. We finished the day with a walk in the manor of the castle De Haar.
This is a private castle, well maintained and habitable by its owners, who come to live there for a couple of months once a year. We walked there in the pouring rain, but as the English say, no bad weather, eat bad clothes. In addition to us, there was another family and, of course, also Russian. Only tourists from Russia are able to get aesthetic pleasure from the sights in any weather.

left for a snack on the fourth day of our visit to a wonderful country. the intended cultural program They did it in full: they rode around the port on a ship, climbed the Euromast, bowed to the monument and said goodbye to the mills in Kinderdijk. The wind was strong that day. When we were sitting in a restaurant on the Euromast, we felt how she staggered, and this made us feel somehow uneasy.
Further, our path lay through all of Belgium to France to the city of Lille, where we were going to stop for a three-day acquaintance with Belgium. To be continued...

I want to thank Svetlana for her wonderful story about a trip to Holland and colorful photos. Let's wait for the continuation!

Before going on a trip, we often ask ourselves the question “Is it worth it?”, So, to the question “Is it worth visiting the Netherlands?” We will unequivocally answer: “Yes!”. In this article, we will tell you how to do it yourself, we will also introduce you to the prices of the Netherlands and tell you what to bring from this unusual country.

Going to the Netherlands, first of all you need to get acquainted with the sights of this country. You can read articles about the Netherlands both on our site and on other sites on the World Wide Web.

How to get there

You can get to the Netherlands by plane, train, boat and car.

By car from Moscow to Amsterdam will be approximately 2500 km. You will have to cross several borders before reaching the goal.

There is no direct train from Moscow to Amsterdam; if you choose this mode of transport, you will have to change trains in Warsaw.

Flight by plane will be the most convenient and fastest, but at a price it will be more expensive. Please note that direct flights from Moscow to Amsterdam are much more expensive than flights with transfers. Also, we remind you that to cross the border of the Netherlands, you will need a Schengen visa.

Booking a hotel

Rooms in hotels in Amsterdam are not always similar to those that we are used to seeing in Turkey or Egypt. Most of the city's hotels are located in buildings ancient castles, monasteries or estates. Therefore, the rooms do not differ in their big size. The advantage of hotels in the Netherlands is their location, most of them are located in the city center, which makes it easier for you to see the sights.

You need to choose a hotel based on your program, if you are going to stay only in Amsterdam, then book a hotel in this city, but if you want to travel around the whole state, then book several hotels in different places. This can be done via the Internet, for example, on the Booking.com website. Payment will be made upon arrival at the hotel.

What to ride

If your plans include only one city, then you can move on public transport, and these are: metro, buses and trams. If you are going to explore the whole country, it is better to rent a car.

The most convenient way to get around the city is by tram. The metro, for example, in Amsterdam consists of only 4 branches. Tickets for metro, tram and bus are the same. One such ticket will cost 109 rubles (2.70 euros). Ticket for the whole day will cost you 303 rubles (7.50 euros). The fine for traveling without a ticket will be 1011 rubles (25 euros). If you take a taxi, the landing and the first 2 km will cost 303,00 RUB (7.50 EUR), then you have to pay according to the counter - 89,00 RUB (2.20 EUR) per kilometer. It is worth renting a car for a day in the Netherlands 35 euro. Please note that all parking in cities is paid. (€2 per parking hour). If you decide to ride a bike around the city, then get ready to lay out (10.00 – 20.00 EUR) per day.

Museum visits

To visit almost all museums for free, you need to buy a magic tourist card called “I amsterdam card”. The cost of the card is 48 euro for 48 hours or 58 euro for a 72 hour card. But the benefits and benefits of this card are not commensurate with the price paid for it.

If you are tired and want to relax, then on the streets of the country you will find many tents with coffee and muffins, the cost of all this pleasure will be approximately 2 euro. If you decide to have lunch, then in a simple roadside cafe, lunch for one person will cost 18 euro. If you go to dinner in a restaurant, then you need to have at least 60-80 euros per person.

What to bring?

Wooden shoes and figurines of windmills are usually brought as souvenirs from the Netherlands. Hemp clothing is very popular with our tourists, which is distinguished good quality and strength. Traditional edible souvenirs are cheese and chocolate. Juniper vodka will delight your friends with an unusual aftertaste.

Photo: www.getintravel.com
www.internations.org

You really want to go to the Netherlands, but you don't know when and in what month it is better to do it. How to guess the time so that you have time to see everything and at the same time relax? When does it start beach season in the Netherlands? How to get to the brightest festivals and parades? All these and other questions will be answered by our article; she…

Get your sleigh ready for the summer. We followed this statement and decided now to tell you about the winter in the Netherlands and the celebration of the New Year in the country. This article will be useful to those guests of our site who are going to spend the winter vacation in the Netherlands. Winter in the Netherlands is not very cold. And the reason for this is the maritime climate and the proximity of the North Sea and ...

The Netherlands is traditionally famous for its festivals and the scale of their holding. Today we will visit some of them, and also learn about the holidays that this country celebrates. After new year holidays, which the Dutch celebrate on December 30 and 31, it's time for International Festival game cinema. It takes place in early February in the city of Rotterdam. To the festival…

Let's travel to the Netherlands on our own! All information about the country for the organization budget travel to Holland: how to get there, what to do, what to try.

We have long dreamed of visiting the Netherlands and the charming capital of this northern country? Rest assured that traveling to Amsterdam on your own is not at all difficult, as it is to other Dutch cities. All the most important information about the Netherlands is in this article - it will help you realize your plans.

Preparing an independent trip to the Netherlands

1. Search for cheap flights

When it comes to finding tickets for independent travel in the Netherlands very briefly, it is worth noting the following:

The easiest option is to track on our website those flying to the Netherlands from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Cheap flights to Amsterdam can be found with Ukraine International, airBaltic, JAT Airways, Lufthansa, LOT and many other companies that fly from Russia to the Netherlands with a transfer in some European city(Kyiv, Riga, Paris, etc.). The average cost of round-trip tickets is about 10 thousand rubles. Look for cheap tickets on metasearch sites and Skyscanner.
The second option is to fly to cities close to the border of the Netherlands - Dusseldorf or Cologne. And from them already by bus or train to get to the desired city of Holland.
You can also use the method through Lithuania, Latvia or Finland. This versatile option is also great for those who want to get to the Netherlands on a budget.

2. Obtaining a Dutch visa on your own

You need a Schengen visa to visit the Netherlands. If you do not have an open Schengen yet, then you need to contact the consulate of the kingdom or Visa Center. Make a visa to the Netherlands (as in any other European country) better on your own - it will cost you half or even three times cheaper, and the probability of obtaining it will be exactly the same as in the case that your documents for a visa will be submitted by intermediaries. For regular tourist visa in the Netherlands you will need a standard set of documents: a passport, photographs, copies of a civil passport, a questionnaire, booking tickets and housing, insurance, a certificate from work or study, a bank statement confirming the availability of sufficient funds.

Don't forget about insurance! It will save you from expenses in emergency cases. Issue it on services or. Cost - from 300 rubles per week.

Travel between cities in the Netherlands

If you plan to visit several cities in the Netherlands at once or nearest countries(Germany, etc.), you might find these articles helpful:

Travel accommodation:

Hotels by best price search on Hotellook.ru - it compares the prices of various booking systems and finds the best one.
Sometimes it is cheaper and more comfortable to rent a house or apartment - a lot interesting options from the owners can be found on the popular Airbnb.ru service.

What to do in the Netherlands

Coffeeshops and smartshops

These world-famous establishments during their independent travel The Netherlands is worth a visit anyway: even if you don't plan to try marijuana, muffins and other Dutch "joys", you can buy yourself a coffee and just enjoy the surroundings. There are a huge number of coffeeshops in the Netherlands, so choose the one that you like best in terms of interior, music, atmosphere. Most importantly, do not forget that in coffee shops, oddly enough, you can not smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. Products containing marijuana are, of course, only sold to people over 18 - you may be asked for an ID.

Continuing the theme, it is impossible not to mention hallucinogenic mushrooms (magic), which are also freely sold in the Netherlands. Beginners should be careful with these things. It is believed that each variety of mushrooms (truffles) has its own effect - euphoria, hallucinations, energy boost and so on. However, in reality, species differences are not as important as the mood of the person who goes on a trip, and the environment around him. It is always better to have a friend nearby - firstly, he will control your condition, and secondly, this way you will be more comfortable.

Red light district

Visit the cheese fair and attraction

At these events, you can try and buy any kind of cheese that interests you. Be prepared that the choice will be simply huge - there are even wasabi-flavored cheeses! The largest auction takes place on Fridays in the city of Alkmaar from April to September.

Visit Dutch windmills

The mill is one of the main symbols of the Netherlands. To see real windmills, you can go to the village of Zaanse Schans, located near Amsterdam. Most of the mills operate here as museums. Also in the village there is a workshop-shop of national shoes and an old cheese factory. In the south of the country, in the town of Kinderdijk, you can also find windmills. It will take longer to get here, but here fewer tourists and the place is more authentic.

Admire the flowers

The Netherlands has been famous for its flowers for centuries. Here you can find the most amazing exotic species. But the most important flower of the country is the tulip. Beautiful place in order to admire the flowers enough - Keukenhof Park, which is located near Amsterdam. Best time years are April and May. You can also visit the capital's flower market.

Visit Amsterdam Artis Zoo

The zoo is located about two kilometers southeast of Dam Square. Address: Plantage Kerklaan 38-40.

The area of the territory is almost 15 hectares. Here you can see more than two hundred species of plants and almost a thousand species of animals and birds. In addition to animals, the zoo has a large number of ancient buildings such as the zoological museum and the library.

Cuisine of the Netherlands

Fresh raw herring

This is a traditional local dish that is eaten with onions. Especially appreciated is the young herring, the time of catching which is spring. If you are traveling at another time of the year, then you can try haring - this is again a herring, only lightly salted.

Holland cheeses

Of course, one of the main advantages of the Dutch cuisine is cheeses of various varieties. Everyone who comes to this country should try the cheese.

Edamer is a naturally aged cheese. This Dutch cheese is made from cow's milk. Its peculiarity is a light nutty flavor. Young Edamer is not spicy and even slightly sweet. Mature Edamer, on the contrary, is much drier and saltier. True cheese connoisseurs prefer cheese that has been aged for more than a year. However, the most popular and frequently encountered are the unseasoned versions of Edamer.

Gouda. This cheese is also made from cow's milk. Gouda has been leading its history since the distant VI century. The taste of Gouda cheese ranges from delicate and mild to richly spicy.

Maasdam is one of the most popular Holland cheeses, known all over the world. The cheese got its name from the small Dutch town of Maasdam. The peculiarity of the cheese is large holes and a sweetish taste. The famous Maasdam holes are formed during the aging of the cheese due to the gases produced during the fermentation process.

Peasant cheeses. These include Bemster and Stolweiker. They are unusual in that they are made from whole milk - thanks to this, their taste becomes rich, close to creamy.

It is also worth noting that Indonesian cuisine is extremely popular in the Netherlands, because Indonesia has been a Dutch colony for a long time. Here you should try rice with some exotic meat sauce.