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Netherlands Shopping Travel Guide. Restaurants, Hotels, Businesses

The Netherlands is a country partly reclaimed from the waters of the North Sea, and around half of it lies at or below sea level. Land reclamation has been the dominant motif of its history, the result a country of resonant and unique images - flat, fertile landscapes punctured by windmills and church spires; ornately gabled terraces flanking peaceful canals; and mile upon mile of grassy dunes, backing onto stretches of pristine sandy beach.

A leading colonial power, its mercantile fleets once challenged the best in the world for supremacy, and the country enjoyed a so-called "Golden Age" of prosperity in the seventeenth century. These days, the Netherlands is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest population density in Europe, its sixteen million or so inhabitants (most of whom speak English) concentrated into an area about the size of southern England.

Most people travel only to the uniquely atmospheric capital, Amsterdam : the rest of the country, despite its accessibility, is comparatively untouched by tourism. The west of the country is the most populated and most historically interesting region - unrelentingly flat territory, much of it reclaimed, that is home to a grouping of towns known collectively as the Randstad (literally "rim town"). It's a good idea to forsake Amsterdam for a day or two and investigate places like Haarlem , Leiden and Delft with their old canal-girded centres, the gritty port city of Rotterdam , or The Hague , stately home of the government and the Dutch royals. Outside the Randstad, life moves more slowly. The province of Zeeland , in the southwest, is the country at its most remote, its inhabitants a sturdy, distant people, busy with farming and fishing and hardly connected to the mainland. In the north, Groningen is a busy cultural centre, lent verve by its large resident student population. To the south, around the town of Arnhem , the landscape undulates into heathy moorland, best experienced in the Hoge Veluwe national park. Further south still lies the compelling city of Maastricht , squeezed between the German and Belgian borders.

Though "Holland" is often used as a shorthand alternative name for the country, this is strictly speaking outdated; these days, although there are two Dutch provinces called North Holland and South Holland, they are separate entities. On the same note, it's common to call Belgium and the Netherlands "the Low Countries", and to use the abbreviation "Benelux" to refer to the neighbouring trio of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Europe & Russia > Europe > Netherlands

The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland, also commonly called Holland in English, in reference to the provinces North-Holland and South-Holland) is a Benelux country located in Western Europe and a founding member of the European Union. The Netherlands is bordering Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. To the west, the country faces the North Sea and the United Kingdom. The people, language, and culture of the Netherlands are referred to as "Dutch".

Regions

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, administratively divided into 12 provinces (provincies). Though the Netherlands is a small country, these provinces are quite diverse and have plenty of cultural differences. They can be divided in four regions:

• The West - the most urban and dominant area with most touristic sights.
• The North - the least densely populated area, mostly unknown to tourists.
• The East - historic cities and forests to explore.
• The South - divided from the rest by its Catholic culture.

West

The western part is the most urban, with the four largest cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht), Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the Port of Rotterdam. The Randstad is a collective name for these and surrounding urban areas.

North-Holland
North-Holland is probably the most important province for tourists. This province is dominated by Amsterdam, the country's capital, and has the largest airport. The north however, is also interesting for tourists who are interested in the old heritage of the Netherlands. Other notable old towns are Enkhuizen, Hoorn and Alkmaar. The west coast offers nice beaches. You can also take an island trip to Texel

South-Holland
The most densely populated province of the Netherlands. Rotterdam is the largest city and home to one of the world's largest harbours. The Hague has a number of touristic sights, like the governmental square and Madurodam. The west coast beaches, like in Scheveningen, are considered the best of the country. Leiden and Delft are historic student towns, while Kinderdijk offers traditional Dutch windmills.

Utrecht
The historic city of Utrecht is a good introduction to the Netherlands. It's one of the big cities in the Netherlands, but still has a bit the feeling of a village. It has a compelling atmosphere, a proper nightlife and the shopping mall Hoog Catharijne. Outside of Utrecht, you can visit the historic city of Amersfoort. 

Flevoland
Flevoland is the newest province. Its land is created on the formerly Southern Sea. Due to a large commuter population from Almere to Amsterdam, this province is often counted as belonging to the west side of the country. For tourists however, probably the only good reason to get here is the theme park Walibi World. 

Cities

• Amsterdam - Capital city of the Netherlands with impressive architecture, lovely canals ("grachten") that criss-cross the city (a bit like a spiderweb) and great shopping. There is something for every traveler's taste here, whether you prefer culture and history, serious partying, or just the relaxing charm of an old European city.
• Delft - Historic city between The Hague and Rotterdam. It's a beautiful, unspoiled town with traditional architecture, canals, bikes, and the world famous blue and white ceramics.
• Groningen - Capital of the province of Groningen. One of the older cities in the North of the Netherlands: Groningen was founded around 1100 and has a rich history, which can clearly be told from the old medieval buildings in the downtown area. Groningen won the award of 'best city center' in the category of 'large cities' for 2006.
• The Hague/'s-Gravenhage (Den Haag) - Seat of the Dutch government, place of residence of the Queen, Judical Capital of the World due to the seat of the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, Peace Palace and some other International Institutions. Also capital of the province of South-Holland and the third largest city of the country. The Hague offers great architecture, some of it picturesque, such as the medieval government complex of the Binnenhof, some grand and stately, like the mansions on Lange Voorhout. The museums in the city rank among the best in the country.
• Leiden - Between Amsterdam and The Hague. Known for the oldest university in the country, the birthplace of Rembrandt and for it's beautiful, old city center which is the second biggest after Amsterdam and a plethora of pubs.
• Maastricht - Historic city in the very south of the country and capital of the province of Limburg. Great shopping areas and many pubs in the city centre. Said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands. Maastricht, however, is quite different in style and architecture than traditional Dutch cities. Most 'Burgundic' city, founded by the Romans and second eldest city of the country. Nowadays it hosts a large amount of European and international institutions.
• Nijmegen - Oldest city of the Netherlands (dates back to Roman times; said to be founded in the year 6 after Christ), known internationally for its '4 Day Marches' (120-200 km's) including '7day Summer-festivities', its often left-wing politics, and its large student population.
• Rotterdam - The city was known for having the world's largest port, but lost the title in 2004 to Shanghai. Still it is the country's second largest city. It may feel difficult to get in touch with the heart of Rotterdam; its natural center was bombed away during WW2 in 1940, forcing the city to renew itself completely. The result is a lot of modern architecture.
• Utrecht - Capital of the province of Utrecht. Utrecht is a central Dutch city with a long history. With 290,000 inhabitants it's the fourth largest city in the Netherlands. The history of the city goes back to AD 47 when the Roman emperor Claudius ordered his general Corbulo to build a defense line along the river Rhine which was the northern most border of the empire.

Culture

Quite a few travellers 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 while technically still illegal, is officially tolerated, but coffeeshops are subject to increasing restrictions. 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.

Shopping

A lot of shops do not accept banknotes of 100, 200 and 500 euro, out of paranoia for counterfeits and shoplifting. Shops used to open by 9 O clock in the morning and they use to close by 5.30 or 6 in the evening.Sunday's there won't be any shops opened, unless otherwise it's first Sunday of the month.In Amsterdam centrum area is exception to this case and you can see the shops open till 9 O clock in the evening. 

Accommodation and food is on the expensive side. Rail travel, museums, and attractions are relatively cheap. Retail prices for clothing, gifts, etc. are similar to most of Western Europe; consumer electronics are a bit more expensive. Gasoline, tobacco and alcohol are relatively expensive due to excise taxes. 

The Netherlands is a good place to buy flowers. Outside florists, you can buy them pre-packaged in most supermarkets. 

Klompen

The Netherlands is famous for its wooden shoes. However, nowadays almost no one except for farmers in the countryside wear them. You could travel through The Netherlands for weeks and find no one using them for footwear. The only place where you'll find them is in tourist shops. Wearing wooden shoes in public will earn you quite a few strange looks from the locals.

If you however try them, the famous "wooden shoes" are surprisingly comfortable and very useful in any rural setting. Think of them as all-terrain footwear; easy to put on for a walk in the garden, field or dirt road. If you live in a rural area at home, consider taking a pair of these with you if you can. Avoid the kitschy tourist shops at schiphol and Amsterdam's damrak street, and instead look for a regular vendor which can usually be found in towns and villages in rural areas. The northern province of Friesland has a lot of stores selling wooden shoes, often adorned with the bright colors of the Frisian flag.

Eat

Dutch traditional cuisine is basic. However, due to influences from Indonesian, Surinam, Chinese, Turkish and (North) African immigrants there is an abundancy of foodcultures to choose from.

In the big cities you can eat good Thai food (on the Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam for instance) for a bargain price, and in the Chinese quarters you can get authentic Chinese food. You will also be able to find a restaurant from every corner of the world (especially in Amsterdam).

Every bigger village has its own Chinese restaurant where you can eat a lot for little money. The taste is aimed at the Dutch citizen. They have been influenced by the Dutch-East Indies from the times as they were a colony of the Netherlands, like the famous 'Dutch Indonesian Ricetable' with a variety of small dishes. It is also a bit comparible with Chinese or Eastern take-away-shops in other countries. These restaurants often advertise as "Chin.Ind." meaning "Chinese/Indonesian". Most of them have a sit-in area and a sepa rate counter for take-away with lower prices.

Also around every corner in a city centre, near public transportation areas or even in more quiet quarters is a 'snackbar', also known as 'friture' or 'cafetaria'. It mainly sells french fries (also known as "patat" or "friet" (pommes-frites)). You can have a lot of things added to your french fries: mayonnaise ('frites sauce'), (tomato-)ketchup, curry sauce (different than the regular curry, this curry sauce tastes more like ketchup), pinda sauce (peanut- or satay sauce), cut raw onions, etc. They also sell all kinds of other fried snacks, like "kroketten" ('croquettes') and "frikandellen" Other snacks you could try there are: "broodje kroket" (a roll with a ragout-filled, crispy covered kroket snack), "frikandel speciaal" (a long cylinder of spiced meat, cut open and adorned with mayonaise, ketchup or curry sauce, and optionally sprinkled with raw onion) and "patatje/frites oorlog" (french fries with mayonnaise and pinda sauce, optionally sprinkled with onion). Note that "mayonnaise" in the context of French fries is distinctly different from French mayonnaise, and is more accurately described as "frietsaus" (fries sauce); it is firmer, sweeter and contains less fat, whilst remaining just as unhealthy. The snacks listed here are very much the antithesis of high cuisine, but among with other "typically dutch" food, some of the things Dutch expats miss most about their country.

Modern Dutch restaurants and cafés serve good quality food. Mostly consisting of meat, fish, served with fries,saute or boiled potatoes and vegetables or salad. If you eat in a café then food is affordable, you can also go to upmarket restaurants where prices go up equally. Most of the time profit is made from the drinks, so be careful there if you're on a budget.

Expect service in restaurants to be like in most other European countries. There is not as much emphasis on fast or overly-attentive service. Going to a restaurant is generally not seen as a quick way to eat food, but as a special night out with friends or family. Service is not included in the menu prices and tipping is not mandatory, but rounding up is the polite and kind thing to do. Usualy keep 10% in mind when you tip.

Traditional highlights are:

• Herring (haring) eaten "raw" (cured in salt). New herrings ('Hollandse Nieuwe') is a special treat available around june.
• Sweet ("zoet") or savoury ("hartig") pancakes in variety of tastes like with apple, syrup, cheese, bacon etc. ('pannenkoeken' available in 'pannenkoekenhuizen')
• 'Poffertjes' or small slightly risen pancakes with butter and powdered sugar (available in 'poffertjeshuizen')
• Mashed potatoes with onions & carrots. Served with slowly cooked meats or sausage. (hotch-potch or 'hutspot')
• Pea soup ('erwtensoep' or 'snert') made of green-peas and smoked sausage.
• Stroopwafel. Two thin layers with syrup in between. Available packaged from any supermarket or made fresh on most street markets and specialized stalls.

Other "typically dutch" foodstuffs are:

• Chocolate sprinkles ("Hagelslag"), used to sprinkle on top of buttered slices of bread (much like jam),
• Chocolate spread on bread (like Nutella),
• Bars of unadorned chocolate,
• Dutch peanut butter on bread, which is considerably different from e.g. US peanut butter. Dutch peanut butter is also the basis for Dutch Indonesian or 'Indo' saté (satay) sauce which also contains lots of Asian herbs and spices.
• A bread roll with butter and a slice of cheese for lunch, rather than more elaborate lunches,
• Dutch coffee (dark, high caffeine grounds, traditionally brewed),
• Oranjebitter (orange, bitter liquor drunk only on Koninginnedag), jenever (the predecessor of gin), Dutch beers,
• Rookworst (literally "smoked sausage"), available to go from HEMA outlets, but also widely available in supermarkets,
• "Limburgse vlaai" (predominantly in the South of the Netherlands), dozens of kinds of cold sweet pie, usually with a fruit topping.

Some of these "typically Dutch" foodstuffs taste significantly different from, but do not necessarily improve upon, specialties from other countries. For example, while Dutch coffee and chocolate can instill feelings of homesickness in expats and might be seen as "soulfood", fine Belgian chocolate and Italian coffees (espresso, etc.) are considered to be delicacies.

Liquorice ("drop") is something you love or hate, you can buy all kinds of varieties. You can get it from sweet to extremely salty (Double salt) and in a hard or soft bite.

If you are vegetarian then you don't have a much options,but you can get some sandwich , breads with cheese, vegetarian burger available. Especially while ordering mention No Meat and No fish, because Dutch treats fish as vegetarian food.

Drink

he legal drinking age is 16 for LOW alcohol percentages (beer, wine and other beverages with less than 15% alcohol) and 18 for high alcohol percentages (brandy, whisky etc).

• Beer

Although the Dutch beer "Heineken" is one of the most prestigious beers in the world, it is just one of the many beer brands in the Netherlands. You can get all kinds of beers from white beer to dark beer. Popular brands are Heineken, Grolsch, Brand, Bavaria, Amstel etc.

Traditional beers come from monasteries in the South of the Netherlands (Brabant and Limburg) or Belgium. You can visit a traditional beer brewer in for instance Berkel-Enschot (just east of Tilburg) at the 'Trappistenklooster'. It needs to be said that the brewery is now owned by the big brewer Bavaria, so it's not so traditional any more.

Most breweries have nowadays also produce a non-alcoholic variant of their beers, like Bavaria Malt or Amstel Malt. Which consist sometimes 0% or less than 0,5 alcohol and is very suitable for people who would like to drive and don't drink (or sometimes called "de Bob" as promoted in its campaign).

In Amsterdam you can visit a local brewery located in a windmill called "brouwerij 't IJ"

• Tea

Dutch drink black tea, and it comes in many different tastes, from traditional to fruit infusions etc. Luckily, if you're English, you get the teabag served with a cup of hot (but never boiling!) water, so you can make your own version. Milk in your tea is almost unheard of and only given to children.

• Coffee

Coffee is almost compulsory when you are going to visit people. One of the first questions when coming through the door is often "Koffie?" and it is served in small cups (a half mug) with cookies.

If you're from the States or Canada, you can drink one cup of Dutch coffee in the morning and add water the rest of the day! If you order 'koffie verkeerd' (which literally means a "wrong coffee") you get the French 'café au lait' which is less strong with fresh milk.

• Hot chocolate

Hot chocolate with whipped cream is a winter tradition in the Netherlands. It really fills you after a cold walk. In the summer you can also get it in every decent bar, however sometimes it's made from powder as opposed to the traditional kind, and doesn't taste that good.

• Bitters

Also popular in winter are alcoholic bitters. Originally from the province of Friesland the bitter called Beerenburg is served in the entire country. Most other regions also produce their local, less famous variants of a bitter.

Sleep

A wide range of accommodation is available, concentrated on the major tourist destinations. They include regions popular for internal tourism, such as the Veluwe. In non-touristed areas, accommodation may be very limited.

Since all countries use different rating systems it might be convenient to check the Dutch Hotel star rating system in English here: http://www.hotelsterren.nl/smartsite.dws?id=195

Prices are generally high. Budget accommodation starts at around € 20 per night and prices go upwards from there. Seasonal demand affects availability, especially in Amsterdam.

Official Dutch Youth Hostels are called since they changed their name in 2003. "Stay Okay". They are not as widespread as in Great Britain. Also there is no kitchen available for guests, so either you eat what's on menu or you eat out. Stay Okay

Short-term apartment rental is available in cities, but may not be legal. While most have a 3 night minimum stay, the process of making reservations and checking in is generally identical to that of staying in a hotel, the notable exception being that most require a credit card deposit, and the balance payment in € on arrival.

Vacation rental homes are popular in The Netherlands, and many Dutch city dwellers own a home in the country side (even though that country side is often only an hour or less from big cities). Traversia has the largest collection of vacation rentals in The Netherlands, by Dutch owners.

If you are traveling by bicycle or by foot, there is a list of 3600 addresses where you can stay at private homes with bed and breakfast for no more than € 17 per person per night, although you must also pay € 9 for membership of this scheme. It is called Vrienden op de fiets.

Contact

The international calling code for the Netherlands is 31. The outbound international prefix is 00, so to call the US, substitute 001 for +1 and for the UK 00 44 for +44.

The cellular phone network in the Netherlands is GSM 900/1800. The cell phone networks are operated by KPN, Telfort (owned by KPN), Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile; other operators use one of these 5 networks. The networks are high quality and cover every corner of the Netherlands. With the exception of some low-end service providers, all mobile operators support GPRS. KPN, Vodafone and T-Mobile offer UMTS (and HSDPA) service in some parts of Holland.

There are few public phone booths left in the Netherlands. They are mostly found at train stations. Telfort booths accept coins, whereas most KPN booths only accept prepaidcards or creditcard. Some new public phones have been installed which accept coins again. Be aware of public phones in a more public area as well as the same types in a more public-private area, where tarrifs (per unit or amount of calling time) can differ.

(National) Directory Inquiries can be reached -since 2007- on 1888, 1850 and various other 'Inquiry-operators'. Rates differ by operator, but are usually rather high, more than 1 euro per call, as well as per-second charges.

International Directory Inquiries can be reached on 0900 8418 (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, €0.90 per minute).

Phone numbers can also be found on the Internet, free of charge, on De Telefoongids.nl or Nationale Telefoongids.nl.

0800 numbers are toll-free and for 09xx numbers are charged at premium rates. Mobile phones have numbers in the 06 range, and calls to cell phones are also priced at higher rates.

If you're bringing your own (GSM) cell phone, using your existing plan to call (or receive calls) whilst in The Netherlands can be very expensive due to "roaming" charges. Receiving phone calls on a cell phone using a Dutch SIM card is free in most cases; charges apply if you're using a foreign SIM card, as the call is theoretically routed through your country of origin. It's cheaper to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card to insert into your GSM phone, or even to buy a very cheap pay-as-you-go card+phone bundle. For example: lyca, lebara and ortel are providers that specialize in cheap rates to foreign countries. [6] targets those traveling through multiple countries.

To enjoy cheap international calls from the Netherlands you can use low-cost dial-around services such as Qazza, BelBazaar, pennyphone, SlimCall, telegoedkoop, beldewereld or teleknaller. Dial-around services are directly available from any landline in the Netherlands. No contract, no registration is required. Most dial-around services offer USA, Canada, Western Europe and many other countries at the price of a local call so you can save on your phone expenses easily. They also work from public payphones.

Internet cafés can be found in most cities, usually they also provide international calling booths. Many public libraries provide Internet access. Wireless Internet access using Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly popular and is available in many hotels, pubs, stations and on Schiphol, either for free, or at extortionate prices through one of the national "networks" of hotspots.

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