What you need to know before you go to the Netherlands

27.05.2024 - 16:49 / lonelyplanet.com

With its beautiful cities and countryside of polders, dykes, windmills and canals connected by superb, sustainable infrastructure, the Netherlands is one of the easiest places to travel. As a visitor, you won’t find too many potential pitfalls, but there are still a few things to be aware of (starting with getting its name right!). Having written about this charming and fascinating country for almost two decades (and experienced it over a lifetime), these are my key tips for a smooth trip.

You’ll come across plenty of references to “Holland” as a synonym for the entire country (it’s only recently started transitioning out of use by the Dutch tourism authority) but in fact Holland refers to just two of the country’s 12 provinces: Noord-Holland (North Holland; Haarlem is the provincial capital, while Amsterdam is the largest city and national capital) and Zuid-Holland (South Holland; Den Haag is the provincial capital and seat of government and royalty, with Rotterdam the largest city). The rest of the country is not Holland, and the nation as a whole is the Netherlands.

You might also hear references to the Randstad, the conurbation that takes in the Netherlands’ biggest cities in Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland and Utrecht, which forms the country’s economic engine and is home to almost half of its population.

Amsterdam is where most people arrive, and for many it’s their only destination. With visitor numbers skyrocketing, the Dutch capital is balancing overtourism through measures such as raising tourist taxes; restricting short-stay apartment rental and house swaps; capping the number of annual overnight visitors; halving river cruises; and closing its ocean-liner cruise ship port completely. It is also deterring raucous, hard-partying “nuisance tourists” (by banning organized pub crawls and curbing central bar and club opening hours) while still welcoming respectful visitors.

You don’t have to go far from the center to discover fantastic, often under-the-radar neighborhoods, such as Amsterdam’s West, Oost (East) and Noord (North), where you’ll get a deeper insight into local life. Positive-impact tours run by Tours That Matter are also a great way to get off the tourist track.

Added to that, the Netherlands’ compact size and excellent transport puts the country’s grand cities, classic landscapes and exhilarating things to do (and invariably cheaper prices) right on Amsterdam’s doorstep.

Crossing the country takes just a few hours but there’s a lot to see. A week will give you time to experience Amsterdam and surrounding destinations (such as Haarlem, Utrecht, Leiden, Delft, Den Haag and Rotterdam). The longer you have, the more you can explore all corners of the country, from the Frisian coast and islands