The Netherlands Guide
The Netherlands is not all about Amsterdam. Just a short hop in any direction will bring you to lively university towns, sandy beaches and innovative post-war architecture. Explore wide-open countryside with sparkling lakes to swim in during the summer, or skate on in winter.
Once you've wandered along Amsterdam's canals and seen the Van Gogh museum, head south to gritty Rotterdam for the sharp angles of its mainly post-war architecture. Then go west to stately Den Haag (The Hague), stopping at Vermeer's hometown of Delft on the way. Travel to the far north to explore Groningen, a studenty city with lively bars. Don't forget cosmopolitan Maastricht, sandwiched between Belgium and Germany in the unexpectedly hilly south.
Take a breather in the northern provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe, where you can cycle for miles through verdant fields and swim in a string of clear lakes. Walk on the seabed during low tide from the far northern mainland to the Waddeneilanden (West Frisian Islands). If it's freezing, skate along frozen canals throughout the country.
Browse for vivid blue ceramics in Delft. Try on a pair of clogs at the biggest clog factory in the country, in the village of Beltrum near the German border. Cheese is a must-buy from any Saturday town market, or go to the source at Gouda and Edam. Buy flowers at the Aalsmeer flower auction, and bulbs from Keukenhof.
Throw back your head, hold a raw herring fillet by the tail, and lower it into your mouth. If that's too adventurous, visit a pannekoekenhuis (pancake house). The Dutch love chips too - usually with fritesaus (mayonnaise) although some people favour a patatje oorlog (chips at war), smothered in mayo, ketchup, peanut sauce and onions. When stopping for a beer in a brown café, order a plate of bitterballen , resembling golf ball-shaped meat croquettes, and definitely not bitter. At lunchtime, ask for an uitsmijter - an open sandwich with ham and/or cheese and fried eggs.
The Netherlands is densely populated, and the Dutch are known for their enterprise and thrift. See these themes collide nicely at De Vrouwe van Stavoren, a hotel on the harbour of Stavoren in south-west Friesland, where four giant wine casks have been turned into hotel rooms, complete with en-suite facilities.
