The Netherlands
Is it Holland or The Netherlands? The Netherlands is a small and low elevation country in Northwestern Europe that is unique and beautiful. Holland is often used as the name for the Netherlands but is a region that consists of the provinces of North and South Holland. The capital and largest city of Amsterdam is in North Holland so if you are visiting there you are both in the Netherlands and Holland! It’s a country of interesting facts as its one country part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that also includes Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten! It’s known for wild Amsterdam, Tulips, Royal Delft Pottery, windmills, wooden clogs and its love/hate relationship with water. While it might be small, it’s full of interesting culture, friendly people, different political ideas, amazing attractions and food like Gouda Cheese. It’s hope to some of the greatest artists and paintings of all time and some of the saddest stories in history like that of Anne Frank and Corrie Ten Boom. We have visited the Netherlands multiple times in our travels with the most recent being a full week in the country in March of 2026. Here’s what our Dutch experiences have been like!
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Getting to the Netherlands and Transportation
The Netherlands is a country that is extremely well connected with the entire world. There are a few different ways to get to the Netherlands, but most people will arrive by plane to the third largest airport in Europe. Amsterdam Schiphol airport is serviced by airlines from around the world. The main airline is the Dutch flag carrier KLM that is an excellent airline that is partners with Delta and Air France. Amsterdam Schiphol is a very well done and well-run airport that’s easy to navigate and use. Just outside of the airport is the wonderful Schiphol Train Station with great shops and food and trains to anywhere in the Netherlands and to other countries.
There are other airports in the Netherlands such as Rotterdam The Hague International but they are much smaller and serve European destinations only.
Amsterdam is also a major cruise port for both ocean and river cruises. So many people arrive to the Netherlands by cruise ship as their cruise might end in Amsterdam.
The Netherlands is very well connected with the rest of Europe by Rail. We have visited different countries from Amsterdam taking high speed rail.
As for Public transport, there are few countries that do it better than the Netherlands. The Netherlands has rail service to almost the entire country, and each major city has its own tram, bus and metro service. We found the public transportation system to be well done, clean and safe. You can hire a car, but it’s not needed in the Netherlands!
Bookable Transportation Options
Country Information
The Netherlands are part of the European Union and are a member of the Schengen agreement. So as of early 2026 all that is needed is a passport to enter the country. Later in 2026 (as of this writing in April of 2026) ETIAS is set to become active and mandatory in 2027. This will mean you will have to get the European electronic travel authorization like the UK and the US for travel into the Schengen zone. This will mean filling out an online form and paying a small fee. You will get authorization or decline by email. As of April 2026, the US State Department rates the Netherlands as a Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution due to Terrorism. Wherever you go you should be cautious and take precautions, but in general we found the Netherlands to be very safe on our trips. Petty crime can occur but even when walking past 10pm we had no issues. Each city is different with busy Amsterdam being a little riskier. As always make your own decisions and do your research around your safety and decision to travel.
The National language is Dutch, but English is spoken by nearly everyone so we have never had any trouble. The currency is the Euro that is usually worth a little more than a USD but a little less than a UK Pound. The country can get very cold or relatively hot depending on the time of year and due to the location on the North Sea it does see rain VERY often so be prepared for that as well.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital and largest city in the Netherlands. Its most likely the city you are most familiar with and where you will start out your Dutch travels. It’s a beautiful city full of canals, museums, parks, history and attractions. It’s also a very different city than most with public urinals on the street and a world-famous red-light district that is completely legal. It also can be chaotic at times with bicyclists who don’t stop for anyone (we have seen people hit and bicycle accidents) in the bike lanes. We have been to Amsterdam several times and have seen a lot of different things in our travels!
Amsterdam City Tours and Hop on Hop Off
Where we stayed in Amsterdam
Canals of Amsterdam
The Canals of Amsterdam are an engineering masterpiece from the 1600s that are still in use and are an iconic part of Amsterdam’s image. The Canals are a UNESCO World heritage site and are still in use today. You will see countless house boats on the Canals and taking a scenic boat ride is a great way to see the city! There are 165 Canals and around 1,500 bridges that make up this impressive system. One year we came during Christmas time, and they had interesting Christmas displays on the Canals made from old washing machines and other discarded items made into Christmas decorations. It was a display that fitted right in with Amsterdam’s vibe! We have taken multiple canal tours, and we highly recommend taking one including the hop on hop off canal boat.
Amsterdam Canal Tours
Amsterdam in World War II
Amsterdam was occupied by the Nazi’s from May of 1940 to May of 1945. The Dutch Royal family fled the country to Britain and Canada during these difficult times. The hardest hit was Amsterdam’s Jewish community. Two incredibly famous stories occurred in Amsterdam and Haarlem showcasing the difficult times. The story of the Frank family hiding in the annex from the Nazis that is most famous from the diary of Anne Frank is known worldwide. A little lesser known is the Christian Ten Boom family of Haarlem that helped hide countless Jewish families before being caught. Many Dutch people resisted the Nazis as well as seen in documentaries and recent streaming series like A Small Light. Today there are many monuments and museums where you can learn about these stories in Amsterdam.
The Anne Frank House Museum
The Anne Frank House is one of the most popular museums in the city and one of the most visited places in Amsterdam. It’s located on the Canals and is a narrow but very deep building from the 1600s. It is the Franks food business headquarters and behind it is the secret annex where the Franks and others hid for over 2 years. The museum talks about the family and has the original Diary of Anne Frank amongst other items. You also walk through the swinging bookcase and can see the Annex as it was. Drawings and pictures can still be seen by Anne Frank herself. This being an incredibly popular site, you must book well ahead of time if you want to go inside. You can of course look from the outside as well.
The Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum)
The Dutch Resistance Museum is one of the best historic Museums in the city and tells the story of three different groups of people in The Netherlands. Its talks about those who aided the Nazis, those who resisted and those who adapted to survive. It has artifacts and stories of those who fought the Nazis and the collaborators in a very interactive and interesting way. We visited the museum and was able to buy walk in tickets but it’s better to book ahead if you can.
Ten Boom Museum (In the City of Haarlem)
The Ten Boom family were watch makers and Christians who were against seeing what was being done to Dutch Jews. So, they built a wall with a “Hiding Place” where they saved many people from the Nazis until a Dutch collaborator turned them in. The Father, Casper, died a few days into captivity and the rest of the family suffered in concentration camps. Only Corrie Ten Boom survived the horror. She wrote a book called “Hiding Place” that was also made into a movie. Two inspirational quotes from Corrie Ten Boom amongst many are:
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God”
“There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still”
Today their former home and shop is a museum where you can take a free tour. You must book well in advance as they are taken quickly. We have never had the chance to visit as we haven’t been able to secure a reservation yet.
Amsterdam World War II Tours
Other Sites
Heineken Experience
If you live beer and history, then the Heineken experience is a great museum for you. It’s in a historic Heineken brewery, and it tells you the story of the world-famous beer. You can see how it was brewed with interactive exhibits and the history of the Heineken brand. At the end of the museum as you might expect there is a tasting room to try fresh Heineken for yourself! There is a charge for the museum, and they have a good gift shop after the tasting room.
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum is the National Museum of the Netherlands and is one of Europe’s great art museums. The building itself is a work of art that was built in 1885 and has stunning architecture! Inside artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer are featured inside. Pieces like “The Night Watch” and “The Milkmaid” can be seen in the museum. There are many more houses, model ships and a library amongst other things. This is an incredibly popular museum, so tickets need to be purchased far ahead of time. In 2026, it’s around 25 Euros for an adult ticket. This museum is on par with museums like the Louve so if you love art this is a must see!
Amsterdam Museum Tickets and Tours
Amsterdam Miniature Museum
Not far from the world-famous Rijksmuseum, is another great museum that is well worth visiting. Donna and I love visiting miniatures museums as they are highly detailed, and they let you see the country you are visiting from a different perspective. Most of these museums try to highlight the culture and the history of the National or city they represent. The Amsterdam Miniature Museum is no different and showcases the founding of Amsterdam in the 1200s to modern day. The Miniatures move and have sound showcasing the city and country. You can visit the Red-Light district and peek into windows, see the windmills in the countryside and historic moments like Anne Frank’s House. It took us 45 minutes to an hour to view the museum, and it was time well spent!
A’Dam Tower Lookout
Located on the opposite bank of the Amstel River is the A’Dam Tower. It’s the 22-story tall former HQ of Shell Oil that was vacated in 2009. Instead of demolishing the building they have now made it into a building for music and entertainment called “Amsterdam Dance And Music” or A’Dam. The building houses Sony Music and other related businesses. On the 22nd story you can visit the observation deck and get a 360 view of Amsterdam. The elevator is a ride in of itself with music and lights as you go up 22 floors in 22 seconds. There is a nice bar/restaurant on the 22nd floor and other experiences like a VR ride. On the top you can take the swing ride that swings you over the edge. There is a timeline of history of the site as hundreds of years ago where the building is now used to be the execution hill for the city. We spent around 45 minutes enjoying the views of the area!
A'Dam Tickets
This is Holland
Next door to A’Dam is another wonderful experience that we highly recommend! If you have ever been to Disney World and ridden “Soarin’ Over the World” and loved it, then this experience is for you. This is Holland is a unique learning experience about the Netherlands where you view two short films about the Netherlands and its people and culture before heading on the ride. You see on a map an overview of this interesting country. After that you head to the ride that is just like Soarin’ and you take off over the Netherlands and smell the smells like of Tulips and more. We could have done this experience a few times honestly, it’s so well done! You can get a combo ticket to A’Dam and This is Holland to save a bit of money and time. While we didn’t have time to visit there is the Eye Film Museum nearby that looked very nice when we walked by as well.
The Red-Light District
The famous Red-Light District is known for its legal prostitution houses and has been around for centuries. Prostitution is legal and heavily regulated in Amsterdam. While we have been to the Red-Light district, we have never “partaken” in business there. It’s a complicated neighborhood though with day cares and churches near the shops with windows with scantily clad women and men in the windows. No pictures are allowed of the workers. We took a walking tour of the area when we visited. The area is not as seedy as you might expect so if you are curious then take a walking tour!
Red-Light District Tours
Other Amsterdam Tours
The Hague
The famous Red-Light District is known for its legal prostitution houses and has been around for centuries. Prostitution is legal and heavily regulated in Amsterdam. While we have been to the Red-Light district, we have never “partaken” in business there. It’s a complicated neighborhood though with day cares and churches near the shops with windows with scantily clad women and men in the windows. No pictures are allowed of the workers. We took a walking tour of the area when we visited. The area is not as seedy as you might expect so if you are curious then take a walking tour!
Mauritshuis
The Hague has many wonderful places to visit, and the arts are of the cities’ specialties. The Mauritshuis Museum is probably the most famous art museum in the city and houses the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer. It’s not the only masterpiece in the museum that includes multiple works by Rembrandt and many other Dutch artists. The museum is small and located in a 17th century palace that makes this an intimate and unique museum. The palace itself is a work of art with ornate ceilings and stairs. While we visited the museum they had a special exhibit on birds. This is a popular museum so during peak travel times buy tickets in advance. In March of 2026, we were able to buy walk up tickets and tour. We spent a little over an hour touring the Museum.
Mauritshuis Museum Tours and Tickets
Panorama Mesdag
If you have never visited a Panoramic Painting, you should! They are giant 360-degree circular paintings that depict scenes in history. They were very popular in the late 1800s when radio and TV had not been invented yet. They traveled from town to town showing people places they had never seen before. After other forms of entertainment came around, they lost popularity and many of these masterpieces were lost. There still are a few left in the world and The Hague has one of them!
The Panorama Mesdag was completed in 1881 and still stays in the specifically designed location for it (it did not travel as others did). It’s a nice day at the fishing village of Scheveningen in 1881. You can see fishing ships on the beach, soldiers marching, and The Hague in the distance. You can spend a lot of time looking at the details. Real sand leads up to the painting adding realism. It was painted by Hendrik Willem Mesdag and is massive. It’s 46 feet tall (13 meters) and 394 feet (120 meters) in circumference. Before you enter the Panorama there are other pieces of art by Hendrik Willem Mesdag you can view. This is a wonderful hidden gem you should see while there!
Peace Palace
Another spot to see in The Hague is the large and beautiful Peace Palace that houses the UNs International Court of Justice. It opened in 1913 and Andrew Carnegie gave a huge donation for it to be built. The International Court of Justice is the only arm of the UN that is not located in New York. You can tour the building on certain days by guided tour only. The Court cannot be in session. We did not get to tour it, but we did visit the free visitors center and saw the eternal peace flame surrounded by rocks from every country in the world! It’s free to visit this impressive site and it’s worth it even if you don’t get to tour inside to at least see it
Walking Tour of The Hague
The Hague is a very walkable city as we rode into the Central Station and walked everywhere we went. On the walk we saw the parliament that was closed due to renovations, the office of the Royal Family (Noordeinde Palace/
Paleis Noordeinde) and many beautiful parks and sculptures as this is a very art focused city. We saw more bookstores than we have seen in a long time and we love our books. In many cities in the US, it’s rare to see that many bookstores other than Barnes and Nobles. There are many other museums, shops and restaurants to see in The Hague so we would love to come back!
The Hague Tour Options
Kinderdijk
Kinderdijk is a small village not too far from the large city of Rotterdam. It’s a major attraction for its collection of 19 UNESCO World Heritage Site 1700s working windmills! Windmills have been vital in the water management fight the Netherlands has had. The windmills have multiple purposes. They pump water, they mill grains and they are people’s homes. They are highly sought after homes even to this day, but to live there you need to be a “Miller” (not us but a windmill operator) and keep the windmill fully operational and preserved. So, when visiting you have a few options (if not travelling by River Cruise, then get your tickets early!). You can walk the dikes and see them that way. You can take a bike. Our personal favorite is by boat on the Canals, and we have done that twice and visited two different windmills and used some of the equipment on one of them with a Miller’s careful watch.
There are a nice visitors center and a historic pump station you can check out as well. Don’t miss the cat on the cradle, which is a legend from the 1400s during a flood the cat kept a floating cradle steady saving the young child. This is a wonderful stop when in the Netherlands that’s really a must see!
Kinderdijk Tour Options
Delft
Delft is a smaller city of around 100,000 people and is a college town but is known for its Royal Delftware Pottery. It’s in South Holland not too far from Rotterdam. It has a beautiful city center, and a system of canals like in Amsterdam. We have only visited the city once in March of 2026 on our Dutch River cruise.
Royal Delft
Delftware is a famous and very old Pottery that has been around since the 1600s. It’s the Netherlands version of Chinese blue and white porcelain. If you have ever seen a decorative blue ink Chinese vase or plate that is what Delftware is mimicking but with Dutch art. Delftware is not actually porcelain but a high-grade Earthenware. Today there is only one true Delftware factory left after the 30+ that once were in operation in the peak. We took a tour of the Royal Delft factory that has a wonderful museum showing Chinese Porcelain and then plenty of spectacular Delftware pieces including a massive “The Night Watch” in Delftware. You can go to the factory floor and see the painstaking process of painting art pieces. They have a great gift shop where you can buy large and small pieces that vary in price. The pieces are not cheap but are well worth getting some of these amazing art pieces!
Delft Tour Options
The Delta Works
For the Dutch the water has always been a love-hate relationship that has brought the country great riches with shipping and trade, but also destructive flooding. In 1953, a strong storm from the North Sea hit and damaged the dikes in the Southern Netherlands that displaced and killed thousands of people. Instead of doing nothing to solve the issue the Dutch went into action in 1954 to build a massive barrier for protecting the people of the country. 13 separate projects that lasted 40 years has so far kept another massive flood at bay. The most famous project called Oosterscheldekering is a 9 km long dike with 62 massive gates that close during strong storms but stay open on normal days, allowing wildlife to pass. The American Society of Engineers call this project one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It’s a truly impressive feat and shows how well-run governments can do the impossible and help people. It’s the kind of project that is needed in the Houston, Texas area with our massive hurricanes but the US government doesn’t work as well.
We visited the Delta Park Neeltje Jans Park/Museum that is located on an artificial island right in the middle of the 9km storm barrier. You drive over it to get to the museum. It has a movie about the ambitious project, a full exhibit and an experience that puts you in a home during the 1953 flood to see the terror they dealt with. You can also walk to a viewing platform for the barrier. It’s also a water park and a museum on animals. It’s a great place to visit in the Zeeland/Southern part of the Netherlands!
Giethoorn
Northeast of Amsterdam is a beautiful and very unique city of around 2,600 people. Giethoorn has no roads and the only way to get around is walking using bridges to small islands or by boat. Some of the homes are only accessible by boat which makes furniture and other large deliveries interesting. The city gives you a glimpse into an older way of Dutch life with many thatch roofed homes throughout the city. There are plenty of nice shops and restaurants as this is a big tourist attraction. The city was also featured in the US TV show “Amazing Race” as a challenge navigating the canals that are a maze to get to the pit stop. We toured the city by canal on a boat versus walking the city. We also learned in the shallow lake about ‘Punting’ where they use a wooden pole to push the boat along in the pre-motorized way of transportation. It’s a great day trip from Amsterdam or a great place to visit when heading to the Northern regions of the country!
Giethoorn Tour Options
Kampen
Located North of Amsterdam in the province of Overijssel is the historic of Kampen. It has been around for hundreds of years and in the 1400s it was a part of the Hanseatic league that was a European trading consortium with cities all around Europe. It’s well known in the Netherlands for its Kamper Uien (Kamper Onion) folk tales where the people of the city are not portrayed as overly intelligent people. A couple weeks were told was once they wanted to keep a large fish, they caught fresh for an important guest, so they tied a bell on the fish to find it later. It didn’t work. Another is they used a cow tied on a crane and hoisted it up a church tower to clean it of plants and moss. They thought it would eat it, but it ended up suffocating instead.
Today it has a nice old town to walk through with nice shops, three medieval gates, part of the wall and large towers including the one the cow was said to have tried to clean. There are statues around the town to these legends/folk tales. We took a short walking tour and unfortunately most of the shops on a weekend close very early, so we didn’t get to stop by any of those. It’s a nice city to go by in the area!
Keukenhof Gardens
The Keukenhof Gardens also known as “The Garden of Europe” is a spectacular experience to see if you are in the Netherlands in Mid-March to Early May that’s been running since the 1950s. It’s a huge flower show spanning around 79 acres and consists of some odd 7 million hand planted Tulips and other flowers that have around 800 different varieties. It’s more than just the flowers though. There are also sculptures like cats, relaxing fountains and waterfalls and an authentic 1892 windmill that was moved to the park. There are indoor and outdoor portions of the gardens. This is only open for 8 weeks during the Spring and gets over a million visitors. We went slightly before the peak, so it was not in full bloom but was still wonderful. There were much fewer people than in the peak season as well. The gardens are located around 30 minutes’ drive from Amsterdam and is a must see if you are there during the times it’s open!
Tulip Time Tours
Conclusion
The Netherlands is a wonderful and unique country to visit that has a vibrant culture that is different than so many others around the world. Its culture of community and caring about its citizens was partially born from the struggles it had in World War II and disasters like the 1953 flood. It’s a country that has fought water in its low-lying land. It has beautiful places to visit like Kinderdijk and its UNESCO World Heritage Site windmills, and the Keukenhof Gardens to name a few. It has cities of all kinds such as energetic and eclectic Amsterdam to the quiet and beautiful The Hague to the architecturally unique Rotterdam amongst many others. Its home to great cheese and Tulips. It’s a country that is well worth visiting and while Amsterdam is an amazing city full of history and culture, you should still get out there and visit the rest of the country as well.
You should be prepared for the rain when you visit as it is a rainy country and in major cities watch for the bikes as you cross the street. For Tulip season April and May are the peak but late March offers a good experience with fewer people and a more affordable price.
There is so much to see and do in this relatively small country and its a journey everyone should take and see what makes the Dutch … well Dutch and enjoy all this nation has to offer!
If you are Interested in this trip:
Contact Donna or Jason Miller with ET Family Travel and we can help you book your dream trip today including customized trips, guided tours, cruises and much more. Our travel planning services are completely free if you book with us. Contact us at donnamiller.etfamilytravel@gmail.com or jasonmiller.etfamilytravel@gmail.com to book today
