Tourism in the Netherlands

Corner of Keizersgracht / Leidsegracht with the relatively tall buildings typical of Amsterdam

The Netherlands are a popular destination for tourists . The main attractions are the windmills , the bulb fields , various museums and the cities, Amsterdam is one of the most popular . Every year over three million German tourists visit the Netherlands. In the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 of the World Economic Forum, the country ranks 17th out of 136 countries.

Destinations

Sailboats on the Meuse near Grave

Route sign LF 8a of the Landelijke Fietsroutes

Cities

The metropolis of Amsterdam is known for its architecture, canals , multiculturalism and nightlife (including De Wallen , Rembrandt and Leidseplein ). Rotterdam is particularly known for its art museums and galleries . In The Hague , the seat of government and the royal residence of the Netherlands, there are numerous sights , including the Binnenhof (seat of parliament), the Paleis Noordeinde and the International Court of Justice . Alkmaar is particularly famous for the cheese market (Dutch: Alkmaarse Kaasmarkt ) that has been held since 1622 . The former royal residence Apeldoorn ( Het Loo ) on the Oranier Route holiday route is still a tourist attraction today. The city of Maastricht offers many sights and is the venue for numerous conferences, meetings and events. Maastricht is still a carnival stronghold . The festival attracts many tourists every year and is therefore of great cultural and economic importance. Leiden has several museums of international importance. Emmen is known for events such as the Full Color Festival , the largest zoo in the Northern Netherlands ( Wildlands ) and the open-air museum “Nationaal Veenpark”. The International Nature Park Bourtanger Moor-Bargerveen also extends on the southern edge of the municipality of Emmen .

The Dutch National Museums ( Rijksmuseum ) are of great importance . Another attraction are the Holland Casinos in numerous cities . The numerous Dutch amusement parks also attract many tourists (including Efteling near Tilburg , Attractiepark Slagharen in Slagharen and Duinrell in Wassenaar ).

Amsterdam ( Heineken Experience ), Tilburg (Dutch Textile Museum), Haarlemmermeer ( De Cruquius steam pumping station ) and Enschede (Twentse Welle) are on the European Route of Industrial Culture .

Apart from Amsterdam, the cities near the border in particular attract drug tourists from neighboring countries and around the world. The reason for this is the liberal drug policy of the Netherlands , which enables so-called coffee shops .

North Sea

The Netherlands has a long coast with sandy beaches on the North Sea , the IJsselmeer and the Veluwerandmeere - sailing areas with small, typically Dutch towns such as Elburg and Harderwijk . The province of Friesland , with its own traditions and its own language , has lakes to offer water sports enthusiasts and picturesque small towns for culture lovers.

Rivers and canals

The Netherlands is great for cycling, sailing and, in winter, ice skating. The flat country is criss-crossed by canals such as B. the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal , you will find windmills, small villages, many rivers such as the Rhine , Waal , IJssel , Maas or Schelde . Motor boats or sailing boats ( e.g. Staande mast route ) can travel across the country on approx. 8,000 km of waterways . The Landelijke Fietsroutes cycle path network is ideal for cycle tourism .

National parks

De Alde Feanen National Park

The Netherlands has 20 national parks with an area of around 132,000 ha. Some of them are:

National Park Hoge Veluwe (netherlands National Park De Hoge Veluwe )
National Park De Meinweg (netherlands National Park De Meinweg )
National Park De Groote Peel (ndl. National Park De Groote Peel )
National Park De Maasduinen (netherlands National Park De Maasduinen )
Dutch-German nature park Maas-Schwalm-Nette

But there are also many hiking opportunities outside of these parks, including the Pieterpad long-distance route , which crosses the country from north to south.

Especially the provinces of Noord-Brabant , with the world-famous " Efteling " and Gelderland , have a lot to offer in this regard. The largest zoos are in Emmen ( Wildlands ), Arnhem ( Burgers' Zoo ), Amsterdam ( Artis ) and Rotterdam ( Diergaarde Blijdorp ).

VVV

VVV in Nijmegen

The tourist associations in the Netherlands are called Vereniging voor Vreemdelingenverkeer (VVV). Since some VVVs are run by volunteers and financed through donations, they are not always available. In smaller VVVs there is often free internet available.

kitchen

Dutch cuisine is generally simple and hearty. Visitors can e.g. Try, for example, Dutch pancakes (“pannenkoeken”), either with meat, Dutch cheese or with syrup (“stroop”). The Netherlands are also known for their fast food, such as the Frikandel . Dutch beers like Grolsch or Heineken are often served with this.

There are restaurants in abundance, from elegant and luxurious to Chinese-Indian (through the former colony of the Dutch East Indies ) to the well-known fast- food restaurants ("snack bars").