Netherland

The Netherlands is a country which is also known as Holland and it is considered as one of the most beautiful romantic destinations in Europe. The Netherlands is home of famous people that the world has known such as Vincent Van Gough, who is one of the most popular artists in the world. He is known for various popular paintings such as The starry Night, etc.  The time zone of the Netherlands is Central European Standard time which is four and half hours behind the Indian Standard Time. (IST)

Location and Population: –  Netherlands is located in the north western part of Europe and it is sharing borders with Germany and Belgium. Besides, it also shares marine borders with the United Kingdom and France. The geographical area of the Netherlands is 41,545 km2 . 

 According to the Census conducted in the year 2021, the population of the Netherlands is 17.17 million.            

Netherland’s History: – The history of the Netherlands has gone through a lot of misery but then later  it was able to attain glory. The Netherlands was earlier being various empires and country rulers such as the Germans, Romans, Napoleon, etc. It has also witnessed revolutions and destruction of lives especially during the second world war when Germany bombed the Netherlands. There is a victim named Anne Frank who is a victim of the second world war and her diary talks about the war. The Netherlands was recovered by the Canadian, British and Polish troops. Post the second world war Netherlands started to make good progress under the Prime minister Willien Drees and Netherlands is one of the founding members of NATO and European union  

Facts you should know about the Netherlands: – There are various facts that the tourists should know before visiting the Netherlands. They are as follows: –  

• The citizens of the Netherlands, that is the Dutch are the tallest people in the world. The average height of men is 183 cm while the average height of a woman is 171 cm. 
• The Netherlands is the world’s biggest flower exporter as it produces 80% of the flower bulbs. Thus it is also known as the flower shop of the world.  
• Amsterdam contains more than 1,200 bridges and 165 canals which look beautiful during the night with the lights lit around the bridges. 
• The Dutch national anthem is the oldest national anthem in the world as the national anthem is dated to be 400 years old. 
• Did you know that the Dutch consume the most liquorice in the world as around 32 million liquorice is consumed in a year ? 
• There are more than 1,000 windmills in the Netherlands which are used for various benefits such as grinding grain, draining wetlands, etc.  

Culture and Food: –  The Dutch people in the Netherlands are very open and friendly to people. They love to do a lot of cycling on the streets as it is a tradition for them to cycle everyday. Besides, in a dutch family the parents are the head of the family. The grandparents, aunts and uncles of a family  don’t stay together as only the parents and children can stay in a house. They love to spend time doing something as compared to sitting, especially during the weekends like going to a pub, attending functions, playing sports with friends, etc. 

The Dutch cuisine is different from other European countries’ cuisines. It is based more on meat, potatoes, vegetables, salads, etc. They eat meat only during dinner time while the rest of the time that is during breakfast and lunch they have more bread along with cheese. Some of the popular dishes from the Dutch cuisine are Stamppot, Bami Goreng, Wentelteefjes, Pastechi, Ontbijtkoek, Hagelslag, Stroopwafel, Oliebollen, etc.    

Things to explore in the Netherlands: – There are various things for the tourists to explore in Netherlands in terms of festivals and adventure activities which are as follows: –

• Scheveningen International Fireworks Festival: –  The fireworks festival happens during the month of August at the tranquil beach town. It is a fireworks competition that happens for three and there are four teams. The tourists will get to see two fireworks shows and see the sky lit up with beautiful fireworks. The result is declared on the third day of the festival. 
• King’s Day: – The King’s day which is also known as Koningsdag is one of the popular national festivals that marks the arrival of the Dutch monarch. The tourists can see parades, flags on every building, concerts , etc. on the streets of the Netherlands.  
• Don’t let daddy know music festival: –  It is one of the popular music festivals held in the Ziggo Dome at Amsterdam. It is known for popular artists like Don Diablo, Steve Angello, Tiesto, etc. 
• Beer bike: – It is a new type of vehicle in the streets of the Netherlands wherein the tourists can roam around the canals and streets in Amsterdam through a beer bike, a small bar on the wheel. It is a six seater bike which contains beer for the tourists to drink and enjoy the ride. 
• Splash tour: –  The splash tour is a very unique tour that must be tried by all the tourists as this is something which no other country would be having with them. The Splash tour consists of a bus that would give a city tour to the tourists and the best part of the tour is that the same bus will go inside the river and transform into a boat. Isn’t it exciting ?  
• Zip Lining: – The tourists can do a zipline or abseil down from the Euromast tower in Rotterdam which is the tallest building in the Netherlands. The zipline takes around 15 seconds and it is at a height more than 100 metres. 

Things to buy in the Netherlands: – There are various things for the tourists to buy in the Netherlands in order to complete their shopping list. Some of them are Dutch Cheese, Dutch Licorice, Wooden Clogs, Colourful candles, Pelgrim beer, Jenever, Football Jerseys, Stroopwafels, Tulip bulbs, Delft Pottery, Keychains, Puccini bomboni Chocolates, hats, Jewellery, etc.     

Best time to visit: – The best time to visit Netherlands is during the spring season that is between March to May and during the summer season that is between June to August as the climate would be pleasant and the tourists can smoothly explore the country including the outdoor activities as compared to the winter and autumn season that includes rains.

Places to visit in Netherlands 

• Amsterdam: – The city which is the capital of the Netherlands and the most populated city is Amsterdam. The tourists can explore the Van Gogh museum which is an art museum that contains the works of the Dutch artist Van gogh. The museum is located in Museum square in the southern part of Amsterdam. The tourists can have a spectacular view of the Skinny bridge which is built over the Amstel river and it is made out of white wood. The tourists should visit the bridge during the evening time as the bridge would be lit up with lights. The tourists would get to see the beauty of the bridge at its best and click some good pictures near the bridge. Besides, the tourists can take a tour of one of the most popular football stadiums in Amsterdam that is the Johan Cruijff Arena which is the home ground of the Ajax football club in the Eredivisie league. The stadium has a seating capacity of around 56,000 people. 
• Rotterdam: –  The city which is a European port and the second largest city in the Netherlands is Rotterdam. The tourists would explore the Rotterdam zoo which is one of the oldest zoos in the Netherlands. There are a wide range of animals in the zoo which the tourists can personally interact with and there is an aquarium for the tourists to see in the zoo. Some of the animals in the zoo are lions, gorillas, giraffes, elephants, tigers, etc. The tourists can visit the Euromast tower which is at a height of 185 metres and the tourists and it is a tower that has a viewing deck on the top for the tourists to have a good 360 degree view of the Rotterdam city. Besides, the tourists can also explore the cube houses which is a new innovative house made by Piet Blom in the shape of cubes and the main purpose is to optimise the space inside the house.  
• The Hague: – The city in the Netherlands which is the seat of the government and it is the largest city is the Hague. The tourists would visit the Louwman museum which is an automobile museum that contains historic cars, Formula 1 cars and many more types of cars that are way back to the 19th century. There are around 200 cars in the museum and some of the cars are Spyker 60 H.P. , Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 Daytona Coupé and many more. The tourists can explore the Japanese garden which is one of the oldest gardens in the Hague that is located in the Clingendael Park and it is a place for all nature lovers to visit in the Hague. There are many types of flowers in the garden and it is a very big garden. Besides the garden has many paths as according to the Japanese a straight path leads to attraction of evil spirits. Besides there are ponds,  lanterns, artefacts and sculptures related to Buddhism, etc. in the garden. 

The tourists can also visit the Binnenhof which is located near the Hofvijver lake. It contains government offices and there are various government meetings that take place in the Binnenhof area. Besides, the tourists can also visit the Hall of Knights room which is in Ridderzaal in Binnenhof. The room contains a throne which is used by the Dutch Monarch to give speeches. 

• Delft: – The city which is located between the Hague and Rotterdam is Delft. It is known for the blue ceramic potteries. The tourists can visit the Delft Old Church which is also known as Oude Kerk is located in Old town and it was built during the 15th century. The church is known for its architecture and artwork. Besides, the tourists can see the tomb of Admiral Maarten Tromp and artist Jan Veermer in the church. The tourists can explore the Delft city hall which is located on the western side of the market. The City hall is known for its architecture, paintings, old prison, Chambers, etc. Besides there are other buildings behind the city hall that are the Weigh house, Municipal centre, etc. The tourists can explore the Rose windmill which is one of the fifteen windmills that is standing in the region. The windmill was earlier used to grinding corn but now it is more of a museum as the tourists can go inside the windmill. Besides, the tourists would not be aware that the windmill is supported on the roof of a railway tunnel.   

How to reach the Netherlands from India: – The tourists can reach the Netherlands from India through flight and there are various airlines that fly to the Netherlands such as Air India, Emirates, KLM Dutch Airlines, Etihad Airways, Indigo, Vistara,etc. Besides, the tourists can also travel to the Netherlands by road which would take around 4 to 5 days. 

Popular Packages: – These are a list of popular packages to travel to Netherlands which also includes packages to travel to other countries including Netherlands. They are as follows: – 

Name of the Package	Duration of the Package	Price of the Package (RS)	Countries
Grand Europe	15 nights / 16 days	2,98,990	United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Vatican City
European Discovery	14 nights / 15 days	2,72,990	United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and  Vatican City
Best of UK with Amsterdam Paris and Swiss	10 nights / 11 days	1,49,999	United Kingdom, Netherlands, France and Switzerland
London, Amsterdam with Paris	10 nights / 11 days	1,16,000	United Kingdom, Netherlands and France
Best of Holland	4 nights / 5 days	34,999	Netherlands

Frequently Asked Questions 

• What is the currency of the Netherlands ? 

Ans: The currency of the Netherlands is Euros.

• What is the language spoken in the Netherlands ? 

Ans: The language spoken in the Netherlands is Dutch but they can also speak in English. 

• What are the eateries that serve Indian food in the Netherlands ? 

Ans: A portion of eateries that serve Indian food in the Netherlands are Shah Jahan, Taj Indian Restaurant, 91 spices, What’s up India, etc.

• What is the national sport of the Netherlands ? 

Ans: The national sport of the Netherlands is football. 

• Which places are popular for shopping in the Netherlands ? 

Ans: There are various places to shop in Netherlands that are De Negen Straatjes, Passage, Markthal, Chocolaterie Van Hoorebeke, etc.