The land of wind mills and tulips, known as Holland earlier, with Amsterdam being the capital and hub for everything in the country!
Best time to visit
Spring and Autumn between Mar- May, Sep- Nov are best months to visit. The temperature will be pleasant with minimal rains and snow. The beaches are the best in summer, but hot and humid at the same time
Visa
Schengen visa is valid here
Currency- Euro
Cards are accepted at most places
Getting in and around
Netherlands is well connected to Belgium, Germany, France. Most cities are walkable, with couple of attractions that might require trains to reach
Places to visit in Netherlands
The capital city of Amsterdam, wind mill town of Zaanse Schans, tulip gardens at Keukenhof are the most prominent places to visit in Netherlands
Amsterdam
Dam square is the city centre, just a few minutes walk from the iconic train station. There are thousands of historic buildings beside the narrow canals that give iconic touch to the city
Jewish quarter houses the Esnoga synagogue, worth a stroll. You can see Anne Frank’s house when she was in hiding, escaping the Nazis. Buy tickets online ahead of time- that is the only way to enter the house
Amsterdam has many large museums like Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum which can take a whole day in itself
Take one of the free walking tours that operate on tips only basis
Zaanse Schaans
A cute town with large windmills, about 20 minutes from Amsterdam. The town has many traditional windmills that still function. There are old wooden houses with iconic large shoes outside, most with growing plants. You can walk or take a boat tour to visit the town
Keukenhof tulip gardens
Seasonal tulip gardens open from end March to May, with wide variety of colors of tulips here. You will have to check the exact dates each year basis blooming patterns. You can see large tulip fields just a few minutes out of this garden as well. You can buy tickets that include transport from Amsterdam. The gardens are 40-60 minutes away from Amsterdam
Madurodom
Miniature version of iconic sights in Europe. We didn’t like the idea much since we were anyway visiting the actual sights in real size
How much does it cost
- Flights: $700 Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa/Swiss Air, Middle East carriers like Emirates, Etihad are typically the cheapest with best connections
- Accommodation: Hostels cost $20 per night and mid-range can be around $50
- Travelling around: Budget $10-20 per day for public transport
- Food: $10-20 for simple takeaways