The Netherlands
The Netherlands is a small country; from the southwest till the northeast is about 350km. Most people speak besides their native language Dutch also English. Asking information on the street will be no problem.
Public transportation
Unless you are planning trips outside the cities, the most convenient transportation for tourists is the public transportation. In Amsterdam it’s not easy to find a parkingplace for a car. The tram and metro connect all main tourist spots and neighborhoods. Trams in the innercity of Amsterdam drive every 10 minutes. A day card for the tram/metro/bus cost €7.50 / 24 hours.
Train
The main train company is the NS (Dutch Railways) which connect allmost all cities and towns in the Netherlands. Trains in the main cities are also running at night (hourly schedule). In most cities train travel stops around 00.00-01.00 and starts in the early morning (5.30). In the smaller cities are only automatic vending machines. In the main cities there are still desks where you can buy tickets and ask information.
Rotterdam
From Amsterdam to Rotterdam is 41 minutes with the fast train and 60 minutes with the intercity train. Full fare for a return ticket with the intercity is €27. The most important attractions are:
– Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen: main art museum in Rotterdam
– Rotterdam Harbour Tour (all year long)
– Blijdorp Zoo: one of the oldest zoos in the Netherlands
– Erasmus Bridge: cable-stayed bridge, 800m
– Euromast Tower: view on Rotterdam with restaurant
Den Haag
Den Haag (The Hague) is the seat of the Dutch government and parliament. In the Hague are most foreign embassies and 150 international organisations including the International Court of Justice and European Police Office (Europol). Interesting attractions are:
– The Mauritshuis: paintings of famous Dutch masters
– Madurodam: miniature city
– Municipal museum: world’s largest collection paintings of Mondriaan
– Binnenhof and Knight’s Hall: political centre of the Netherlands
–
The Kröller-Müller Museum
The Kröller-Müller Museum has a large collection of paintings of Vincent van Gogh and a famous sculpture garden. The museum is in the east of the Netherlands. From Amsterdam, visitors have to take the train to the city Ede-Wageningen. The trip takes 54 minutes. From the station, busses are running to the museum.
Leiden
Leiden is a city between Den Hague and Amsterdam. It takes 34 minutes from Amsterdam. The city is wellknown in the Netherlands for its two universities. Other attractions in Leiden are the National Museum of Antiquities, the National Museum of Natural History and the Municipal Museum (Lakenhal).
Beaches
Famous beach resorts in the Netherlands are Zandvoort (close to Amsterdam) and Scheveningen (near The Hague). Many German and Belgium tourists visit the beaches in the province Zeeland.