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6 Incredible Destinations to Visit in the Netherlands
Netherlands - Lonely Planet (PDF) >
1. Friesland (Fryslan) (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet
At first, Friesland seems typically Dutch: it's flat, it's green and there are plenty of cows (the namesake Frisian black-and-white jobbies here). But explore a bit and you'll find its differences. For one, the province has its own language, as you'll see on road signs and other signage. Elsewhere, craggy old fishing villages like Hindeloopen are finding new life as evocative tourist destinations.
2. Amsterdam (Chapter) Lonely Planet
Amsterdam works its fairy-tale magic in many ways: via the gabled Golden Age buildings, the glinting boat-filled canals, and especially the cosy, centuries-old brown cafes, where candles burn low and beers froth high. Art admirers will be hard-pressed to ogle a more masterpiece-packed city. And hedonists? Amsterdam's risqué side beckons, from the Red Light District windows to the cannabis-selling coffeeshops.
3. Maastricht & Southeastern Netherlands (Chapter) Lonely Planet
The Dutch southeast belies most clichés about the Netherlands: tulips, windmills and dykes are scarce. Maastricht is a contender for the title of Finest Dutch City, and it even has – drum roll – hills, and fully embodies the southeastern concept of bourgondisch: eating and drinking with a verve worthy of the epicurean inhabitants of France's Burgundy.
4. Rotterdam & South Holland (Chapter)
Think Holland and you're thinking of the region southwest of Amsterdam where tulips, cheese, Vermeer, tulips and plucky Dutch people standing up to the sea avoid cliché simply by their omnipresence. Further south, Zeeland (Sea Land) is the dyke-protected province that people often associate with the Netherlands when they're not thinking of tulips and windmills. Cycling in this flat, mostly sub-sea-level region is unparalleled.
5. Utrecht (Chapter)
Don't underrate the petite province of Utrecht. Its famous namesake city – with its throngs of students, tree-lined canals and medieval quarter – deserves the limelight. . At the very least, Utrecht is an easy and evocative day trip from Amsterdam.
6. Haarlem & North Holland (Chapter)
Wrapping around Amsterdam like a crown, Holland's north is thick with trad Dutch culture. West of the capital, elegant Haarlem is the region's crowning glory, a charming town of 17th-century grandeur. On its western outskirts are wide, sandy beaches.