Netherlands Hotels

If your mental image of the Netherlands consists of windmills, dykes, and tulips, you won't be disappointed when you visit. However, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that there is a great deal more to the country than the pastoral settings for which it is so well known. You will want to leave your hotel in the Netherlands to take a walk through the cities and a ride into the country to see all that this clean, orderly nation has to offer. You will enjoy exploring the contrasts between the pragmatic liberalism of the Netherlands and its more reserved traditions. Since nearly everyone speaks English, you will have plenty of opportunities to become well acquainted. Our recommendation is to base your stay at one of the fine Netherlands hotels in Amsterdam and drive (or pedal) to see the sites outside of the city.

Amsterdam has many fascinating neighborhoods to explore. A bus and boat tour can show you the highlights in a matter of hours, but our suggestion is to walk the streets of the Canal belt. It is a relatively small zone and filled with treasures that you would never notice from a vehicle.

The Hoge Veluwe is the country's largest national park. The park is large enough for forests and woods, as well as shifting sands and heath moors. You will share the solitude with deer, sheep and wild boar. This is also the home of the Kroller-Muller Museum with nearly 300 works by Van Gogh, as well as smaller collections of Picasso and Mondriaan. Out back is Europe's largest sculpture garden, with works by Rodin, Moore, Giacometti and others. Explore the park by bicycle. They are available for use free of charge.

Be sure to visit Maastricht, one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands whose history stretches back nearly 2000 years. Early fortifications and tunnels are still in evidence. At the other end of the spectrum lies the Randstad, the country's most densely populated region incorporating a number of smaller towns. The region is speckled with mansions, embassies and the seat of government. The Dutch, evidencing their love for precision, have planted the largest garden in the world, the Keukenhof, in this district. Millions of tulips and daffodils bloom, seemingly on command, at precisely the same time every year to the delight of nearly 1,000,000 visitors who come to enjoy the sights - and smells - annually.