Travel Tips To European Countries- Holland / Netherlands

Get to Know about Holland

The summers are cool here but the winters are severe with some chances of snowfall. Rainfall is typical in any month of the year. The official language here is Dutch . The other languages that are spoken are English, French and German , out of which English is widely spoken. If you are encounter with emergency call 112.

Dutch Culture

Handshake is the commonly practiced form of greeting. Although tipping is not mandatory, but it's better to pay rounds figure in restaurants and taxis. A humble gift should be taken to the host's house always when invited for a meal. Informal clothes are worn on a daily basis, but people are expected to turn up in formals at social functions and smart restaurants.

Shopping In Holland 

·         Pottery of Delft, Makkum and Workum is a must buy.

·         Silverware from Schoonhoven, crystals from Leerdam and diamonds from Amsterdam are highly recommended.

Try local delicacies:

Eat stamppot (potatoes mashed with kale, endive or sauerkraut, and served with smoked sausage or strips of pork) or Vlaames fries (chips with mayonnaise) for a quick snack

Drink Heineken beer or try Dutch gin (jenever) which is often drunk with a beer chaser; a combination is known as kopstoot(‘head butt’)

Site Seeing In Holland

·         Exploring Amsterdam’s many neighborhoods, from red-light sleaze and bohemian chic to stately grandeur

·         Visiting De Hoge Veluwe is the oldest and largest park of Holland, which also houses works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Mondriaan in the Kroller-Muller Museum. Bicycles can be used to explore the 5,500 hectares of the park.

·         Riding a bicycle around the Randstat region to see the spectacular bulb fields, which explode into colour between March and May

·         Apenheul Primate Park is a place to visit which is a home to more than thirty species of mammals. It remains closed during the winter.

·         Paleis Het Loo is a magnificent Palace surrounded by gardens and remains open year round except on public holidays.

·         Wandering around the labyrinth of tunnels on Maastricht’s western outskirts

Further Pleasures:

To read: The Diary of Anne Frank, a moving journal that describes her life in hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam: The Fall by Albert Camus, an existential monologue that uses Amsterdam’s canal system as an analogy for the rings of Hell

To listen: to Tiesto, the undisputed trancemeister, or for something more highbrow, pianist Ronald Brautigam

To watch: Stromenlied (song of the Rivers) by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens

Electricity

230 V and 50 Hz

Travel In Holland

The national airline that operates in Holland is KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines. It connects to nearly all the major cities of Europe, North America and Asia. Amsterdam Airport is the hub for many international and local flights,which is 15 km away from the city and it takes 20 minutes to reach there by train. The National Airline, KLM, provides bus service every 15-30 minutes which takes passengers to some of the famous hotels of the city. Public transport like buses are available too, to reach destination. The trains are connected to Amsterdam's Central Station and Zuid Station. Taxis take tourists to almost any location. The Airport features duty free shops, banks, showers, business center, baby rooms, and car hire.

Rotterdam and Eindhoven airport are 8km away from the city. You can either use the trains and buses which operate every 15 minutes to transport passengers to their hotels. Duty free shops, eateries, car rental, and internet can be availed easily at these airports. There is no departure tax implemented on passengers at any of these airports.

Hook of Holland, Vlissingen and Rotteradm are the main sea ports. Stena Line, P&O ferries and DFDS seaways provide ferry service to get to Holland.

If traveling by railway, Eurostar provides the best service and connects to all the major cities of Europe. It provides high grade services. Good offers are provided on regular basis and to utilize them they should be monitored from time to time. Unused tickets are easily refunded. The Inter-Rail pass can be bought to avail the unlimited second class train travel within 29 European countries.

Top class road network connects Holland to majority of cities in Europe. They are well maintained and signs are posted every where for safe driving. 120kph is the speed limit while driving on highways. Many car dealing agents exist if opting for car-rental. Some of them are Avis, Europcar and Budget.

Cycling is also a major means of transportation in Holland and is part and parcel of daily life. Tourists can hire cycles from the airport or other service providers with some money-deposit. Get to know Holland will be best by cycling:Holiday Guide to European Countries: Holland

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco

2. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette

3. 1liter of liquor or 2liter of sparkling wine or liquor wines and 2liter of non-sparkling wine

4. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract

5. 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract