Planning a Holiday in The Nederlands - All You Need to Know

May 18, 2016

If you fancy a trip to the land of tulips and windmills then you need to apply for Schengen visa if you are not a EU citizen. Holland as it is commonly known as The Nederlands to Dutch people is one of the 26 countries in Europe that have no controls between their borders, so a visa for one country lets you into the other 25 Schengen Area countries. You will also need a valid passport and a return ticket as well as proof that you have hotel reservations and enough money for your stay and sometimes proof of income for the last three months or a note of sponsorship if you are planning to stay with friends or family.

The Nederlands is a tiny country bounded by Germany and Belgium and can be reached by plane or by boat. It is famous for being the closest to sea level in the world and is very flat, which may explain why cycling is so popular here. If you come for a vacation here, then renting a bike is a must as is trying some of the local delicacies such as frites with mayonnaise and the local beers.

Amsterdam is the main tourist city in the country and is renowned for its liberal cannabis coffee shops and stunning buildings and canals and is the official capital with Den Hague being the seat of the Dutch Government but there are many beautiful, picturesque medieval cities to visit such as Amersfoort, which is in the very centre of The Nederlands so handy for visiting other parts of the country. The people are generally very friendly and there is a large immigrant community from Suriname, Morocco, Indonesia and Turkey who have brought their varied cuisine with them. The weather is cold in the winter but warm in the summer and public transport is both fairly cheap and very reliable. As well as being a beautiful country to visit with architecturally interesting cities and sandy beaches, the Nederlands is a fantastic base from which to explore other European countries and the cost of living is fairly cheap.