Located just inland from the North Sea along the Netherlands’ west-central coast, Rotterdam is a city of about 700,000 residents that’s also one of the busiest seaports in Europe. It’s also one of the continent’s most international cities and is purported to have foreign residents from nearly 200 different countries. The city was founded nearly …
Known for its canals, bicycle infrastructure, museums, and grand gabled houses, Amsterdam is a fantastic place to visit. After a day wandering around the city and taking in all the sights, however, there’s nothing like retreating to a comfortable space. With a multitude of hotel options available in Amsterdam, it can be hard to find …
The small town of Vaals in South Limburg is on the map for a couple of big reasons. The first is the Drielandenpunt, the tripoint on the Dutch, German and Belgian borders. This is five minutes from the town centre, and has become a real tourist attraction, enhanced by an observation tower, hedge maze and …
A quaint village on the northern cusp of the Dwingelderveld National Park, Dwingeloo may be small but has a big personality in the summer. In this season the lush village green becomes a stage for events like an international ceramic art fair on May 30. If your idea of perfect relaxation means blissful walks, bike …
The former Hanseatic trading town of Hattem is on the IJssel river and was granted city rights as long ago as 1299. The Grote of Andreaskerk here has elements that are even older, like a 13th-century Romanesque tower and a baptismal font. It won’t take long to investigate Hattem’s protected cityscape, a dinky warren of …
A mid-sized city in the Utrecht Province, Veenendaal had humble beginnings in the 16th century as a peat-cutting colony founded by the Antwerp businessman Gilbert van Schoonbeke. The peat industry was practically killed off by a flood in 1855, after which Veenendaal turned to the cigar-making and woollen industries for its livelihood. Veenendaal ballooned in …
This fortified town on the Bergsche Maas was founded around the 13th century but went through a big transformation in the 1500s. At a key strategic position on the river dividing Brabant and Gelderland, Heusden was turned into a fortress on the Zuiderwaterlinie, a string of defences to protect the Netherlands from Spanish and then …
Couched in the sprawling wetlands of the Weerribben-Wieden National Park, Giethoorn is a village of thatched farmhouses, wooden footbridges and gardens overflowing with flowers, all threaded with canals. Cars aren’t much use in Giethoorn, and the “street” signs are on the canals instead. As with the surrounding region, that latticework of waterways is the product …
In Medieval times Hasselt was on the Zuiderzee, a saltwater bay of the North Sea, and as a member of the Hanseatic League was a major player in northern European trade in the 15th century. But after losing business to other better located trading posts in the 16th century, Hasselt slipped into relative obscurity and …
On the Scheldt Estuary, Breskens is a fishing town that for hundreds of years made its livelihood on the water. Since the 20th century the fishing industry has declined, but its memory lives on in a fishery museum in the harbour and a fishery festival every summer when you can soak up old-time Zeeland maritime …