Shopping in Netherlands
The main Dutch souvenir are, of course, tulip bulbs. They can be easily found in every city in the country, but they are found in abundance at the flower market in Amsterdam. A bag of 10 bulbs will cost 2-3 EUR, for a wholesale purchase of 5-10 packs – discounts (for example, 4 packs for 10 EUR).
Keep in mind that having bought dozens of beautiful colored bags with coveted bulbs and hiding them at the very bottom of your suitcase, tightly corking them, you can only bring mold to your homeland. Bulbs need light and air, so handle them carefully.
In addition to various knick-knacks with images of windmills, wooden shoes (the so-called “klomps”, from 15 EUR per pair, there are also plush counterparts – slippers) and other things from Amsterdam, you can bring spicy souvenirs from numerous sex shops or all sorts of things from flea markets, of which a lot of the city. Delft porcelain will also be an excellent souvenir – all kinds of plates, cups, tulip bowls, cheese cutting boards and tiles for the kitchen. Real porcelain, which has been produced at the Royal Factory for 300-400 years, is quite expensive: you will have to pay about 100-150 EUR for a miniature coffee cup, beware of fakes. However, it cannot be said that these “fakes” look worse to the ordinary tourist eye – there is simply no bad porcelain here.
Shops are open from 8:30-9:00 to 17:30-18:00. Once a week (usually on Mondays) they are closed until 12:00, and on Thursdays they are usually open until 21:00. The center of Dutch shopping is Amsterdam with countless boutiques, department stores and shopping and entertainment centers. Experienced travelers especially praise antique, book and jewelry shops. For souvenirs, clothes and other treasures, it is better to hunt on the street. Kalverstraat, in the shopping district at Dam Square and in the Albert Cuyp Market. Rotterdam has two pedestrian shopping areas and many bazaars. The largest outlets with 30-70% discounts are in the southern Roermond and around Markermeer Lake, in other malls prices fall during sales periods: winter (from late November to January) and summer (from June to August).
Cuisine and restaurants in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, they like to eat tasty and satisfying food: dishes from poultry, meat, fish and seafood dominate on the tables. Potatoes are both a favorite side dish and a key ingredient in many main dishes. The main treasure of the local cuisine – gouda and edamer cheeses – will please even the most demanding gourmets. Raw herring also claims to be the best delicacy: in spring and summer, the Dutch buy it with particular enthusiasm in street stalls.
The most common first is pea soup, so thick and rich that a spoon stands. Meat stew with vegetables is preferred for the second, while hot dishes are served mainly for dinner, the rest of the time they are content with cold appetizers. A striking example of these are spicy meatballs, which go well with beer (the Dutch “Heineken” needs no introduction). Of the alcohol, only orange brandy, gin “Genever” and sweet liqueur “Lawyer” with beaten egg yolks can be compared with it in popularity.
The Dutch favorite non-alcoholic drinks are tea, black coffee and hot chocolate, accompanied by delicious desserts like thin stroopwafels with a layer of caramel.
There are many emigrants in the Netherlands, which could not but affect the local cuisine. Indonesian, Turkish, North African, Surinamese eateries are open in cities, excellent Thai and Chinese food in Amsterdam. Fast food enjoys enduring popularity: in the center and on the outskirts there are small cafeterias specializing in fried potatoes with a variety of additives – from peanut sauce to applesauce. There is no shortage of restaurants with traditional Dutch cuisine, equally loved by both locals and tourists. A snack in fast food will cost 5-7 EUR, lunch in a cafe – from 15 EUR per person. Dinner in a restaurant with alcohol – from 65-70 EUR for two, service charge is usually included in the bill.
Entertainment and attractions
The Netherlands is an ideal destination for those who want everything at once: all the best that Europe is rich in fit on its territory. The main local attractions are magnificent architecture: cathedrals, palaces, neat houses lined up on the embankments of the canals. Incredible museums containing masterpieces of great painters and valuable artefacts from various industries. Nature that makes you freeze in admiration: the coast of the North Sea dotted with dunes, farms and fields filled with flower aromas.
The main tourist magnet is Amsterdam: a week is barely enough to explore its sights. It is better to start the tour from Dam Square, which has grown on the site of a medieval dam. It is unexpectedly monumental: the elegant Royal Palace of the 17th century and the Gothic Nieuwekerk church contrast sharply with typical Dutch buildings. No less beautiful Leidseplein is a concentration of art cafes, shops, theaters and clubs. Iconic religious buildings are the Old Oude Kerk and the delicate, porcelain-like Westerkerk. Museums – a great variety: bags, trams, paintings, beer – that just is not put on the audience’s court.
To experience the aroma of the Netherlands, you need to go not to a coffee shop, but to the fabulous Keukenhof garden and the Blumenmarkt flower market. Although why not combine the impressions! See other countries beginning with N.
Rotterdam is proud of its modern architecture: the Cube House is a greeting from a parallel universe with different laws of physics, the Euromast is a ship tower on land, the Erasmus Bridge is a symbol of rebirth after World War II.
The heart of The Hague is Plein Square, where the garden at the Binnenhof castle once blossomed. Today, the government sits there, and the elegant facades of state institutions and the Mauritshuis Gallery adorn the Plain, from the walls of which the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by the famous Dutchman Vermeer looks languidly. By the way, the artist himself spent almost his entire life in Delft, the most beautiful city in the country, according to local residents. Walking along the Market Square with the Renaissance Town Hall, the Prinsenhof Palace and numerous museums will make you agree with them. No less impressive will be a trip to Haarlem, whose main attractions are religious: the Cathedral of St. Bavo, the Protestant church Grote Kerk and the Franz Hals Museum with Roman Catholic relics.
- Where to go to Holland with children
- Things to do in April in the Netherlands and Ireland
Museum card
The best way to see as many museums as possible, save money and skip the lines at the most popular museums in the country, is to buy a Museumkaart card. You can buy it at all information centers in Holland (marked with the inscription “VVV”), or order at the office. website. The card is valid for one year, upon registration they will ask your name and date of birth.
