Practical tips
Best time
Spring (April–May) is magical with the tulips in bloom (Keukenhof); summer is lively with long days. Autumn is calm; winter is cold, grey and windy, but the canals and museums make up for it. King’s Day (27 April) turns the country orange.
Languages
Dutch is the official language, but English is spoken almost universally and fluently — you won’t struggle. A “Hallo” and “Dank je wel” (thank you) is always nice. Frisian is spoken in the north, and there are large Surinamese and Indonesian communities.
Etiquette
Dutch directness is proverbial: people say what they think, plainly — it’s not rudeness, it’s honesty. Splitting the bill (“going Dutch”) is normal. Be punctual and direct. And the pedestrian’s golden rule: never walk in the bike lane (the red one) — cyclists won’t stop.
What to see & culture
Places
Amsterdam’s canals (World Heritage), the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum; modern Rotterdam; the windmills of Kinderdijk; the tulip fields and Keukenhof; and the North Sea beaches.
Culture
The land of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh, and of a tradition of tolerance and trade dating from the Golden Age. A liberal, cycling society bound to water (a quarter of the country lies below sea level). Strong heritage from the former colonies (Suriname, Indonesia, the Antilles).
Food
Warm stroopwafels, bitterballen with beer, raw herring (haring) eaten by hand, and fries with mayonnaise. The Indonesian legacy brought the rijsttafel (rice table), and the Surinamese one the roti — everyday city dishes.