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Planning to visit the Netherlands?

If yes, awesome and well done, my friend! You have made an excellent choice for your next travel destination. If not, you better put it on your list soon!

I’ve been lucky to have this country as my second home for the past 12 years, and I am proud to say that. The Netherlands is a charming and unique country, and definitely has a lot to offer for travelers (more than only Amsterdam, and the green leave it allegedly symbolizes).

To help you prepare for the journey, these are 10 things you must know before visiting the Netherlands for the first time.

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10 things you must know before visiting the Netherlands

#1 – It is called the Netherlands (and not Holland)

Yeah, I know it’s lame, but I can’t help it. I honestly believe it’s very important that you know the proper name of a country before even visiting it. The official name of the Netherlands is “Kingdom of the Netherlands.” And Holland is, in fact, a part of the Netherlands (i.e. these are 2 provinces of the Netherlands: North- and South Holland). In Dutch, it is called “Nederland”, which means the Low Lands. So if you would like to impress and connect with the locals, you now know how!

#2 – O, there are so much more than Amsterdam!

Yes, Amsterdam is cool, beautiful, and lots of things happening there. But it is too crowded and full of tourists! If you are a type of travelers seeking more authenticity and “off-the-beaten-path” places, you should consider visiting other places. Even if you’re not, I would still recommend doing so. And the good news is that most of these awesome places are actually not too far away from Amsterdam, so you can easily make a day trip out of it. Here are 6 cities or places that I would recommend to visit:

• Utrecht
• The Hague
• Rotterdam
• Haarlem
• Alkmaar
• Giethoorn

#3 – It’s useful to learn some basic Dutch words

Don’t get me wrong: Dutch people speak excellent English in average. So you shouldn’t bother to take a language course or memorize a lot of phrases. However, there are certain cases where knowing a bit of Dutch would be helpful. For example, when you go with public transport, some announcements and signs are only written in Dutch. You certainly don’t want to get lost in a public transport, do you? Moreover, this is again a way to impress and connect easily with the locals!

#4 – Credit cards are not widely accepted

Too bad, the Netherlands is not that big with credit cards. Credit cards are generally only accepted in restaurants and shops in the big major cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam). Most accepted cards are Mastercard and Visa, and to a lesser extent American Express. Other types of cards, like Discovery or Diners, are not accepted at all. Make sure though that your credit card has a chip and PIN code because this is required for every transaction in Europe. Supermarkets generally do not accept credit card, except for Albert Heijn and Jumbo. The latter is also the only supermarket in the Netherlands that accepts American Express (although this is currently possible only in some select number of locations).

#5 – Public transport (or bikes) is the way to get around

The Netherlands is incredibly compact, and very well connected in terms of public transport infrastructure. That is why it is so easy to get around with public transports. They are cheap, convenient and hassle-free. To get around in the city, you may want to get a bike. There are many bike rental places, and even you can rent a bike in the train station (NS bike). And because there is a dedicated bike line everywhere, you don’t need to worry getting hit by a car.

#6 – Hit the local bars

Want to meet locals, and have lots of fun? Try to get drinks at the local bars (or we call it here “kroeg”), instead of the more touristic fancy clubs. Dutch people love to drink and socializing. So this is the easiest way for you to connect and blend with the locals. A free pro tip for instant socializing: just ask some locals what is the most favorite local bar near your hotels/place, and invite them to join you!

#7 – Coffee shop has different definition here

Just so you know, don’t expect that you will be served a cup of coffee, if you enter a coffee shop here. This is because that’s not the place where you can get it. If you want to get a cup of coffee, go to café instead, or some artisanal coffee houses that have been growing in numbers lately. Or if you like, you can find Starbucks as well. So what can you get at the coffee shop then? Well, I leave it to you to discover it yourself (Hint: remember that green leave I was talking about :))

#8 – Weather is very tricky

The weather in the Netherlands is unpredictable, although most of the time it is wet, cold and windy. Even in the summertime, it can change any minute from sunny to stormy. So always be prepared, and I really recommended to check the weather forecast on internet or TV before you’re heading out.

#9 – Multicultural, tolerant, liberal

It comes perhaps as no surprise that the Netherlands is one of the most open, tolerant and liberal countries in the world. You will see the diversity of people with different roots and cultural background. And also on the food scene, you will certainly have no shortage of choices from Asian, Caribbean, African etc.

#10 – Shops generally close early

Unlike in many other countries in Europe, shops in the Netherlands are generally only open until 18.00 or 19.00 (with an exception in Amsterdam, where they’re open until 21.00). In several cities, shops are even not open on Sundays. So keep that in mind, in case you need to buy something essentials.

There you are 10 things that you should know before visiting the Netherlands. Do you like this post? Please make sure that you check out my other blog posts with many more helpful tips for traveling, and don’t forget to subscribe to receive many more awesome travel tips regularly.

See you in the next blog post and until we Greet again!