Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we visit the Netherlands! As you know, here at Wolters World, we like to prepare travelers with the good, and the bad, of visiting a new travel destination. So these are the five things you’ll love, and the five things you’ll hate about Netherlands travel.
Hate #1: Drug Tourism of Amsterdam
My least favorite thing about visiting the Netherlands is the drunk and drug tourism of Amsterdam. It’s a fantastic city, but so many tourists come to the Netherlands just to visit Amsterdam’s red-light district. If prostitution and drugs are your ideas of a fun vacation, we’re not judging you, but it frustrates me because there are so many cool places to visit in the Netherlands. What I mostly hate are the drunken tourists who can’t handle themselves and leave trash and vomit in the streets.
11 Things That Will Shock You in Amsterdam
Hate#2: Hotel Stairs
Many of the hotels in the Netherlands are in narrow buildings and they have very narrow steep stairs. They’re more like a ladder than a set of stairs. We’ve had a few incidents with the narrow stairs in the Netherlands hotels, so you have to be really careful. If you’re traveling with anyone with mobility issues, be sure to call ahead to your hotel to see if there’s an elevator or a lower floor you can stay on.
Hate#3: Service in the Netherlands
Service in the Netherlands is professional, but not prompt or friendly. Plan some extra time when eating out in the Netherlands because you can expect to sit for a long time. Even though tips are expected, the servers in the Netherlands make a good wage, so they’re not going to hustle for a tip as you might see in the United States. When you’re ready for the bill, you have to ask for it or they will leave you sitting there all day.
Hate #4: Bike Lanes in the Netherlands
Bicycles are a huge part of the culture in the Netherlands, so you can expect to be dodging bikes throughout your Netherlands vacation. Walking in the bike lanes can be a hair-raising experience. The bike lanes are usually painted red at pedestrian crossings, so if you think to yourself “red = dead” you just might remember not to step into the bike lanes!
Hate#5: Weather of the Netherlands
The weather in the Netherlands can be unpredictable and inconsistent. Don’t rely on a forecast too much when you’re out and about because the weather changes quickly. Always have a few layers you can add or subtract to your wardrobe for the day, and be prepared for rain.
Love #1: Architecture and Culture of the Netherlands
Whether you are going to see the Old Dutch Masters or the museums, the Netherlands has some of the best culture in Europe. Some of the architecture is simply amazing, and they take such pride in the history and culture of the country. I always take a ton of photos in the Netherlands because there are so many cool places to visit in the Netherlands.
Love #2: Tourism Infrastructure in the Netherlands
Transportation and tourism in the Netherlands are great. Pretty much everyone speaks English, so you don’t have to worry about language difficulties too much. Transportation throughout the country is really well-established. It’s a relatively small country, so you can easily see a lot of the country on day trips from Amsterdam, using the train system. Biking is another great way to get around the country. There are bike trails all over and it’s relatively flat, so it’s easy to bike. There are bike trails all over, too, including at most train stations, so you can take the train to a new town, rent a bike and start exploring.
Love #3: Getting out of Amsterdam
Don’t get me wrong, Amsterdam is really great, but I love getting out of Amsterdam and exploring the smaller towns of the Netherlands. There are so many cute little towns and larger cities to visit in the Netherlands. These smaller towns have far fewer tourists as well, so you can take the train for an hour and be off the tourist trail for a while.
Love #4: Dutch People
While the service in the Netherlands isn’t great, outside of that, the Dutch people are great. They speak fantastic English, and will readily explain some of their cultures and customs to you. They love to share their national pride and history. I often recommend the Netherlands to newer travelers who want to experience a country that speaks another language because it’s really easy to get by in the Netherlands. For most Dutch people, their English is so good, they will even understand sarcasm!
Love #5: Eating in the Netherlands
I really enjoy traveling around and sampling all of the unique food stalls in the Netherlands. They have so many tasty little treats and finger foods that are perfect snack-size. The restaurants in the Netherlands are ok, but the food stalls and even some of the vending machines are really good. The beer in the Netherlands is pretty good, too. My friend from Dutchified really turned me on to the tasty snacks of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is a fantastic country and a great place for newer travelers to branch out into International Travel. The “hates” are really just mild annoyances rather than a reason not to visit the Netherlands. Want more tips for planning a European vacation? Check out these other blog posts:
- 12 Don’ts of Visiting the Netherlands
- What to Know Before You Visit the Netherlands
- What to Know Before Your First Trip to Europe
The Best & The Worst Parts of Visiting The Netherlands – Original blog
Visiting the Netherlands is more than just visiting Amsterdam. There are so many wonderful things to see and do, from the architecture and amazing museums to the biking opportunities to all the windmills and flowers, to the bad parts of visiting The Netherlands, the stigma that the Netherlands are just a drunken party for tourists in the red light district of Amsterdam and did we mention the service? Here are five things you will love and hate about visiting the Netherlands.
The Hates of The Netherlands
Hate #1. The Drunk/High Tourists in the Red Light District in Amsterdam: and how they have become a defacto image of The Netherlands, when The Netherlands has so much to offer travelers. So do pay attention when visiting the red light district in Amsterdam and if you are going to be going to The Netherlands for drug tourism please be safe. We do not advocate doing drugs in The Netherlands, but if you have questions please ask your coffee shop staff as they are trained in helping people.
Hate #2. The Stairs: look the stairwells in the Netherlands are more like Ladders so be careful on them. Don’t bring heavy bags as you may lose your balance and fall. This is more of an issue with old homes that have been turned into hotels in major city centers.
Hate #3. The Service: as much as we love the Dutch people, the service is not something you will write home about. It’s professional, but not overly friendly. So expect direct, quick service, and you will need to ask for your bill.
Hate #4. The Bike Lanes: Remember, Red is Dead… you will understand the first time you walk into a bike lane in The Netherlands. In case you aren’t sure, bikes are a very big thing in The Netherlands and the bike lanes are a world unto their own. If you are pedestrian and wander into the bike lane you can be hit and will be yelled at so listen for those bike bells and make sure you stay out of the bike lanes.
Hate #5. The Unpredictable nature of Dutch weather: One minute it is raining, the next it is sunny, the next the temperature changes by 10 degrees it seems like.
The Loves of The Netherlands
Love #1. The Architecture and Culture throughout The Netherlands. The guild houses that will fill up gigs of data on your camera to amazing churches to museums stocked full of amazing art there is so much to enjoy and see in The Netherlands. There is a reason major museums around the world have a “Dutch Masters” section. So enjoy the architecture, museums and culture.
Love #2. The Transportation and Tourism Infrastructure: The Netherlands is super easy to get around. With a small country and a very well developed train network it is fast, easy, and efficient to visit any part of The Netherlands on your next visit.
Love #3. That there is so much more to The Netherlands than just Amsterdam: go explore the country, from Haarlem to Groningen to so many more great towns around the country. Even if Amsterdam is your main destinations day trips to nice cities can be as short as 15 minutes on a train away.
Love #3b. The People of the Netherlands: from their amazing English to their great sense of humor to their directness the Dutch can make for a great time. So expect to chat with the locals and be ready for their sense of humor and direct nature.
Love #4. The biking opportunities and easiness of renting bikes and exploring The Netherlands on two wheels: with bike rentals at many train stations, bike tours all over the country, biking infrastructure with bike lanes all over the country and the fact that The Netherlands is flat makes the country amazing for biking. So go rent one and explore!
Love #5. The drinking and snacking opportunities all over the country: Dutch food can be quite tasty so go explore the countryside and enjoy lots of small tasty treats like bitter ballen (fried meatballs) or kroketten, maybe try herring from a stall or visit one of the market halls or food halls around the country to grab a quick snack.
Filmed in Haarlem and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Copyright Mark Wolters 2018