The Netherlands

Famous as being the most tolerant nation in the world, the Netherlands has a lot more to offer visitors than the red light district of Amsterdam. Once upon a time, the Netherlands was the world's leading trading power, and the wealth and products of the globe flowed into their ports. The architectural legacy of that era is still written on the face of many Dutch cities. The country is also one of Europe's most productive farmlands. Despite one of the stereotyped images of the Netherlands being a great windmill sitting in a field of tulips, the bucolic splendour of the Dutch countryside is often forgotten by visitors.

Of course, the main magnet for tourism in the Netherlands is Amsterdam. As the home of one of Europe's most important international airports, it is an easy city to get to. The most common misunderstanding about Amsterdam is that cannabis is legal there. Strictly speaking, this is untrue. According to the law books it is illegal, but there is a policy of toleration, locally known as gedogen. Therefore, if you intend to indulge yourself while there, it is important you only do so through established vendors, such as the cafes. 

However, there is much more to Amsterdam than its decadence. The older part of the city, a colony of islands interconnected by bridges, was left undamaged by the Second World War and boasts over 7,000 buildings dating from medieval times to the 19th century. Like so much of Holland, Old Amsterdam is virtually flat, making it ideal for a walking or bicycle tours. Another way to see the sights of old Amsterdam is by canal tour. Amsterdam also boasts several of the famous Dutch windmills. When these were built the area surrounding them was farmland, but the city has since grown up around them to create a striking contrast between a centuries-old agricultural relic and a modern suburb. Nowadays they are used to house breweries, banks and restaurants.

Getting out into the countryside is easy. A half hour of pedalling down the path along the River Amstel will have you out of the city and into the countryside. Seeing rural Holland is easy, because so much of the land in the Low Countries is flat or nearly so. Virtually the only hard pedalling or walking one ever need do is to get up and over a dike, and that is a short enough exertion. The Netherlands is dotted with small villages, windmills, dairy farms and historic old cities like Maastricht, Nijmegen, Delft and Leiden. Touring the country under your own power is so easy that it is the best way to go about it, especially when all those famous tulips are in full bloom in the late Spring.

An example of how such a trip could unfold would be to pedal from Amsterdam to Maastricht. Following the most direct route would entail 130 miles, and a reasonably fit person would find covering this distance over the flat Dutch countryside in 5 days very easy indeed. Along the way there are national parks, historic Utrecht and scenic little Eindhoven. It is possible to stop in a town and sleep in an inn or hotel every night, so there is no need to camp if you don't want to rough it. At the end is the ancient city of Maastricht, so far into the southern Netherlands that it is almost in Belgium or Germany, and has splashes of culture from both countries 

The Netherlands is not especially well known for their cuisine, which is peculiar when you consider how popular their beer and cheese is. Heineken and Grolsch, as well as the Gouda, Edam and Leyden cheese are internationally famous, and visitors can find cheese-makers and breweries offering tours. The Dutch were also the inventors of chocolate bars, and although they are less famous for that in modern times, their chocolate bars are still delicious. 

Traditional Dutch cooking is quite hearty, as it was meant for labourers working in the chilly North Sea-driven weather. Thick pea soup with plenty of bacon or a couple of sausages with a plate of mashed potatoes and vegetables called a stampot are fairly typical Dutch meals. If you are touring the cities, you might want to dine mostly in the fine international restaurants enjoyed by the cosmopolitan Dutch. On the other hand, if you are hiking cross-country in April or November, a stampot will prove to be just the thing for filling your belly.

It is hardly an original idea to go on holiday to the Netherlands, but there are plenty of places to see and things to do in the country that are marvellous and remain off the well-trod paths of Amsterdam. That famous city is a magnificent place to start a Dutch vacation, and indeed is the natural entry point into the country for many. However, beyond it is a small, easy-going and intimate country where every place is easy to get to. The larger country of the Netherlands is a place that begs to be explored, and even on a trip as short as a week it is a simple and rewarding matter to get out and do so.