The Netherlands: More Than Just Amsterdam. Part II

This story follows our previous article on the Netherlands, in which we recommended the best places to visit to get a full understanding of the country.

Gouda

Let's start with the small and cozy town of Gouda. Yes, the world-famous cheese was invented right there in the 12th century. It is also famous for its tradition of making Dutch waffles (stroopwafel). Gouda can be easily explored in an hour. The main attractions are traditionally concentrated around the main square, in the center of which is the City Hall, which looks like a castle from a Walt Disney cartoon. If you decide to stay for lunch or dinner, we recommend that you pay attention to the Brasserie-Bar De Zalm. It is located on the ground floor of the old hotel, opposite the City Hall. It serves excellent salmon.

Haarlem

Often dubbed "Little Amsterdam", Haarlem has all the appeal of the capital city with none of the crowds.

Keukenhof Park

If you are fortunate enough to be in the Netherlands in the spring, you should definitely visit Keukenhof Park, which is considered the most beautiful flower park in the world. It is usually open from the end of March to the middle of May. Due to the large influx of tourists, it is better to buy tickets in advance. Since recently, they can only be purchased online on the park's website. You can easily spend a whole day visiting. However, you should bear in mind that the return journey will not be quick. To avoid waiting too long, we optimized our route by passing through Leiden, which we were very pleased with.

Leiden

We found ourselves in this city by happy chance, which is famous for its canals. The central part can be walked in an hour. For dinner we chose the Waag restaurant, which is located in an ancient mansion. A great place for a rendezvous or a dinner with friends. Exquisite cuisine, original interior and a wide range of drinks will make the evening wonderful.

Groningen

Groningen is a large city in the north of Holland, until recently known for one of the largest gas fields in Europe (it was decided to stop production on 1 October 2023 due to increasing seismic activity in the region). The city is also famous for its active student life - more than 50,000 students live there. In this city we were interested in cafes-libraries, which, as it turned out, are quite numerous in the city, but they all work until 5 pm, so we could not get into any of them.

Volendam

A small fishing village not far from Edam. The best time for a visit is on a sunny summer day, as the wind from the north sea is particularly strong here. A walk along the promenade, past the many yachts moored there, will take you an hour or an hour and a half. A great option is to have lunch overlooking the sea at the fish restaurant and eat a delicious, freshly baked waffle at Woltjes' Backerij.

Castle de Haar

A picturesque old castle near Utrecht. Built by the Dutch neo-Gothic master Kuypers for members of the Rothschild family. The castle is surrounded by an English-style park. The park also has a 'wildlife corner' where deer graze, which children will clearly appreciate. We cycled to the castle from Utrecht, it was not an easy ride but it allowed us to appreciate the surrounding scenery.