NL - Netherlands Oland

The Western Netherlands is the region that most foreign visitors to the Netherlands attend. Quite frankly, many of them don’t even see any other part of the country at all — this region has everything you’d expect from the country and has the most sights and activities. It is the most urbanized area of ​​the country. Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht, the four largest cities of the country, are all in this region. There is an abundance of airports, ports, museums, restaurants and nightlife. However, most of the land is still of a rural nature. The endless flat polders Holland is famous for are omnipresent — with the occasional cute village popping up. Interesting places like Kinderdijk, Marken, Oudewater, Volendam and Zaanse Schans are just a short train / bus (or bike!) Ride from the major cities.

Regions:
 Flevoland
The Netherlands’ newest province, almost completely formed through land reclamation.
 North Holland
Most visited region with Amsterdam and traditional Dutch rural villages.
 South Holland
Most densely populated region with plenty of different rural landscapes – polders, bulb fields, dunes, islands, lakes and agricultural areas.
 Utrecht
Rivers, lakes and nature, and some historic towns.

Cities:
1 Amsterdam – traveler magnet due to its impressive architecture, lovely canals, museums and infamous nightlife
2 Alkmaar – historic town popular for its cheese market
3 Delft – historic unspoiled town with traditional architecture, canals, bikes, and the world famous blue and white ceramics
4 Haarlem – 17th century town center, shops and numerous museums
5 Gouda – world-famous for its Gouda cheese and the home of stroopwafels
6 Leiden – historic student city with the oldest university in the country and three national museums
7 Rotterdam – modern architecture, as well as one of the largest ports in the world
8 The Hague – judicial capital of the world, as well as the seat of the Dutch government and the royal family
9 Utrecht – historic city, university town and the Rietveld Schröder House

Other destinations:
1 Keukenhof – more than 800,000 visitors see these enormous flower gardens each spring
2 Kinderdijk – these mills show the Dutch landscape in all its glory
3 Scheveningen – largest and most-populous beach resort of the Netherlands; administratively a part of The Hague
4 Schokland – this used to be an island community, but an evacuation in 1870 put an end to it all
5 Schiphol Airport – the international airport of Amsterdam, one of Europe’s busiest airport cities
6 Texel – one of the West Frisian Islands, it houses great tourist resorts for its beaches
7 Zaanse Schans – open-air display of Dutch windmills and houses
8 Zaanstreek-Waterland – traditional Dutch villages with clogs, wooden houses and windmills
9 Zuid-Kennemerland National Park – forests, beaches and dunes to hike or cycle around in.