Holland/Netherlands
Introduction:
Holland is a great country that has lots to offer and experience. My experience with Holland is a very local and touristy experience since I do have family that live there and so when I go I typically land in “Amsterdam” and stay there for a few days to see one family member and then take the train to “Zuidlaren” which is a small city in Northern Holland were the rest of my family members live. Because of the family visits and the exploring I got to do there, I always got the perfect experience based on the various things I did in different places.
Attractions:
A little fun theme park for kids between the ages of 5-12. This theme park is called Kabouterland. The theme park is a great quick stop, especially for young children, and is found close to Zuidlaren. Another great attraction in Amsterdam is the canal tours which cost around 16 euros each. This attraction is a great way to see the city and get to know a bit more about Amsterdam's history. A science museum that I ended up going to was the Nemo which is a great museum for kids. Another museum that is more of the typical museum is the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam which documents almost all of his beautiful paintings. Like the common stereotype of local Dutch residents biking a lot, I suggest that you rent a bike and go for a bike ride to be able to see more of the city.
Food:
If you are looking for a meal and an experience the Pannekoekschip would be perfect since it is a pirate ship that sits in one of the canals in Amsterdam which offers a variety of different pancakes that you can order. My favorite is the apple pancake that they offer. This was something that enjoyed a lot since when I was little I went here and I got so excited since I was eating pancakes for dinner I would encourage you to do the same for your children if you have any because for a minute I thought that I had the coolest parents(now I do think different). So do that for your child since that might be the peak of how they think of you(just kidding). But trust me, just go here because they offer a lot of great things and it’s just really fun.
Now this is a cooking place that is for kids that is very fun which is called Kinderkookcafe. This is also found in Amsterdam. This was a place that I went to when I went for the first time when I was younger and I remember having very fond memories at that restaurant since I thought it was so cool at the time that I gotta cook and make my food. Because of this if you do have young children the Kindercafe is a great experience for them and just an all-around good time.
For the snack option, I’m sure that you’ve seen this all over your Instagram but I still want to recommend it since it was still a great snack this restaurant is called Febo. Now if you’re looking for another snacky kind of place Captain Candy is a fancy and fun candy shop that is a chain across Europe, another location includes Venice.
As you can see with food I don’t have too many recommendations as opposed to other articles but truly I do believe that all restaurants are good In Holland because of the care they put into everything that they do. That is why I love Holland so much because of their mentality towards things such as their safety and “Perfectionism”.
Location:
Now obviously with the location I only have been to Zuidlaren and Amsterdam but I do feel that you can go to Holland I would suggest that you go to Amsterdam and a local town since it gives you both the tourist and local experience which I believe is the best since it gives you a feel of the country and you get to experience the touristy side as well. Because of this recommendation to go to Amsterdam and Zuidlaren because it is such a cute little town that honestly seems out of a fairy tale. And so this will give you, in my opinion, the best experience you can get out of Holland. But truly if you were to do the same thing in other countries where you go to a touristy city and a little town I believe it would give you the best experience for your trip to Holland or any other country.
Perfect time to visit:
As you may know, Holland can get very rainy and so obviously because of that, you don’t want to go in the rainy season which is in the fall which means if you were to go any other time it would be enjoyable. But, personally, the perfect time and the time I went was in the Summer since it isn’t too hot but it is still very warm. And because of that, I believe that you should go in the summer since it isn’t their rainy season and it won’t be ridiculously hot.
Hotels:
Some great hotels and hostels include:
Rembrandt's old apartment is an Airbnb where I ended up staying for a few days. It was amazing because you got a view of the city and the canals and the location was cool since it was right across the canal from Anne Frank's old house which is nice since they do have an exhibit that you can go see there.
The Manor Amsterdam is another good option which will cost you about 127 euros each night. The nice thing about this hotel is that it is in a great location which is also near a lot of appealing attractions.
Now in Zuidlaren, they have a bed and breakfast in the center of Zuidlaren called Bed and Breakfast Hoeve de Vredenhof which costs around 140 euros a day.
But if you are looking for the typical hostel, The Flying Pig Beach Hostel would be what you are looking for. They also offer two different types of rooms which are a private room which costs 24 euros a night and a dorm which is 16.08 euros a night.
Safety:
Holland is a very safe and secure country for all ages and genders. Now with all countries and as I always say just because many people say it’s safe doesn’t mean that something won’t happen to you now I do doubt it but still always be aware of your surroundings.
Environment:
In regards to the environment since we only have one, make sure when you're traveling to be conscious about the environment since we still need it to last us many more decades so think green.