The Netherlands

Especially for people from abroad visiting the Netherlands I made this page.
Here are some ideas provided by ambassadors who lived in the Netherlands for a while.
Living in Nijmegen myself, I would recommend places near Nijmegen, such as the riverlandscape of the Land van Maas en Waal, the Ooijpolder and the Millingerwaard. Also the center of Nijmegen is worth a visit for a couple of hours. I mention the Sint Stevens Church and the Market with the Waag. Take a stroll through the Hezelstraat, my favorite street.

I made a list of things the ambassadors found interesting to visit. It's based on an article by journalist Elma Verheij in Vrij Nederland of May 24 1986, a prominent Dutch weekly.
Ambassadors from several countries were asked what they found the most beautiful or the most striking of our flat, humid country. They lived in the Hague (the residence), because that's where most the embassies are situated.
Although this article was written some time ago and although the ambassadors seem to think that the Netherlands only consist of the western provinces (Noord- and Zuid-Holland and Zeeland), I believe their ideas are worthwhile.

The Ambassadors' 1986 Travel Tips:
Mexico, Roberto Casellas-Leal:
Beautiful:	Wassenaar, Limburg, the surroundings of Soestdijk
Awful:	The sea that's covered with horrible green froth. (The ambassador means the Noordzee.)
Finland, Matti Häkkänen:
Beautiful:	Seeing the Netherlands by ice skate
Awful:	The Netherlands are so crowded and polluted (compared with Finland of course).
Interesting:	It's a country for bicycles, a polder landscape. (A polder is a piece of land, surrounded by water, but it's not an island, YJ) Cycle tour, designed by Mr. Häkkänen: Start from the Hague, go to Gouda, go north along the river Vecht, along 's-Graveland, the Muiderslot and Lelystad. Visit the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen, go to Hoorn, visit the Zaanse Schans, take the ferry over the Noordzeekanaal, visit the Frans Hals museum in Haarlem, go to Zandvoort and finish in the Hague.
Turkey, Ayhan Kamel:
Awful:	The climate, a crowded Keukenhof.
Beautiful:	A storm, the Keukenhof at 8:00 hours in the morning, holidays in Turkey.
Spain, Fernando Schwartz Irón:
Beautiful:	The Voorhout (the Hague), the Afsluitdijk, Hotel des Indes (the Hague), the breakfast room in the Spanish embassy.
India, Mrs. Soonu Kochar:
Interesting:	Cheese market at Alkmaar, fruitcorso at Tiel, carnaval at Maastricht, Elfstedentocht in Friesland (Fryslan boppe).
Beautiful:	The Keukenhof.
Australia, Geoffrey John Price:
Beautiful:	Cycling in the dunes far away from Scheveningen, the feeling of space you get when you undergo the flatness of the land, together with the enormous sky and the beautiful light. The soft colors. Go for instance to the province of Zeeland. View on Kinderdijk (beware not to be killed by cars). Musea: Mauritshuis, Frans Hals Museum. A boat trip through the Amsterdam canals for the best view at the 17th century houses. A boat trip through Delft. The gemeentehuis (council) at Gouda. Painting: Vermeers' View of Delft. YJ: have a look at this website on Vermeer's View of Delft.
Awful:	Scheveningen.
Canada, Lawrence Austin Hayne Smith:
Beautiful, fascinating and interesting:	The Canadian embassy: Groot-Haesebroek and its history
Nigeria, Jibrin Dada Chinade:
Beautiful:	The highway between Schiphol and The Hague.
Awful:	The culture is Boers (Southafrican), but fortunately the people do not discriminate.
Dull:	The landscape
Fascinating:	The highway Schiphol-The Hague
Interesting:	Vlisco Fabriek in Helmond. (They produce African batik).
Hungary, Tivadar Ivan:
Beautiful:	The town squares of Delft and Gouda, the St Jans Kerk in Gouda, the Keukenhof, the black tulip (YJ: tulip Queen of Night), the Rijksmuseum, two garden centers near the Hungarian embassy.
Belgium, dr. Jan Frans Maria Herpin:
Beautiful:	The Hague, the Loo (Apeldoorn), Madurodam, the Binnenhof (the Hague).
Fascinating:	Oosterscheldedam, Schiphol, het Dorp (Arnhem).

The Ambassadors' 1986 Travel Tips:

Mexico, Roberto Casellas-Leal:

Beautiful:

Wassenaar, Limburg, the surroundings of Soestdijk

Awful:

The sea that's covered with horrible green froth. (The ambassador means the Noordzee.)

Finland, Matti Häkkänen:

Beautiful:

Seeing the Netherlands by ice skate

Awful:

The Netherlands are so crowded and polluted (compared with Finland of course).

Interesting:

It's a country for bicycles, a polder landscape. (A polder is a piece of land, surrounded by water, but it's not an island, YJ)
Cycle tour, designed by Mr. Häkkänen: Start from the Hague, go to Gouda, go north along the river Vecht, along 's-Graveland, the Muiderslot and Lelystad. Visit the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen, go to Hoorn, visit the Zaanse Schans, take the ferry over the Noordzeekanaal, visit the Frans Hals museum in Haarlem, go to Zandvoort and finish in the Hague.

Turkey, Ayhan Kamel:

Awful:

The climate, a crowded Keukenhof.

Beautiful:

A storm, the Keukenhof at 8:00 hours in the morning, holidays in Turkey.

Spain, Fernando Schwartz Irón:

Beautiful:

The Voorhout (the Hague), the Afsluitdijk, Hotel des Indes (the Hague), the breakfast room in the Spanish embassy.

India, Mrs. Soonu Kochar:

Interesting:

Cheese market at Alkmaar, fruitcorso at Tiel, carnaval at Maastricht, Elfstedentocht in Friesland (Fryslan boppe).

Beautiful:

The Keukenhof.

Australia, Geoffrey John Price:

Beautiful:

Cycling in the dunes far away from Scheveningen, the feeling of space you get when you undergo the flatness of the land, together with the enormous sky and the beautiful light. The soft colors. Go for instance to the province of Zeeland. View on Kinderdijk (beware not to be killed by cars).
Musea: Mauritshuis, Frans Hals Museum. A boat trip through the Amsterdam canals for the best view at the 17th century houses. A boat trip through Delft. The gemeentehuis (council) at Gouda. Painting: Vermeers' View of Delft. YJ: have a look at this website on Vermeer's View of Delft.

Awful:

Scheveningen.

Canada, Lawrence Austin Hayne Smith:

Beautiful, fascinating and interesting:

The Canadian embassy: Groot-Haesebroek and its history

Nigeria, Jibrin Dada Chinade:

Beautiful:

The highway between Schiphol and The Hague.

Awful:

The culture is Boers (Southafrican), but fortunately the people do not discriminate.

Dull:

The landscape

Fascinating:

The highway Schiphol-The Hague

Interesting:

Vlisco Fabriek in Helmond. (They produce African batik).

Hungary, Tivadar Ivan:

Beautiful:

The town squares of Delft and Gouda, the St Jans Kerk in Gouda, the Keukenhof, the black tulip (YJ: tulip Queen of Night), the Rijksmuseum, two garden centers near the Hungarian embassy.

Belgium, dr. Jan Frans Maria Herpin:

Beautiful:

The Hague, the Loo (Apeldoorn), Madurodam, the Binnenhof (the Hague).

Fascinating:

Oosterscheldedam, Schiphol, het Dorp (Arnhem).

Website of Yvonne Janssen

The Netherlands