Tours to the Netherlands

Tours to the Netherlands is a great opportunity to make a fascinating journey to the most picturesque country of Old Europe. Unique castles and picturesque ruins of fortifications, many museums and unusual botanical gardens, the neighborhood of architectural sights and ultramodern business centers.

Rest in the Netherlands carries the air of freedom and high morality, the aromas of fields of tulips and daffodils and freshly brewed beer, the indispensable luxury of hotels and the respectability of restaurants. And of course, a tempting extreme journey along the Red Light District.

A tour operator in the Netherlands, will offer the most exciting individual tours for travelers from Moscow and other regions. In this distinctive country, each city can be called unique: Amsterdam and The Hague, Rotterdam and Haarlem, Utrecht and Leiden. Narrow streets with picturesque shops and old hotels, an exciting excursion program and tempting shopping, immersion in the history of the country with unusual sights, many beaches and resort towns along the North Sea coast, vibrant nightlife with visits to bars, restaurants and famous discos – such a vacation will become truly unforgettable! As well as bright spring fields with blooming Dutch tulips!

Currency: Euro

Language: official – Dutch, Frisian

Capital: Amsterdam

“Uncaught fish,
talking to each other in Dutch, are
convinced that their freedom is a mixture
of engraving and lace.”
Joseph Brodsky

Climate
According to Topb2bwebsites, the Netherlands has a temperate maritime and humid climate, similar to the climate of St. Petersburg, with quite windy and changeable weather, with frequent rains. The average temperature in January is +1-3 °C, in July +16-17 °C.

A bit of history
The name Netherlands (Nederland) in translation means “lower lands”. The Netherlands is often referred to as Holland. Holland is the name of the two coastal provinces of North Holland and South Holland, which played an important role in the history of the country. Settlement of the Netherlands begins at the end of the Ice Age. In 57 BC, the territory of the Netherlands was conquered by the troops of Julius Caesar, but in the 3rd century the power of the Roman Empire was waning, and in 406 the Gauls attacked the Low Countries. During the early Middle Ages, the territory was conquered by the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who converted the local population to Christianity. In the Middle Ages, the Low Countries were part of the Holy Roman Empire, and in the 16th century. united under the rule of the Habsburgs. From 1568 to 1648 the Eighty Years’ War against Spanish domination took place in the Netherlands, that began with a legendary uprising led by William of Orange. In the 17th century The Golden Age of the Netherlands begins, a period of economic and cultural prosperity for the country. In the 19th century The Netherlands becomes a monarchical country ruled by the House of Orange, and in 1848 it is transformed into a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch. Since 1890, only women have been on the throne, and the current Queen of the Netherlands, Beatrix, who took the throne in 1980, is no exception.  However, she almost does not interfere in the political life of the country, and the legislative power is the parliament and the government.

Cultural heritage
A small country, the Netherlands is the birthplace of great artists, philosophers and cultural figures, here are the world’s masterpieces of architecture and art, magnificent museums and historical sites.
Painting: Rembrandt van Rhine, Johannes Wermeer, Vincent van Gogh, Piet Mondrian, Hieronymus Bosch.

References: Erasmus of Rotterdam, Benedict Spinoza, Peter Cornelison Hooft, Joost van den Vondel, Gerard Reve, Harry Mulish, Willem Frederik Hermans, Anne Frank.
Cinematography: Paul Verhoeven, Rutger Hauer, Sylvia Kristel

Cuisine
Dutch cuisine incorporates influences from different cultures. Among the most famous traditional dishes: bitter balls Bitterballen – an appetizer in the form of deep-fried balls of meat stew; winter pea soup Snert (Snert) – thick hearty soup with lard and rye bread; stamppot (Stamppot) – mashed potatoes with herbs and meat, often with cabbage, smoked sausage and fried lard; french fries (Patatje met) drizzled with mayonnaise or sate, as well as sweet poffertjes pancakes (Poffertjes), prepared according to an old Dutch recipe, and chocolate topping for hagelslag sandwiches (Hagelslag). Speaking about the cuisine of the Netherlands, one cannot but mention the excellent cheeses, the most famous of which are gouda, Leiden cheese and edamer.

Dutch symbols
Tulips – this delicate spring flower has been the unofficial national symbol of the Netherlands for many centuries. For the first time, tulip bulbs were brought to Holland in 1590, and since then a real tulip mania has begun in the country. In the 80s and 90s the famous Dutch football players Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard were known in Italy as “tulips”. Today the most famous flower park, where exhibitions are held and you can admire countless unique species of tulips. And not only – the Dutch Keukenhof or the Garden of Europe.
Windmills– these fairly common buildings are a kind of symbol of the Netherlands. At the end of the 16th century, mills appeared in the Netherlands, in which only the tower turned towards the wind, and as recently as 100 years ago there were 10,000 active mills in Holland! They ground grain, produced timber; thanks to them, the water supply was maintained. Today, 19 of the windmills in Kinderdijk are unique and are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Wooden clogs “klomps” – wooden shoes, national shoes in the Netherlands. The first artisans who made klomps appeared in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, clogs were worn everywhere in Holland, today they can also be purchased in souvenir shops and shops, and for every taste.

Dishes from Delft– amazing chinaware from the city of Delft, known throughout the world as the city of porcelain. In the 17th century, potteries appeared in Delft, where they began to produce Delft porcelain with designs based on these examples of Chinese porcelain ware. These unique porcelain products are still made by hand today.

Holidays in the Netherlands
January 1 – New Year
End of March – beginning of April (depending on the year) – Easter, Good Friday
April 30 – The Queen’s Birthday
May 1 – Labor Day
May 4 – the day of commemoration of military and civilian victims of military conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
May 5 – Liberation Day
Mid-November – Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) Day
December 25 – Christmas