Netherlands

Rotterdam Unlimited: the Summer Carnival and Street Parade

Rotterdam Unlimited is a free summer carnival held in central Rotterdam every July, and its Saturday Straatparade turns the city centre into a Caribbean carnival: around 30 groups and 2,500 dancers over a 5 km route.

Rotterdam Shopping Guide: Top Areas and What to Buy

Rotterdam's shopping spreads across the Markthal, Koopgoot, Witte de Withstraat and a dozen other streets, all rebuilt in modern style after WWII bombing. Here's where to go and what to buy.

75 Interesting Facts About the Netherlands, Fact-Checked

A quarter of the Netherlands sits below sea level, its 18.1 million people own more than 22 million bikes, and they are the tallest on earth. Here are 75 interesting facts about the Netherlands, all rechecked and corrected.

Keukenhof 2027: Opening Dates, Tickets and When to Go

Keukenhof is open from Thursday 18 March to Sunday 9 May 2027, daily 08:00 to 19:00, with the entrance closing at 18:15. That is the only 53-day window all year, and this guide covers tickets, timed slots and how to get there.

5 Parks in Rotterdam, from Kralingse Bos to the Dakpark

Rotterdam's five best parks are the Kralingse Bos with its 5 km lake walk, the 215-hectare Zuiderpark, Het Park under the Euromast, the Dakpark on a shopping-centre roof and the Vroesenpark barbecue lawn.

11 Best Restaurants in Aruba: Where to Eat on the Island

Aruba's standout restaurants sit in three areas: Palm Beach for the open-air terraces, Oranjestad for waterfront tables at sunset, and Noord, Santa Cruz and Savaneta for the food Arubans eat themselves. Here are 11 I ate at myself.

Things to Do in Zutphen, Deventer and Doesburg: Hanseatic Trip

Zutphen, Deventer and Doesburg are three Hanseatic towns on the IJssel that fit into a long weekend. Zutphen has the chained library and the whisper boats, Deventer the tower climb and Europe's largest book market, Doesburg the country's oldest cafe.

Things to Do in The Hague, Netherlands: One Day Itinerary

A one-day walking itinerary for The Hague: the old shopping lanes, the Hofvijver, Panorama Mesdag and the Peace Palace in the morning, then Scheveningen beach and the pier. Includes what is closed for renovation and where to eat.

15 Things to Do in Maastricht: Sights, Caves and Squares

The things to do in Maastricht are the Vrijthof and its two basilicas, the Dominicanen bookshop in a Gothic church, the caves and fort under the Sint-Pietersberg, and the Bonnefanten museum. Most sit inside a twenty-minute walk.

Renaissance Island Aruba: The Flamingo Beach Hotel

Aruba's flamingo beach belongs to Renaissance Island, the private island of the Oranjestad hotel now called Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort (formerly Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino). Here's what the resort, the island and its flamingos are actually like today.

Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba Review: Casitas and BBQs

The Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba is 49 standalone casitas in a former coconut plantation, each with a kitchen, a hammock and a charcoal barbecue, three minutes from Palm Beach. Here is what a stay is like, and what has changed since.

A Weekend in Zeeland: Beaches, Middelburg and Things to Do

A weekend in Zeeland is a beach weekend: the same North Sea as the Belgian coast an hour south, almost no high-rise, and enough empty sand that you can sit with metres of it around you even in July.

What to Pack for Aruba: A Tested 7-Day Packing List

A week on Aruba needs light clothes you can re-wear, water shoes for the rocky snorkel entries, mineral sunscreen that meets the island's oxybenzone ban, and one smarter outfit for dinner. Here is the tested list, plus the ED-card and fee to sort before you fly.

Rotterdam Street Art and Graffiti: Routes, Map and Murals

Rotterdam's street art is mapped, free to follow and organised into walking routes by neighbourhood, and the tool to use is Rewriters010's website rather than an app: 247 artworks, 12 artists and 9 routes across the city.

Leeuwarden Food Guide: 7 Friesland Producers You Can Visit

Seven Friesland food producers you can visit around Leeuwarden, from a six-generation Beerenburg distillery to an eel fisherman with his own lake and an organic sheep farm. Four of the seven give tours only by arrangement, so phone first.

Things to Do in Amsterdam Noord: A 2-Day Itinerary

Amsterdam Noord fills 2 days, and the free ferry behind Centraal Station gets you there in under five minutes: A'DAM LOOKOUT, Eye Filmmuseum, the NDSM shipyard, De Ceuvel and a 21 km cycle into open countryside.

What to Do in Rotterdam in a Weekend: 16 Places to See

A two-day Rotterdam itinerary: the centre and the Markthal on day one, the river, Kop van Zuid, Katendrecht and the Luchtsingel on day two. 16 places with addresses, walking distances and what each one actually costs.

Things to Do in Breda: A Walking Route, Food and Shopping

Breda's old centre walks in a morning: Spanjaardsgat, Kasteelplein, Valkenberg park, the Begijnhof, the Willem Merkxtuin and the Grote Markt. It is the seat of the House of Orange-Nassau, an hour from Rotterdam and Antwerp.

Fun Things to Do in Utrecht Province: 4 Day Trips

The 4 best day trips in Utrecht province are Woerden for cheese, Spakenburg for the botter fleet, Amersfoort for the medieval gates and the Mondriaan house, and Castle De Haar. All four sit within 45 minutes of Utrecht city.

17 Hip Rotterdam Cafes and Other Foodie Hot Spots

17 Rotterdam cafes, terraces and foodie hot spots, all eaten at in person and all re-checked to confirm they still trade. Includes addresses, what to order, which terraces are covered and where to stay within walking distance.