Netherlands is a nice country with modern and ancient mix. In Amsterdam the houses are very old and of historical importance while Rotterdam is an example of modern architecture with huge and designer buildings.
We started our journey from London on a bus. Bus takes about 10 hours from London to Amsterdam.
First day we planned to visit the world famous Keukenhof Gardens. Filled with Tulips and Daffodils, this garden is a delight to see in the spring.
How to get to Keukenhof Gardens:
The tickets for this garden can be bought at the official website given below. Although the best way is to get down at Leiden railway station and then from there take a bus to Keukenhof. Combined tickets of bus and garden entrance are available at the ticket counter just outside the railway station. Total cost is around 16 Euro per person. It is advisable to see the weather before going there. You need to spend atleast 4-5 hours in the garden in order to explore it fully. Exploring the city and viewing the tulip fields cycling is a good option. Cycles can be taken on rent outside the gardens.
After our visit to Keukenhof we went to Amsterdam Central. There we visited a few shops and then had our dinner in Gandhi restaurant. Food is too good as compared to other Indian restaurants in Europe. It costs around 10-15 Euro per person.
After a wonderful dinner, we took a night cruise ride in the canals of Amsterdam. The ride lasts for 1 hour. It took us from the old town of Amsterdam explaining about the old houses and many more things. Houses of Amsterdam are very famous because of their structure. The frontal area of the houses uses to be less because of the tax laws. The law was, Greater the frontal area more the tax. Amsterdam is also very famous for its Diamonds. There are more canals in Amsterdam then in Venice. After the trip we returned to our hotel in Schiphol.
Next day we took an 8-hour tour starting from Amsterdam Central station. It was a Grand Holland Guided Tour. The main attraction that were covered were:
1 Visit to a wooden shoe factory. Wooden shoes, called clogs, of Amsterdam are very famous. The fisherman and the farmers are still using these shoes. These shoes come in various designs for specific occasions like marriage, party etc.
2 Visit to picturesque Delft for a visit to Delftse Pauw - one of the famous Delft Blue potteries. Delft is very famous for its Blue and White pottery.
3 The next destination was Rotterdam - the world’s largest harbor. It is a beautiful city with tall and artistic buildings and bridges.
4 Then we went to Hague to see the Houses of Parliament. It also is the house for International Court of Justice known as Peace Palace. This court is still in use and judges from 15 countries sit here during the course of trial.
5 Finally we visited the most interesting place, miniature town of Holland: Madurodam. Here we could find Miniature models of all the famous Dutch buildings and sights. A worth-noting thing about this miniature world is that, it is a working city, i.e. trains run on the tracks and the ships move as well.
Other tours are also available for, link of which is stated below.
After taking the daylong tour we had our dinner and started our journey back to London.
What Netherlands is Famous for:
1 Fields filled with flowers and Keukenhof Gardens.
2 Blue and white pottery.
3 Windmills.
4 Diamonds.
5 Typical houses with small frontal area.
Railways:
If you have a fix plan in mind and are travelling by rail in Netherlands, then it is better to tell the whole plan at the ticket counter (i.e. at what all places you want to go, whether you want a single or a return ticket). This way you can end up with a cheaper ticket as compared to buying it individually for each journey.
Best time to visit:
April end to August.
Precautions:
Although we didn?t face any problem, but Amsterdam is famous for gangs, which operate in the tourist area. One should take care of the money and passports while travelling.
Useful website:
1 Keukenhof garden website: https://keukenhof.nl/
2 Guided tour website: https://affiliate.viator.com
3 Amsterdam official website: https://amsterdam.nl
Cheers
Gaurav