The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered German invasion and occupation in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands – Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba – became special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Netherlands Tourism Information
Official Tourism Site
Other Sites
The Best of the Netherlands
Here is a break down of some of the most interesting and visited places. Cities or areas listed will always have more than just one thing see and do. With the popular cities or areas we list some of the best known, which should go on everyone’s, must see list when they visit.
AMsterdam
Rijksmseum
Van Gogh Museum
Anne Frank Haus
Vondelpark
Stedelijk Museum
Heineken Experiance
Royal Palace
Den Wallen
Dam Square
Rembrandt House
NEMO Science Museum
Albert Cuyp Market
Bloemenmarkt
Oude Church
Amsterdam Museum
Begijnhof
National Maritime Museum
Our Lord in the Attic Museum
Den Haag (the Hague)
Mauritshuis
Peace Palace
De Pier
Kunstmuseum Den Haag
Drenthe
Flevoland
Friesland
West Frisian Islands
Gelderland
Kröller-Müller Museum
Hoge Veluwe National Park
Gronningen
Groninger Museum
Limburg
Maastricht
North Brabant
Eindhoven
North Holland
Haarlem
Zaanse Schans Museum
Overijssel
Rotterdam
Cube Houses
Market Hall
Euromast
Erasmus Bridge
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
South Holland
The Hague
Delft
Keukenhof
Gouda
Leiden
Kinderdijek
Utrecht
Zeeland
Delta Project
The Regions of the Netherlands…
Eastern Netherlands
- Provinces: Gelderland, Overijssel
- Cities:
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Northern Netherlands
- Provinces: Drenthe, Friesland, Groningen
- Cities:
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Western Netherlands
- Provinces: Flevoland, North Holland, South Holland, Utrecht
- Cities: Cities: Alkmaar, Amsterdam, Bergen, Den Helder, Delft, Enkhuizen, Gouda, Haarlem, Hilversum, Hoorn, Leiden, The Hague, Utrecht, Zaandam
- Towns: Purmerend
- Villages: Broek in Waterland, Edam, Monnickdam, Volendam
- Others Sights & Attractions: Marken, Zaanse Schans, Zaanstad
Southern Netherlands
- Provinces: Limburg, North Brabant, Zeeland
- Cities:
- Towns
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
| Delft Gouda Groningen The Hague Harlem Keukenhof Gardens-Lisse Kinderdijk Leiden Maastricht Rotterdam Utrecht Valkenburg Zaanse Schans- Zaandam Zeeland Dikes |