{"id":2087,"date":"2018-10-07T07:56:28","date_gmt":"2018-10-07T07:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.svenlucaworld.com\/?p=2087"},"modified":"2020-07-15T12:34:19","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T12:34:19","slug":"reisebericht-niederlande","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.svenlucaworld.com\/en\/travel-report-netherlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel report NETHERLANDS - Flat land in Central Europe behind protective dunes and dikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Visa and entry requirements Netherlands:<\/strong>
\nPassport not required
\nNo visa is required<\/p>\n

Information from the Foreign Office about your trip to the Netherlands:<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.auswaertiges-amt.de\/DE\/Laenderinformationen\/00-SiHi\/NiederlandeSicherheit.html?nn=332636?nnm=332636<\/a><\/p>\n

The Netherlands is a kingdom in Western Europe with around 17.5 million inhabitants and is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It borders Belgium to the south, Germany to the east and the North Sea to the north and west. The country is a founding member of the European Union and uses the euro as a means of payment.<\/p>\n

The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, but the seat of government is in The Hague. Together with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands forms the Benelux Union. The country's official language is Dutch. Outside the Netherlands, the Dutch are predominantly referred to as Dutch, and are even marketed under this name by the local tourism industry.<\/p>\n

About half of the country is less than a meter above sea level, and around a quarter is even below sea level. The predominantly flat areas are usually protected from storm surges by dikes, which have a total length of over 3,000 km. The Netherlands is home to several natural attractions such as national parks, nature reserves and river and swamp landscapes. The national territory is home to many blooming tulip fields, idyllic dike landscapes and countless world-famous windmills. The main attractions include the Keukenhof - one of the most beautiful spring parks in the world and also known as the Garden of Europe because of the cultivation of almost eight million flowers, the windmills of Kinderdijk, the Kasteel de Haar castle complex near Utrecht, the Efteling theme park, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Mondialmuseum in Volendam, the Peace Palace in The Hague and the Utrecht Cathedral.<\/p>\n

The Dutch are statistically the physically tallest people in the world, with an average of 1.83 meters for men and 1.72 meters for women. The population is one of the least religious and ecclesiastical in Europe, meaning that over half does not belong to any religious community.<\/p>\n

The country's largest cities include Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Groningen, Nijmegen, Breda, Maastricht, Alkmaar and Enschede.<\/p>\n

The port city of Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city in the kingdom with around 860,000 inhabitants, while around 2.5 million people live in the greater area. The city is world famous for its canals, narrow man-made waterways. In the history of Amsterdam, these were the main transport routes for goods and people. In the past, it was customary to calculate the taxes for a building based on its width on the canal. As a result, houses in Amsterdam primarily had narrow fronts, but were relatively long and high.<\/p>\n

In addition to the tax on houses and apartments, tourism is one of the city's most important sources of income. With almost eight million foreign tourists every year, Amsterdam is the fifth most visited city in Europe.<\/p>\n

The most important sights in Amsterdam include the Catholic Basilica of St. Nicholas, the Protestant Westerkerk Church, the world-famous wooden church Amstelkerk, the Uilenburg Synagogue, the Olympic Stadium, the block of houses \u201cHet Schip\u201d, the National Monument, the Munttoren Mint Tower, the Royal Palace, the Amstel Bridge in the city center, the historic city weigh house, the Rijksmuseum, the red light district de Wallen, the Anne Frank Museum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Heineken Brewery and the Jordaan district.<\/p>\n

Amsterdam is always a very popular travel destination and a visit for several days is definitely worth it. I've probably been to the Netherlands twenty times. Most of my travel destinations were Amsterdam and Rotterdam, which are very easy to reach by car from Germany.<\/p>\n\n