NETHERLANDS: Prime Travel Data.

NEED TO KNOW

So here you are in Holland and you need to know some elementary stuff — like how to make a phone call, get local money, or contact the American Embassy to report your stolen passport. Here is a convenient source for that information, plus a bit more.

This web page originally appeared in the first editon of my book How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook in a section titled "Country Data Sheets" over thirty years ago. I've updated and improved it for 2016.

Important information about this data sheet.
Native name	Nederland
Capital	Amsterdam (The Hague, Den Haag, is the seat of the government)
Postal code	NL
Telephone code	+31 See chapter 19, Telephoning to, from, and within Europe.
Language	Dutch, also called Nederlands
Currency	Euro, € See The Euro and Other Currencies.
European Union	Member. See chapter 25, Customs Duty, USA and Europe.
Schengen Agreement	Member. See chapter 3, Passport and Visas.
Time zone	GMT+1 See chapter 28, European Dates and Time Zones.
Electricity	220 volts, 50 Hz. See chapter 11, European Electricity: Travel Voltage Fundamentals..

Date	Holiday	Feestdag
Jan 1	New Year's Day	Nieuwjaarsdag
Apr 30	Queen's Day	Koninginnedag
May 5	Liberation Day	Bevrijdingsdag
	Good Friday	Goede Vrijdag
	Easter Monday	Tweede Paasdag
	Ascension Day	Hemelvaartsdag
	Whit Monday	Tweede Pinksterdag
Dec 25	Christmas	Kerstmis
Dec 26	Boxing Day	Tweede Kerstdag

Netherlands Offices in the USA
Embassy	Royal Netherlands Embassy 4200 Linnean Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 T: 202-244-5300 F: 202-362-3430
Consulates	Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
Tourist Office	Netherlands Board of Tourism 355 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10036 T: 888-464-6552 F: 212-370-9507

American Offices in Nederland
Embassy	American Embassy Lange Voorhout 102 2514 EJ Den Haag T: 070-310-9209 F: 070-361-4688
Consulate	Consulate General Museumplein 19 1071 DJ Amsterdam T: 020-575 5309

USA is known as:	Verenigde Staten

Recommended books for further information:

The books that you see listed here are those that I have personally used and am satisfied with, and/or are from publishers whose other travel books are reliable. I am a consumer when it comes to travel guides, and a critical one. Notice that I do not recommend any Frommers, Dummies, Steves, or other inferior guides. For some of the reasons please go to the hoi polloi.

As one example of a substandard guide, in his 1,280 page book titled Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2013 (published August 2012) there is nothing at all on The Hague, Delft, Maastricht or Utrecht. This is like writing a travel guide to the USA and leaving out Chicago, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Curiously, his 2007 edition did include a page on Delft. I guess that Delft no longer meets his "best" standard though it is one of the most charming villages in all of Europe. A good chunk of his coverage of Amsterdam is devoted to buying marijuana. Most of his so-called maps prominently indicate the "red light district." Steves seems to be preoccupied with dope and whores and promoting the seedy businesses which pander to certain tourists. His "maps" have little indication of where to find some of the great art museums of Amsterdam, and there are many. Of those he does locate he totally misplaced one of them. There are other gross errors but I don't want to serve as his proof reader. He boasts about visiting Europe and updating his books every year but he is either seriously incompetent or just a regular liar. His "Best" book prominently includes a few pages advertising his overpriced whirlwind guided bus tours, backpacks, sink stoppers (is this a joke?!), and Steves' other branded products. Steves is really strong on self promotion but weak on meaningful content.

For the good stuff, the links below take you directly to a page at Amazon.com. That page details the book or map, and in some cases includes readers' comments and sample pages from the book.You then have the opportunity to add the book to your shopping cart and buy it. Amazon.com pays a small commission to Enjoy-Europe.com when you click a title here and then order the book.

Note: emphasis in the titles is mine -- to help you in finding the information you need. Don't worry too much about publication dates. Many books are updated every three to six years. The monuments and cathedrals haven't moved in centuries!

Insite and Amusement

The Undutchables: An Observation of the Netherlands, Its Culture And Its Inhabitants

Tulipomania: The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused

Note: "The Netherlands" and "Holland" are used interchangeably, though actually Holland is the name of the two major provinces, Noord Holland and Zuid Holland. For all practical purposes, either name is OK. The people are "Nederlanders," "Hollanders," or "Dutch."