Netherlands Tour Packages

Explore Stunning Windmills, Tulip Gardens and Canals with Netherlands Holiday Packages

Netherlands tour packages are one of the best out of many tour packages around the world. Most of the Netherlands is below sea level ever since the ice age when packs of ice depressed most of the coastal areas to below sea level. The Netherlands are best known for windmills, tulip gardens and a vast network of 22,000 km of dikes (in a coastline of just 880 km) that keep the North Sea out.

Many towns in the Netherlands have not lost their medieval charm and are among the best places to visit in the Netherlands. Holiday tour packages organise several packages to the Netherlands. The Netherlands tour packages offer excellent tourism, exotic holidays, education and excellent food. The Netherlands has zoos, theme parks and playgrounds that make your holidays in the Netherlands unforgettable.

The Netherlands tour packages are designed for enjoying the wonders of the Netherlands alone while many European holiday packages combine several countries and make the tour very hectic.

Netherlands Trip: Best Time to Visit

Tourists and couples visit the Netherlands all year round. Though there is no specific time to visit the Netherlands, the best would be between April and October. Netherlands tour packages offer holidays in the country at reasonable rates during the off-season when there are huge discounts on hotels and tourist places.

Netherlands Visa for Indians

A Netherlands visa for Indians should not be applied more than three months in advance and no earlier than 15 days. Tourist visas are the easiest to get and are obtained within 2-3 working days. A Netherlands visit or tourist visa is valid for 90 days. If Netherlands tour packages are organised from India, tour operators help arrange the visa.

Netherlands Tourism: Best Places to Visit

1. Maastricht - The antique city of Maastricht is one of the best places to visit in the Netherlands. This city must be a part of Netherlands tour packages. The most beautiful places in Maastricht are the Bonnefanten and natural history museums, the old town walls and the Hell Gate, Mount St. Peter and the St. Petersberg Caves. The Red Church is another great site to see. Visits to Wilhelminabrug and St. Servaasbrug are highly recommended. One of the ways to see famous places in the Netherlands is to take a cruise down the Meuse River flowing by the city as a part of Netherlands tour packages.
2. Edam: Edam is one of the most beautiful places in the Netherlands and is famous as a historical city as well as the home place for Edam’s cheese which is exported all over the world. A treat about shopping for cheese is the large free samples that are provided, and potential buyers can have a mouthful. The places to visit in Edam include the Volendam and the Edam museums, the cheese market and Paard Van Marken and old windmills. Most Netherlands tour packages feature Edam. Edam has beautiful bridges such as the Baanbrug and the Kwakelbrug, which is a special surprise in Netherlands tourism.
3. Utrecht: Utrecht is one of the most beautiful places in the Netherlands. Utrecht has its own University as well as the largest college in the Netherlands. This place has scenic beauty and is lined with water canals, making boating a memorable experience here. Great places to visit in Utrecht include the Oude Hortus, the Trajectum Lumen, the Domunder and the DOM Tower. Another high point in Netherlands tourism is the Neo-Gothic Da Haar Castle which is built on an older fort. TivoliVredenburg is an imposing building with six concert halls inside. Some Netherlands tour packages are the Speelklok which features self-playing instruments.
4. Amsterdam: Amsterdam is a city that features in most of the Netherlands tour packages. Amsterdam is the most travelled city in the world and a must-see while touring with Netherlands tour packages. Amsterdam has many places to see, including the Bloemenmarkt, the Anne Frank House, Vondelpark, the Vincent Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. It has a beautiful network of canals, and a boat cruise in the canals is a highlight of Netherlands tourism. A surprise feature of Netherlands tour packages is the nightlife of Amsterdam. Hiring a bicycle is a great way to discover the preserved 12^th-century village Ouderkirk Aan de Amstel.

Netherlands Tourism: Local Dishes to Try

1. Stamppot: Stamppot is a common and popular snack-cum-meal to try during Netherlands holidays and is available in all places in the Netherlands. The dish is smoked sausages on vegetables that include spinach, turnip greens and sauerkraut. When carrots and onion rings are added, the name of this delicious dish changes to hutspot. In some places, sliced pineapples and pears are also found with the Sauerkraut. Stamppot is a popular winter meal and is available all over this beautiful country. There is a wide variety of toppings that add to the taste of this exotic dish.
2. Appeltaart: Appeltaart is a Dutch delicacy and is a highlight of the Netherlands tour packages. It resembles an American apple pie but has a lot of apple slices that make it look like an apple tart. Appeltaart is made in a springform pan and tastes more like a cake. The apples have thick slices, and the filling is thicker and does not run like gravy. Appeltaart is an extremely popular dessert in all eating places in the Netherlands, including roadside eateries, restaurants and even available in grocery shops. Appeltaart is also available as ice cream.
3. Erwtensoep: Erwtensoep is a thick Dutch soup and comes in a combination with rookworst and kaas. Though it is known as a pea soup, the soup is thick and has many vegetables added to it and this increases the flavour. This Dutch soup is served with rookworst which is a kind of smoked sausage (Dutch meat), and some restaurants add shredded cheese to it. Erwtensoep is available at almost all famous places in the Netherlands and is considered a meal in itself if eaten in a generous helping. The cheese that is served shredded is the famous Dutch Kaas which is also a snack in itself.
4. Pannenkoeken: Pannenkoeken is another popular Dutch dish and is a form of pancake. Your Netherlands tour packages are incomplete without trying out the Pannenkoeken at least a few times. Pannekoeken is like crepe and is made as sweet or savoury. This dish is topped with several vegetables, tomatoes, cheese and different types of meats such as ham. Pannekoekens are big and are consumed by locals as lunch or dinner. This delicious Dutch dish is found in eateries in Dutch villages, and the eateries will be happy to share the recipe.

Things to Do on Your Netherlands Trip

1. Cheese tasting at Edam: Cheese tasting at Edam at the cheese market is an adventure in itself. Tourists may be surprised by the diverse taste of almost hundreds of different kinds of cheese. The Dutch are happy to share recipes and will explain the different types they are made. So, make sure to taste it and choose the best cheese.
2. Go for an Electric Bike Ride: Most Netherlands tour packages suggest an outing on the most preferred transport of the Dutch, the bicycle. A great electric bike ride is recommended. So, hire a bike and ride through the Dutch Waterland and see the dikes and harbours along with the villages of Marken, Valendam and Monnickendum.
3. Visit Burgers’ Zoo: A part of most Netherlands tour packages, Burgers’ Zoo is one of the best places to visit in the Netherlands. Spread over 45 hectares, this open zoo consists of a safari park, a small indoor rainforest, a 1.9-acre indoor desert, an indoor mangrove swamp and the burgers ocean. A day at Burgers’ Zoo makes holidays in the Netherlands unforgettable.
4. Explore Theme Parks: If you’re a lover of theme parks, then Netherlands tour packages feature attractive theme parks too; and these are some of the most exotic in the world. Start with the oldest theme park De Efteling whose highlight is the largest fountain in Europe with ballet and the magical city of Ravelijn.

Souvenirs to Look out for

There is nothing like a souvenir to preserve at home or a gift to friends. Some of the best souvenirs from the Netherlands holidays are Dutch cheese, Delft pottery, Dutch cookie moulds with the recipe for making cookies, Dutch magnets featuring a windmill, hats from Barts, Dutch cheese and handicrafts clogs from Zaanse Schans.