Netherlands

The Netherlands is a low-lying country on the North Sea, much of it won from the water, where polders, dykes and windmills shape the landscape. Amsterdam’s 17th-century canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is lined with gabled merchants’ houses; the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw stand close together, and the city is best explored on foot, by bike and by boat.

The Hague, the seat of government, pairs the Mauritshuis and the Peace Palace with the dunes and wide beach of Scheveningen. In the south, Maastricht grew from a Roman settlement on the Maas: inviting squares such as the Vrijthof, marl caves in the surrounding hills, and the rolling countryside of South Limburg, known for its castles and generous, Burgundian-style cooking. Beyond the cities lie the windmills of Kinderdijk, also UNESCO-listed, and in spring the tulip fields and gardens of Keukenhof. Dutch art and design run from the Golden Age masters to today.

The climate is mild and maritime: summers are pleasant rather than hot, winters cool and damp, and the weather changeable in any season; tulips usually bloom from around late March to mid-May. The Netherlands suits art and culture lovers, couples on a city break, food lovers and anyone planning a short trip that is easy to combine with neighbouring countries.