Pass The Passport

Places / Europe

Netherlands

Visited

At a glance

Region
Western Europe
Capital
Amsterdam
Population
18.1 million (2025)
Area
41,850 km²
Languages
Dutch
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Drives on the
right
Calling code
+31
Visited: Netherlands

Country visited City visited Still to go Click a pin or country to read more. Zoom with + and −, a double-click or a pinch.

Before you go

Overview

The Kingdom of Netherlands is a country located at Northwestern Europe in the Caribbean Sea. It was formerly called Holland. The country comprises of four component countries; the Netherlands, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten.

The country recorded a population of 17.28 million in 2019 and covers an area of 41,543 km2.

Its capital city is Amsterdam according to the Dutch constitution.

The Hague is the centre of the States-General, Executive Branch Supreme Court and the Council of State.

Hague is also the home to the International Criminal Court and the UN’s International Court of Justice whose headquarters are at the Peace Palace.

Other cities in the country are Rotterdam, Utrecht, Maastricht and Leiden.

History

The Netherlands was founded in 1648 when it was the Dutch period. It was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940 that led to the Dutch Royal family and Dutch Cabinet to flee to England. The German forces surrendered in 1945.

The country joined NATO in 1949.

Food & culture

Its culture is diverse to the differences in its regions and is influenced by the foreigners and the Dutch people in the old centuries.

The main crops are cereals, sugar beets and potatoes.

The common dishes are hollandse nieuwe, stroopwafel, kroket, patat, poffertjes and bitterballen.

Wildlife

The common wildlife includes pine martens, foxes, badgers, mouflon, fallow deer, jackdaws, seagulls and rooks.

Festivals & events

The major celebrated events are the Kings’s Parade, Holland Festival, Amsterdam Gay pride, Oerol festival, Noorderzon Performing Art Festival and Edinburgh International Festival.

Things to see

Van Gogh Museum is an art museum in Amsterdam for the Dutch which displays the art of Vincent van Gogh and his peers.

Keukenhof commonly known as the Garden of Europe is one of the largest flower gardens in the world in Lisse Town with an area of 32 ha and containing 7 million flower bulbs.

Other must-see places are the Jordaan and Amsterdam’s Canals, Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank House.

Interesting facts

Dutchmen are the tallest men in the world with a height between 175.6cm and 182.53cm.

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize the marriage of people of same-sex.

The first national anthem was “God Save The Queen” which was declared as the national anthem.

The carrots are orange today because of the Dutch who cultivated it them in tribute to William of Orange who led the country to independence. Yellow, white and purple carrots were done away with.

The official language is Dutch; other common languages are English and Papiamentu.

The Dutch wear wooden shoes since the 13th century.

The main religion is Roman Catholicism.

City guides

Cities & towns I’ve visited

Run a marathon in Netherlands

Amsterdam Marathon

Amsterdam · usually October

Starts and finishes in the 1928 Olympic Stadium and follows the Amstel river out of the city. Rotterdam in April is the other big Dutch marathon.

I ran it in October 2022

Dates move from year to year, so check the race website before you book.

Races I've run in Netherlands

  • Oct 2022 Amsterdam Marathon · Amsterdam, Netherlands 3:48:39
  • May 2026 Spartan Super · Zandvoort, Netherlands 2:19:28

All my races

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Netherlands

1 of 9 visited. See every site I've been to.

My photos from Netherlands

From 3 trips, newest first, so you can see which places each set of photos came from.

May 2026 Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Zandvoort

Whole trip gallery
  • A man standing in giant yellow clogs in front of shelves of round Dutch cheeses.
  • A group of racers flexing in front of a Spartan race banner.
  • A leafy Amsterdam canal lined with busy cafe terraces and parked bikes on a sunny day.
  • Quiet green courtyard with trees surrounded by tall historic Amsterdam townhouses.
  • The Royal Palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam with crowds and cyclists in front under a blue sky.
  • A large group of racers taking a selfie on the beach after a race.

October 2022 Amsterdam Marathon

Amsterdam

Whole trip gallery
  • Amsterdam's famous 'dancing houses' leaning over the water on Damrak
  • A row of tall, narrow, leaning canal houses reflected in the water under a blue sky.
  • A canal in Amsterdam lit up in red at night.
  • Large red and white Amsterdam letters with a row of flags behind.

March 2020 Land Of The Northern Lights Cruise

The Hague

Whole trip gallery
  • The classical facade of the Mauritshuis museum behind wrought-iron gates.

Plan your trip to Netherlands

Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.

Neighbours

Also part of Netherlands

Bucket List goals in Netherlands

None on the list yet. Got a suggestion? Email Dan.