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  • Europe
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  • Netherlands
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  • Things not to miss
There’s plenty to see in the Netherlands apart from Amsterdam, but it would be a strange trip that missed out the picturesque capital altogether. It’s not all clogs ‘n’ canals, though – head off the tourist track to the city’s Eastern Docklands, newly developed and home to some cutting-edge architecture. Den Haag’s reputation for dourness is completely undeserved: it boasts a first-rate restaurant scene, smart hotels and enough prime museums to exhaust even the most energetic sightseer – the Binnenhof and Mauritshuis alone are reason enough to visit. A richly forested swathe of dunes and woodland in the middle of the country. Cycle your way around thanks to a fleet of free-to-use white bicycles. If you’re very lucky you may be able to watch the speed-skaters of Friesland as they tear round the province’s canals in this infrequently staged open-air race. The series of huge dykes and flood-barriers in the far-flung western province of Zeeland, which bear witness to the country’s long battle to hold the sea at bay, is celebrated in an adjacent exhibition hall. A poignant and personal evocation of the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Of the string of wild and windswept holiday islands off the northern Dutch coast, Terschelling is the most popular, a fine spot for walks and bike rides amid the dunes. No country in Europe is so kindly disposed towards the bicycle than the pancake-flat Netherlands: you’ll find bike paths in and around all towns, plus long-distance touring routes taking you deep into the countryside. Some seven million flowers are on show in these extensive gardens, which specialize in daffodils, narcissi, hyacinths and – of course – tulips. This lively market town features an intricate old quarter of canals and picturesque bridges, plus a stunning cathedral. Quite simply the best and most comprehensive collection of van Gogh’s work anywhere. Often neglected, Hals was one of the finest of the Golden Age painters, his later canvases acutely dark and broody. This superb art museum and sculpture garden is set in the heart of the Hoge Veluwe National Park. As an escape from Dutch urban life, the reedy marshes and lagoons of the Biesbosch are hard to beat. Thanks to the Netherlands’ colonial adventures in Southeast Asia, restaurants around the country prepare some of the finest Indonesian cuisine outside Indonesia. One novel way of getting to the Frisian Islands is to try guided wadlopen or “mud-walking” from the mainland at low tide. Eulogized by Vermeer, Delft’s centre is particularly handsome, and its market square is one of the country’s best. This atmospheric, laidback city in the far south, squeezed between the porous Belgian and German borders, offers a worldly outlook and a superb old quarter. This beautiful inland lake, formerly the Zuider Zee, lies at the heart of the Netherlands and represents the country at its watery best, with charming old ports like Hoorn and Enkhuizen and former islands like Urk to explore.