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Culture & Traditions
Holland is a country with a rich historical and traditional heritage. The Dutch themselves are very traditional people. Holland would not be Holland without the famous tulips, windmills, cheese and wooden shoes. When visiting Holland, it’s absolutely a must to experience and taste these traditions. |
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Windmills
Worldwide, windmills are often closely associated with the Netherlands. This relation can be traced back to the 17th century during which The Netherlands was going through an economical and cultural boom. During this era, windmills were vital for converting lakes and polder ditches into fertile land.
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For centuries windmills were the primary source of power in Holland. In fact, about a century ago there were approximately 10,000 functional windmills and today there are still more than 1,000 mills, the majority of them located in Zuid Holland. |
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Kinderdijk is the most famous place for windmills in Holland. The windmills are very well preserved and fully operational. In 1997 the Kinderdijk mills were placed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. On Saturdays, during July and August all the windmills are set in motion. |
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Wooden Shoes
Wooden clogs are considered by many as a form of Dutch traditional dress. This frenzy mania boomed during the last few decades within the tourist industry. Of the 3 million wooden shoes which are made yearly, a big part of them are destined for tourist seats.
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Many think that all Dutch people wear clogs, which is why Dutch are sometimes called ‘cloggies’. In Dutch, clogs are known as klompen. In fact, in Holland few people wear clogs, mostly farmers, market-gardeners and people who work in nurseries. This is because clogs are regarded as a kind of safety shoes and indeed they are. Dutch clogs have been officially marked as safety shoes, after being tested and awarded the CE mark. |
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Wooden shoes have been worn through out Europe since the late dark ages. Dutch used to wear them, mainly because of the swampy ground and the abundance of good wood 'klompen' are made of such as willow and poplar.
The KlompenMuseum Gebroeders Wietzes in Eelde has a vast collection of ‘klompen’ being the greatest wooden shoe museum to this date. More info |
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Tulips
The tulip was introduced to Europe by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The passion for tulips grew stronger with in upper class members from the Low Countries, competing amongst each other for the rarest collection of tulips.
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Eventually everyone began to deal in bulbs, essentially speculating on the tulip market, which was believed to have no limits.
During spring large areas of Holland are transformed into splendid tulip carpets. This awfully beautiful transformation, gives the Dutch a good cheer from the frosts of autumn and the snow of winter.
Be sure to tour the Lisse Bollenstreek Route (Bulb District Route), more popularly known as the Bloemen Route (Flower Route). The route is about 15miles long and it’s best experienced while cycling. |
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Also worth seeing is the Flower Parade, a huge procession of nicely decorated floats and luxury cars. The last but not the least, the Keukenhof gardens, an incredible botanic experience. The best time to visit these places is mid-April, possible a bit earlier or later, depending on the weather. |
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Bicycles
Holland is very famous for the 20 million bicycles zigzagging around the country. With an astonishing 4million difference between bicycles and people, Holland has the highest bicycle density in the world. No wonder why there is a steady rate of 800 thousand stolen bikes per year. So lock it or lose it!
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What makes the Netherlands such a devoted bicycle country is not precisely known, but a close guess would be that Holland is a very flat country. For the Dutch, a bicycle is the primary means of transportation within the city. In fact a lot of people own several bikes for different purposes; one for everyday use which is usually not more than a wreck and a decent one for trips and tours.
With a length of 11,000 miles of paths and bicycle lanes, Holland is the perfect country for a cycling vacation. If you are planning such a vacation we suggest you to visit this link: Cycling in the Netherlands
If you are a ‘fiets’ (bicycle in Dutch) lover, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the National Bicycle Museum in Velorama. An extensive collection of 250 authentic veteran cycles will impress bicycle lovers of all ages. |
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Drop
Drop is the Dutch national sweet with a consumption rate of 4kilos per person per year. This controversial typical black sweet is a combination of sugar, sal ammoniac, gum arabic and liquorice root extract.
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Unfortunately enough, the inventor of the drop is yet unknown. In the past drop was a medicine in a form of syrup or pills to combat cold.
There are many tastes and types of drop; sweet, salty or double salty, honey flavored and the list goes on but never enough!
On the other hand foreigners are quite sceptical about drop. First reactions after chewing one might vary from Is this a joke? Is this a sweet? Are you trying to poison me?
Undoubtedly, drop is something Dutch have learnt to eat over time and eventually molded in their traditions. |
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Cheese has been exported from The Netherlands since the middle ages and to date The Netherlands is the world’s largest cheese exporter. No wonder why two of the most famous cheeses are named after their town of origin Edam and Gouda.
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Edam is well known for its round shape whilst Gouda is the most commonly produced cheese. The cheese culture in Holland is not something recent; in fact archaeological research shows that inhabitants of the Low Countries have been producing cheese since prehistoric times. The first cheese markets and weigh houses were introduced in the middle Ages so as to control both the quality and quantity of cheese being sold.
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The traditional merchant cheese markets in Alkmaar, Gouda and Edam are fully functional to this date. During summer months these three villages follow traditional rituals of the cheese trading process. Cheese markets are one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. Alkmaar is just over half an hour from Amsterdam Central Station by intercity train.
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City-discovery - www.amsterdam.city-dicovery.com
Classic Canal Charters - www.classiccanalcharters.com
Bike City - www.bikecity.nl
Macbike - www.macbike.nl
Rent-A-Bike-Damstraat - www.bikes.nl
Frédéric Rent a Bike - www.frederic.nl
Budget Eating
Bojo (Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 51) - Cheap, quick & tasty
Maoz Falafel (Leidsestraat 85) - Many dips at good value
Sie-Joe (Gravenstraat 24a) - Cheap & delicious Indonesian food
Inexpensive
Eetcafe Festina Lente (Looiersgracht 40 B) - International dishes
Thais restaurant/snackbar Bird (Zeedijk 72-74-77) - Lovely food
Bojo (Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 49) - Friendly & good dishes
Steakhouse Piet de Leeuw (Noorderstraat 11) - Excellent steaks
YamYam Trattatoria (Frederik Hendrikstraat 88-90) - Delicious!
Top Thai (Herenstraat 28) - Top rated Thai restaurant
Moeders (Rozengracht 251) - Casual Dutch food
Me Gusta (Vijzelstraat 66) - Worth going!
Poco Loco (Nieuwmarkt 24)
- Delicious tapas!
Moderate
Pianeta Terra (Beulingstraat 7) - Top gastronomic experience
't Zwaantje (Berenstraat 12) - Old fashioned Dutch cuisine
Breitner (Amstel 212) - Affordable and top notch
Le Pecheur (Reguliersdwarsstraat 32) - First class seafood
Greetje (Peperstraat 23-25) - Upscale Dutch cuisine
DeWitte Uyl (Frans Halsstraat 26) - Casual with classy touch
Pygma-Lion (Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 5a) - South African dishes
Lucius (Spuistraat 247 ) -
Fresh seafood at reasonable prices
Bonjour (Keizersgracht 770) - French cuisine & romantic setting
Sama Sebo (P.C. Hooftstraat 27) - Best Indonesian restaurant
Expensive
De Silveren Spiegel (Kattengat 4) - Dutch fine cuisine
Christophe (Leliegracht 46) - Michelin-star restaurant
Hotel Okura (Ferdinand Bolstraat 333) - Finest Japanese cuisine
Art market de Looier - Elandsgracht 109, Saturday to Thursday from 11am to 5pm.
Antique market - Nieuwmarkt, May to September from 9am to 5pm.
Art market - Thorbeckeplein, March to November. on Sunday from 10:30 to 6pm.
Art, antique & flea market - Looiersgracht 38, Saturday to Thursday from 11am to 5pm.
Bird market - Noordermarkt, Saturdays from 8am to 11am.
Flea market - Waterlooplein, Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm.
Book market - Spui, Fridays from 10am to 6pm.
Floating flower market - Singel, Monday to Saturday from 9:30 to 5pm.
Organic food market - During summer at Noordermarkt, Saturday from 9amto 4pm & during winter at Nieuwmarkt, Saturday from 9am to 5pm.
General goods market - Albert Cuypmarkt, Monday to Saturday from 9:30 to 5pm.
Stamp market - Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, Wednesdays & Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm.
Textile market - Westerstraat & Noordermarkt, Mondays from 9am to 2pm.
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Netherlands Map
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