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Netherlands, Belgium

Belgium The anachronistic images of ‘boring Belgium’ have been well and truly banished over the last decade as the country promotes its key destinations, along with a string of new attractions. Belgium always had a lot more going for it than the faceless political and bureaucratic buildings that litter its capital, Brussels, with a string of engaging cities in Bruges, Ghent, Liège - and Brussels itself - that offer impressive architecture, lively nightlife, first-rate cuisine and numerous other attractions for visitors.

Then there is reinvented Antwerp, now a hotbed of fashion and modern design, and the more bucolic charms of the chocolate box beauty of the mountainous Ardennes region to the east, as well as the sweeping sand of the coastline resorts of the western seaboard.

Brussels

Brussels is home to the European Union and NATO, amongst many other institutions, but beyond their facelessness, the city’s architecture is a smorgasbord, with the gothic Grand Place the undoubted highlight. Other key sights in Brussels include St Michael and St Gudule’s Cathedral and the Mont des Arts park, which links the upper and lower parts of the city. Then there is the elegant Place Royale, built between 1774 and 1780 in the style of Louis XVI, the Museum of Ancient Art and the Museum of Modern Art. The Manneken-Pis, and his less heralded sister the Janneken Pis, are statues that hint at the exuberance and irreverence of the ‘Bruxellois’, a spirit that reaches its zenith in the city’s numerous bars which, along with the 1000 types of Belgian beer, are not to be missed.

Among other areas worth exploring are the Îlot Sacré, the picturesque area of narrow streets to the northeast of the Grand-Place; the fashionable boulevard de Waterloo; the administrative quarter, a completely symmetrical park area commanding a splendid view of the surrounding streets; the Grand Sablon, the area containing both the flamboyant Gothic structure of the Church of Our Lady of Sablon and the Sunday antique market and, lastly, the Petit Sablon, a square surrounded by Gothic columns, which support 48 small bronze statues commemorating medieval Brussels guilds. A more modern attraction is the bizarre Atomium, a futuristic, atom-shaped aluminum tower built for the 1958 World Fair. One important out-of-town attraction is the Battle of Waterloo site, 18km (11 miles) to the south of Brussels, commemorating the battle that shaped the future of both Belgium and modern Europe, of which Brussels is now such a crucial hub. The Brussels Card now gives the visitor free access to 30-plus museums and also the use of public transport throughout the Brussels-Capital region, within a 72-hour period. This ‘culture pass’ is available at all participating museums - at the six sales offices of the Brussels Public Transport Company (STIB), at certain hotels and at the Brussels International Tourism Office (see General Info section), costing just &Euro;30.

Mapa de Paises Bajos

Flanders

Antwerp

Although still Europe’s second-largest port, the city of Antwerp has moved on from its purely industrial past. Today, the inhabitants, or Sinjoors as they are known, are at the cutting edge of fashion and design with countless boutiques and shopping outlets across the city. This energy also surfaces in the trendy bars and hip nightclubs that have now joined the more traditional charms of the beer and gin bars that still pull in the more reserved drinkers. Beyond modern Antwerp the more traditional attractions complement the new, with the impressive Grote Markt, containing the Town Hall and the Brabo Fountain, which commemorates the legend of the city’s origin and also the 18th-century Groenplaats, with its Rubens statue. The work of local artistic luminary Peter Paul Rubens surfaces all over Antwerp, most notably at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, home to what is arguably the world’s finest collection of his work. The Rubens’ House, the magnificent 17th-century house where the painter lived and worked, contains works by the painter and his associates as do many other museums and churches. Antwerp’s maritime heritage can be explored on tours of the port and also at the Steen, a 12th-century fortress now housing the National Maritime Museum, that overlooks the buzzing new city of today.

Bruges

Bruges is a pure picture postcard with a perfectly preserved ‘medieval heart’ that can be explored from the comfort of a canal boat ride, which takes tourists around the myriad of waterways that lead to the city often being referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’. Bruges offers a variety of attractions such as the Lake of Love, which in the Middle Ages was the city’s internal port, the 14th-century Town Hall featuring a façade decorated with bas-reliefs and statues of a Biblical nature; the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, a fine example of 13th-century Gothic architecture and home to many treasures; and the Grote Markt which was formerly the commercial hub of the city. Bruges boasts several good museums, including the Groeninge Museum which houses a comprehensive and fascinating collection of six centuries of Flemish paintings, from Jan van Eyck to Marcel Broodthaers. The Memling Museum, housed in the medieval Saint John’s Hospital, is dedicated to the painter Hans Memling. The city is close to some excellent beaches and the fertile Polder region, dotted with abbeys and parks. The year 2002 was a big one for Bruges as its lively cultural and artistic scene was recognized with the award of European City of Culture.

Ghent

Bruges’ perennial poor cousin has plenty to offer visitors today, with the lack of tourist crowds an attraction in itself. This old cloth center was once the largest medieval city in Europe after Paris. The medieval heart of Ghent boasts many historic buildings, including three abbeys. Key attractions include St Bavo’s Cathedral, place of Charles V’s baptism and home to The Adoration of the Mystical Lamb, the Van Eyck brothers’ masterpiece; the Town Hall, where the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1576; the Castle of the Counts, a medieval castle surrounded by the Lieve canal; the 15th-century Cloth Hall; the medieval town center with its old guild houses; the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Industrial Archaeology.

The Coast and West Flanders

The Belgian coastline is a largely sandy affair that stretches for 67km (42 miles) from Knokke near the Dutch border to De Panne on the French border ,with over a dozen resorts. Bathing in the sea is free on all beaches and there are facilities for sailing, sand yachting, riding, fishing, rowing, golf and tennis. Some of the best resorts are Bredene, De Haan, De Panne, Lombardsijde, Nieuwpoort, Wenduine, Westende and the town of Ostend, where Queen Victoria once took to the waters. Knokke, Middelkerke and Ostend are the liveliest resorts. Visiting the World War I battlefields is an increasingly popular activity, with a number of sites open with varying degrees of facilities. The killing fields of Ypres are the most accessible with a war museum, monuments, military cemeteries and the battlefields themselves all located around the town.

Wallonia

Liège

Liège opens up the other half of Belgian culture as it is a major city of Wallonia, the French-speaking portion of Belgium. A popular tourist destination, situated on the banks of the Meuse, with many reminders of a colorful and affluent past, Liège was independent for much of its history, ruled over by prince-bishops for 800 years. The view from the Citadel covers the old town, the most impressive part of the city. Liège boasts many fine museums with the highlights being The Museum of Wallonian Life, showcasing the unique culture of Wallonia; the Museum of Wallonian Art; the Museum of Modern Art, displaying the works of Corot, Monet, Picasso, Gauguin

Ardenas, Belgica

Netherlands

The Netherlands today has dispelled all images of it being an archaic land of clogs and windmills, with its string of exciting cities, including the cosmopolitan capital, Amsterdam – one of Europe’s great cities. Elsewhere, Arnhem, Eindhoven, The Hague, Utrecht and the especially buzzing Rotterdam all boast their own charms. Away from the cities, the idyllic land of windmills and tulips does still exist in the bucolic splendor of the countryside, as do a number of coastal towns and resorts, many with fine beaches and similarly interesting heritages to The Netherlands’ bigger historical cities.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands (though not the seat of Government) is one of Europe’s great destinations, as popular with tourists as it is with businesspeople. Amsterdam’s lifeblood is water, which courses through the city in a concentric network of canals and waterways spanned by more than 1000 bridges. As Amsterdam is inextricably linked with water, one of the most attractive ways of viewing the city is on a canal tour. Many of the houses date back to The Netherlands’ golden age in the 17th century. These narrow-fronted merchants’ houses are characterized by the traditionally Dutch ornamented gables. The oldest part of the city is Nieuwmarkt, located near the first canals – Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht – built to protect the city against invasion. In the 17th century, Amsterdam gained a reputation for religious tolerance, which attracted thousands of Flemish, Walloon and French Protestants, as well as Jewish merchants from Spain, Portugal and Central Europe. The city has also long been a center for diamond cutting and it is still possible to see diamond cutters at work. Boasting 53 museums, 61 art galleries, 12 concert halls and 20 theaters, Amsterdam has a booming cultural life. A special canal boat (the ‘museum boat’) links 20 of the major museums. A special Museum Pass entitling holders to free entry to over 400 museums is available from participating museums and local tourist offices.

One of the city’s cultural Meccas is the Rijksmuseum, a voluminous art gallery that is home to the works of many of the country’s artistic luminaries, as well as numerous European masters. The highlight for many visitors is Dutch master Rembrandt’s epic Night Watch, though the list of the gallery’s treasures is almost endless. Fellow Dutch artist Van Gogh is celebrated throughout the city, with the Rembrandt House Museum, housed in the historical building where the great artist used to live and work. The Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, a collection of Dutch and international art from 1850 onwards, includes works by Cézanne, Chagall, Monet and Picasso, as well as photography, video, film and industrial design. Amsterdam’s most poignant museum is Anne Frank’s House, where the young Jewish girl hid away from the occupying German forces, who were intent on ridding the city of all Jews and sending them to their cruel fates in the death camps. The museum illuminates the young girl’s life and is of interest to everyone, whether they have read her famous diary or not. A more light-hearted attraction is the Heineken Brewery. Heineken, the Dutch national brewer, is the world’s second-largest brewing empire and this brewery, which operated from 1932-1988, is now a museum. There are daily guided tours, which culminate with ice-cold samples of the famous beer.

Amsterdam is justifiably famous for its nightlife with few other European cities managing to quite satisfy every conceivable taste in the same way as The Netherlands’ capital. Within a few blocks, well-heeled couples idle away an evening in a canal-side gourmet restaurant, and a group of backpackers stumble across the cobbles after a night in a cheery pub, as just around the corner the local trendies pose their way through an evening in a new-style bar. Then there is the Opera House, the string of concert venues, the football stadium, some of Europe’s best nightclubs and the jazz cafes, to name a few other nocturnal pastimes in Amsterdam. And, of course, there are the seedier ways to spend an evening, either exploring the infamous coffee shops of a city where soft drugs are not only allowed, but are sold over the counter, and the Red Light District, a nefarious playground where all sorts of low life mingle with the curious and the downright seedy. Wherever tourists spend their evening, there is the same relaxed, live-and-let-live ambience of a city where almost anything goes.

Amsterdam Pass: This offers free admission to many museums, tourist attractions and public transport as well as up to 25 per cent discount on certain other attractions, restaurants and transportation within the city. The pass is available for one-day (&Euro;31), two-days (&Euro;41) and three-days (&Euro;51). Further details about the pass can be obtained from the Amsterdam Tourist Office (tel: (20) 201 8800).

Amsterdam, Holanda

Haarlem

Located 20km (12 miles) west of Amsterdam, Haarlem is a center of Dutch tulip growing and the surrounding countryside affords a fine view of the bulb fields from the end of March to mid-May. The town itself has a beautiful 16th- and 17th-century town center and two fine museums. The Teyler Museum was first established in 1784 from its world-famous Oval Room by merchant banker, Pieter Teyler van der Hulst. The museum has a very diverse collection, which includes drawings by Rembrandt, scientific instruments, fossils and coins. The ultramodern new wing offers a striking contrast with the oak-panelled rooms of the original building. The Frans Hals Museum houses paintings by the artist. Also worth visiting is St Bavo Church, containing a 5000-pipe organ, which Mozart is reported to have played.

Utrecht

The city of Utrecht is a favorite destination with the Dutch, as it offers many of Amsterdam’s charms on a smaller scale without the tourist hordes that fill the capital for much of the year. The fourth-largest city in The Netherlands is also one of the oldest cities in the country, the site first having been settled by the Romans. During the Middle Ages, Utrecht was often an imperial residence, and the city’s bishops regularly played an important role in the secular affairs of Europe. The city’s prosperity allowed the construction of several beautiful churches, particularly the Cathedral of St Michael (13th century), St Pieterskerk and St Janskerk (both 11th century) and St Jacobkerk (12th century). Other buildings of note include the House of the Teutonic Order, the 14th-century Huys Oudaen, the Hospice of St Bartholomew and the Neudeflat, a more modern construction (built in the 1960s), but one which affords a superb view across the city from its 15th-floor restaurant. The city also has several museums, including the Central Museum (which has an excellent Department of Modern Art), the Archiepiscopal Museum, the Railway Museum, the Archaeological Collection and the Municipal Museum. The best way to explore Utrecht is by canal boat, which takes visitors on a loop of the city that opens up its different districts. Utrecht’s bars and restaurants are also renowned for their quality and good value, and the lively nightlife is propelled by the large local student community. Newly opened in 2006 is the Dick Bruna Huis, home to the bunny character Miffy. The exhibition is an overview of Bruna's work.

Utrecht Province

The province of Utrecht, in the very heart of The Netherlands, contains numerous country houses, estates and castles set in landscaped parks and beautiful woods. The countryside around Utrecht is very fertile and seems like one large garden.

25km (16 miles) to the northeast of Utrecht is the town of Amersfoort, set in a region of heathland and forest. The old town is well preserved, one of the most attractive buildings being the Church of St George. Just 8km (5 miles) away is the town of Soestdijk, containing the Royal Palace and the beautiful parklands of the Queen Mother. Between Soestdijk and Hilversum is Baarn, a favorite summer resort among the Dutch.

Elsewhere

Nearby, the casino at Zandvoort (west of Haarlem) is also the site of the annual Dutch Grand Prix. There is a famous Flower Auction in Aalsmeer; open weekday mornings. Near Lisse, south of Haarlem, are the Keukenhof Gardens, which have a lily show in late May. The Frans Roozen Nurseries & Tulip Show and the bulb fields can also be visited. Broek op Langedijk has Europe’s oldest vegetable auction hall with a large and interesting exhibition of the land reclamation of the surrounding area. Enkhuizen and Hoorn are well-known watersports centers. The latter town features the National Zuyder Zee Museum, an outdoor museum with ships and reconstructed houses.

The North

Friesland

The province of Friesland in the northwest of the country has its own language and its own distinct culture. A large part of the marshlands along the North Sea coast have been reclaimed from the sea. Friesian cattle are among the most famous inhabitants of the area. The Friesian lake district in the southern part of the state centers on the town of Sneek, and is a good place for watersports, particularly yachting. Near Sneek is the small town of Bolsward, which has a magnificent Renaissance Town Hall. Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland, has several old buildings and the Friesian Museum, probably the most important provincial museum in the country. Some 6km (4 miles) to the west is the village of Marssum, which has a 16th-century manor house. There are daily ferry connections with four of the Friesian Islands and a chain of museums on the Aldfaer’s Erf Route. The Hollandse and Friesian Islands (Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, Terschelling, Texel and Vlieland), on which there are bird sanctuaries and areas of outstanding natural beauty,

Brujas, Bélgica

Groningen

The agricultural province of Groningen is known for its fortified country houses dating back to the 14th century. The provincial capital, Groningen, is commercially the most important town in the north of The Netherlands, as well as being a major cultural center. The city suffered considerable damage during World War II, but many of the 16th- and 18th-century buildings have now been restored.

Drenthe

This is a province of extensive cycle paths, prehistoric monuments (particularly in the area of the village of Havelte) and Saxon villages. The region is almost entirely agricultural, much of the land being drained by the system of venns and weiks. The main town, Assen, set in an area of woodlands, was an insignificant village until the middle of the last century, and has no historical monuments. The Provincial Museum is, however, worth a visit. There are also several Megalithic tombs to be found south and southwest of the town.

The Hague & Zuid-Holland

The Hague (Den Haag, officially known as ’s-Gravenhage), the seat of the Dutch government, is home to over 60 foreign embassies, the International Court of Justice and the capital of the province of Zuid-Holland. This has earned the city an unwarranted reputation for being dull and sterile, but in fact The Hague is well worth visiting and boasts a number of attractions. The central part of the Old Town is the Binnenhof, an irregular group of buildings surrounding an open space. The seaside resort of Scheveningen (which has the country’s only pier) is a nearby suburb. Walking around the old parts of town is a joy in itself – the local tourist office publishes a map that opens up the city and also includes most of the many antique shops in The Hague. The Parliament Buildings and Knight’s Hall are 13th-century buildings where there are regular tours and slide shows that illuminate their history, while the Royal Cabinet of Paintings, housed in the Mauritshuis, is a collection that includes the Anatomical Lesson of Dr Tulp by Rembrandt, and other 17th-century Dutch works. Other attractions include the Gemeentemusem, a recently renovated municipal museum that houses an interesting collection of modern art as well as interactive displays illustrating a wide range of subjects; the Puppet Museum, with its old and new puppets; the antique market at the Lange Voorhout; the Duinoord district built in the style of old Dutch architecture; the Haagse Bos wooded park; the 17th-century Nieuwe Kerk; and the Royal Library. On the outskirts of the city is one of Europe’s most unusual attractions: Madurodam Miniature Town is a playground for the young and not so young alike, a scale model (1:5) of a typical Dutch landscape, complete with houses, motorways and even fire-fighting boats extinguishing real fires. Adjacent to Madurodam is Sand World, a recently opened collection of sand sculptures. Another bizarre local attraction is the Panorama Mesdag, the largest panoramic circular painting in the world, create by the artist Mesdag amongst others, and famous for its perfect optical illusion.

Zuid-Holland

About 22km (14 miles) southeast of Rotterdam and about 45km (28 miles) southeast of The Hague is Kinderdijk, near Alblasserdam, a good place to see windmills. They can be visited during the week. Delft, center of the Dutch pottery industry and world famous for its blue hand-painted ceramics, is roughly midway between Rotterdam and The Hague. Gouda, 20km (12 miles) southeast of Rotterdam, is famous for its cheese market and the Candlelight Festival in December. The town center is dominated by the massive late-Gothic Town Hall. Nearby is the pretty old town of Oudewater, noted for its beautiful 17th-century gabled houses. Northwest of Gouda by 12km (7 miles) is the town of Boskoop, renowned for its fruit trees; a visit during the blossom season is a delightful experience. Dordrecht, 15km (9 miles) southeast of Rotterdam and about 37km (23 miles) southeast of The Hague, was an important port until a flood in 1421 reduced the economic importance of the town. The museum in the city has a good collection of paintings from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, while the most striking building is probably the Grote Kerk, begun in about 1305. Leiden, 20km (12 miles) northeast of The Hague, 40km (25 miles) north of Rotterdam), the birthplace of Rembrandt, was a famous weaving town during the Middle Ages, and played a large part in the wars of independence against Spain in the 16th century. The university was founded by William the Silent in 1575 in return for the city’s loyalty. The Pilgrim Fathers lived here for 10 years (1610-1620) and The American Pilgrim Museum is found here. The town also boasts one of the most charming windmills in the country, set in a park overlooking water.