The Holland of cheese, windmills, clogs and polders can best be seen in the countryside. Most foreigners at least incorporate a visit to the Waterland and Zaan Region — a traditional region of small villages where a traditional folk culture is still present. The most visited attraction of the area is the Zaanse Schans, which is only 10 km north of Amsterdam. It's a cute display of typical Dutch windmills. Volendam is a well-known traditional fishing village, often visited for its magnificent waterfront boulevard and its people wearing old Dutch costumes. More authentic nearby communities include Monnickendam and Marken, the latter with its characteristic wooden houses.
Another famous export product of Holland is cheese, and you might want to catch a traditional cheese market. The largest cheese market of the Netherlands is held in Alkmaar. Gouda is world-famous for its Gouda cheese, and that town also has its own cheese market. The cheese market of Edam is another fair choice if you want to see (and taste) some. Beemster also has its own cheese, which is sold all over the world, but more interesting is the Beemster Polder. Because of its historical relevance, and because the original grid pattern of the area is still largely intact, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.
Beside the Gouda cheese market, South Holland has a lot more typical Hollandic scenery on offer. Every Spring, the Bulb Region becomes alive with miles and miles of enormous flower fields — including tulips. Hundreds of thousands of visitors go to the Keukenhof each year to see its beautifully arranged flowers. The windmills at Kinderdijk, about 20 km east from Rotterdam, are very authentic and make a great stroll through the countryside. Delft is also a must-see for its typical Dutch blue and white ceramics.
Flevoland is a new province reclaimed from the sea, but oddly enough, there are some traditional communities residing here. The reason for that is that former islands have been integrated into the landmass that is now known as Flevoland. Urk is one of these former islands, and one of the most religiously Protestant communities of the country. You might still spot some traditional villagers in their old costumes or wooden shoes. Another former island is Schokland, which used to be a similar community like Urk, but it had to be evacuated in 1859 due to destructive floods. A ghost town still remains, and it has the honor of being the first UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Netherlands in 1995.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Western Netherlands
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Western Netherlands - updated May 2024
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Western Netherlands Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
