Netherlands Local Customs

  Tugboats at the Handelskade.
by Jerelis
 
  • Tugboats at the Handelskade.
      Tugboats at the Handelskade.
    by Jerelis
  • More tugboats to be admired.
      More tugboats to be admired.
    by Jerelis
  • Overview at the Handelskade, Zwartsluis.
      Overview at the Handelskade, Zwartsluis.
    by Jerelis
  • A tugboat in the sluice.
      A tugboat in the sluice.
    by Jerelis
  • Boats entering the sluice.
      Boats entering the sluice.
    by Jerelis
 

Most Viewed Local Customs in Netherlands

101.

Coffee Shops / Drugs   Amsterdam

Coffee Shops / Drugs, Amsterdam

 54 Reviews  The weed and hash menu is displayed openly for people to see. Look and decide what you want to purchase, or not. It is a CHOICE. Even though they are not really known for their weed, I have heard... 

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102.

Carnaval   Maastricht

Carnaval, Maastricht

 6 Reviews  it afternoon in town and the town hall is full of crowds. With an invitation you can get in and see the ‘ sleutel-overdracht’ ( handover the key of the city). It is always celbrated they saterday... 

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103.

Art, music other culture   Eindhoven

Art, music other culture, Eindhoven

 11 Reviews  address: Leenderweg 65, Eindhoven All kind of culturalactivities like special non-commercial movies and theateracts as well as movies in the open air in the square in front of the building... 

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104.

Canals   Utrecht

Canals, Utrecht

 4 Reviews  Whilst the banks of the Oudegracht (Old Canal) are lined with atmospheric cafes and restaurants on the former waterside wharves and warehouses the Nieuwgracht is a more traditionally-built canal whose... 

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105.

Royal tomb   Delft

Royal tomb, Delft

 6 Reviews  On the Market square of Delft stands tall the high tower of the Niewe Kerk. It is one of the highest in The Netherlands and inside the church are the graves of the Orange-family (royal) of The... 

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106.

Urinating   Amsterdam

Urinating, Amsterdam

 26 Reviews  There are 2 different kinds of pissoirs in Amsterdam----this is the one where basically you are pissing on your shoes in public behind a round metal guard-----placed regularly around Amsterdam for the... 

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107.

Dialect   Maastricht

Dialect, Maastricht

 11 Reviews  Because of its location and diverse modern history Maastrichters have developed a dialect unique to the city which is heavily influence by Belgian and German and even has some French and Spanish minor... 

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108.

Design Academy Eindhoven.   Eindhoven

Design Academy Eindhoven., Eindhoven

 2 Reviews  Eindhoven plays a very important role in the world of desing. Young desingers from home and abroad come here to study at the famous Design Academy. Their final projects can be seen every year in the... 

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109.

Museums   Utrecht

Museums, Utrecht

 2 Reviews  The 'MUSEUM KWARTIER' will be a pleasant diiscovery for you! You will find the largest Museums here, morover it is the historic heart of the City of Utrecht, a collection of Monumental buildings,... 

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110.

Inside Nieuwe Kerk   Delft

Inside Nieuwe Kerk, Delft

 8 Reviews  According to my brochure this organ was built by the Utrecht organ builder Bätz betwen 1837-1839. It has 3 keyboards, 48 registers and a free foot keyboard (pedals). And more than 3000 pipes. I've not... 

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111.

ATM / Money Exchange / Tipping   Amsterdam

ATM / Money Exchange / Tipping, Amsterdam

 19 Reviews  Netherlands was the first country (of 33) I have visited, that we had lots of problems with ATM:s. Outside Amsterdam most of them didn´t exept foreign cards! In AMsterdam there was also some witch... 

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112.

3 kisses on da cheek   Eindhoven

3 kisses on da cheek, Eindhoven

 2 Reviews  Thats how we greet our loved ones, as well as friends:-) I dont really like it, one good kiss should be enough i think, but hey its custom so... Hospitality is were the "brabander" is famous for.... 

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113.

Museum Van Speelklok tot Pierement   Utrecht

Museum Van Speelklok tot Pierement, Utrecht

 2 Reviews  On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the National Museum From Musical Clock to Street Organ in Utrecht, the Netherlands, presents the international exhibition ‘Royal Music Machines’. Having... 

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114.

Nieuwe Kerk   Delft

Nieuwe Kerk, Delft

 2 Reviews  As usual I cannot resist to make a close up of the tower. An added bonus is always if there are bells to be seen from the outside, although the true campanological treasures usually remain hidden... 

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115.

Eating and Drinking   Amsterdam

Eating and Drinking, Amsterdam

 44 Reviews  Dinner in Holland starts at about 6 o'clock in the evening. The old-fashioned Dutch dinner consists of one simple course: beans or potatoes, meat and vegetables. Traditionally potatoes with a large... 

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116.

Philipsstadion   Eindhoven

Philipsstadion, Eindhoven

 3 Reviews  The Philipsstadion at Eindhoven. U can get a tour if you like, its the stadion of my very favourite footballteam PSV. http://www.psv.nl The VVV (the Dutch Tourist Information Office) has set out a... 

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117.

Dom church and tower   Utrecht

Dom church and tower, Utrecht

 2 Reviews  After you have visited the Dom church and on leaving it, don t walk straight to the statue in front of you, but make a turn to the left. Then you will see a gate, just enter there and oh! the piece... 

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118.

Language   Amsterdam

Language, Amsterdam

 33 Reviews  As a woman who lives in Amsterdam, I will give you the most used words: ** thanks = bedankt / dank u ** if you give something (even if you pay) you say: alstublieft ** if you ask to do something for... 

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119.

Tattooshop Dragon   Eindhoven

Tattooshop Dragon, Eindhoven

 1 Review  My son has a Klingon sign, my daughter a lions head and i have 2 small tibetan signs(female & fire). Tattoo Dragon is safe shop, with nice staff, not too expensive. If u wanna have a tattoo u can... 

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120.

Red Light District   Amsterdam

Red Light District, Amsterdam

 16 Reviews  The RLD is a lot to take in at first. Women stand or sit behind glass doors, signaling for men to come in. They are typically wearing just underwear and a bra though some get a little more “elaborate”... 

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121.

Cycling   Eindhoven

Cycling, Eindhoven

 1 Review  Dutch LOVE their bike! They use it all the time, traveling within the city. One of the nicest memories I have is seeing a little girl, smiling,sitting on the luggage rack on the back wheel as her... 

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122.

Eating - Fast Food   Amsterdam

Eating - Fast Food, Amsterdam

 9 Reviews  Favourite by Dutch students: "patatje oorlog" (chips "war" with mayonaise and peanut-sause). Also favourite: "patatje speciaal" (chips with mayonaise, onions and ketchup- or tomatosaus). Eat it on the... 

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123.

Dierenambulance (Pets-rescue-ambulance)   Eindhoven

Dierenambulance (Pets-rescue-ambulance), Eindhoven

 1 Review  At Eindhoven we have a special equiped ambulance to pick-up sick- or lost- or dead animals at Eindhoven and region. This service is mostly runned by volunteers who will either handle the calls or... 

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124.

Architecture   Amsterdam

Architecture, Amsterdam

 16 Reviews  The Amsterdam gables hide many things of beauty. Take time to explore the walls of the houses. The gablestones are being protected by the "Vereniging Vrienden van Amsterdamse Gevelstenen". 

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125.

TO call the US (AT&T...   Eindhoven

TO call the US (AT&T..., Eindhoven

 1 Review  TO call the US (AT&T Direct): Dial 0800-022-9111 Then at the voice prompt dial area code + number At the tone, dial your AT&T Calling Card number or credit card # To Call Canada (Canada Direct): Dial... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

An apology

by OlafS

I'd like to apologize for all those Dutch people who do not know how to behave themselves in other countries. We aren't all like that. Most of us are NOT constantly drunk on holiday. We aren't ALL noisy. We do not ALL make fun of your accents. We do not ALL ignore rules. Not ALL of us like to start a fight. And most of us WILL wait for their turn when standing in a line at some amusement parc. I'm sorry if you ever encountered one of the rotten apples. I know we have that reputation but it really is not completely deserved. You shouldn't notice many of those people outside of Spain anyway.(Oh and hey, you only encounter those people during holidays, but we have to live with them the rest of the year!)

School is over!

by Nathalie_B

The longer I live in this country the more I learn about its customs and traditions.Not that often, or should I say almost never, the Dutch railways go on strike. And never I had to travel across the country on such a day. Since there were no trains, bus was the only possibillity. I crossed 7 provinces in 8 hours and every town we passed had this strange picture: a flagstaff with the Dutch flag and a back pack on it. Some towns had it on almost every house, some had only a few. Passing through these towns we could guess the teenage population of the places, because those backpacks mean that school is over and the student that lives in a house passes all his exams. Was interesting to learn about this local custom, especially because I have never seen anything like this before, traveling in other countries

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Various Museums.

by catnl

Museums.Eindhoven counts a number of smaller and larger museums. There is the Museum Kempenland and the Milieu Educatiecentrum, which is a small naturehistory museum. The most renowned museum, however, is the Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, which holds works of modern art starting from the beginning of this century. There are running exhibitions on a regular basis. Opening hours: Tuesdays to Sundays from 11.00 to 17.00 hrs. Entrance fee: f 5, CJP holders f 2.50. Stedelijk van Abbemuseum, Bilderdijklaan 10, tel. (04) 238 97 30 temporarily: Entre acte, Vonderweg 1, tel. (040) 275 52 75/275 85 22 Museum Kempenland, St. Anthonisstraat 5-7, tel. (040) 252 90 93 Milieu Educatiecentrum, Genneperweg 145, tel. (040) 259 46 00 Season card for museums This card : The Museumjaarkaart gives you free access for one year to approximately 35 museums spread across the entire country. Those cards can be bought...

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most people will miss...

by catnl

most people will miss mountains in Holland , its is very flat.We also have beautfitull nature, only different. Right in the middle of the centre of Eindhoven you can walk from the heart of the centre through of the 'Stadswandelpark' to Genneper Parken.This area is famous for 'de Genneper Watermill' when i go home by bike from my work i like to cycle throug this area. You can walk to the Education Centre, the Historic OpenAir Museum and you can be guided on a tour through a protected nature area called 'Frater Simon del Tour Heempark'more

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Sinteklaas (a.k.a. Santa Claus)

by Nathalie_B

Christmas is, of course, celebrated in every country that has any connection to the Christian religion. But Dutch start their celebrations long before December 24.According to the Dutch traditional belief Sinterklaas (Santa Claus) arrives to the Netherlands on December 5th. Although believed to be originally from Turkey, he comes on a steam boat from Spain accompanied by his assistant Zwarte Piet (Black Piet).He then gets into his carriage with white horses and visits different towns in the country. The procession usually consists of not one but many Zwarte Piets who throw candies to the crowd. It can also be accompanied by a marching orchestra, to make the event even bigger and louder.After arriving to the Netherlands, Sinter Klaas and his helpers continue to the Dutch speaking parts of Belgium on the next day.The picture you see here was taken in the Belgian city Gent, where I spend a...

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A very good excuse

by Nathalie_B

When people are late whether for work or for a meeting with friends they may come up with many different excuses to explain why they couldn't be on time. I guess it depends on creativity of a person. The Dutch have their own, national, excuse: "Sorry I am late, the bridge was open" Many cities have their small canals with little harbors where many ships stand waiting for their owners to take them for a sail. When it happens, the only way out is to open a bridge. Usually, it doesn't take long, but sometimes bigger bridges are actually a part of a highway and then one passing barge will create a huge traffic jam. This picture was taken in the city of Dordrecht and the drivers didn't have to wait longer than 10 minutes to be able to continue their journey. But sometimes it can take much longer.

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Rhetorical questions

by Robin922

While it may appear a small thing, it’s the little things that make a difference. Rhetorical questions are not a local custom here.A perfect example is when your are shopping in a store in the US, the saleslady/check-out person will most likely ask, “How are you today?” In truth the only response expected is fine. For the odds are they don’t really care.The Dutch don’t appear to waste time with such things. If a person asks how you are doing, they expect eye contact and an answer. If you ask, you need to also make eye contact, and wait for the answer. If you don’t care, don’t ask.

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Restrooms - Know your gender and have money!

by Robin922

While most places that cater to tourists have universal signage, some of the smaller places won’t. This can be somewhat embarrassing if you don’t know your gender. I learned this one the hard way, Ladies are ‘dames’ and men are ‘heren’.Also you won’t find many free restrooms. The average rate is .50 euro. While most people will understand if you ask for the “restroom” or “ladies room” the more universal terms are toilet or WC.

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Get familiar with the Dutch and their culture

by Nathalie_B

While "The Undutchables" is rather a funny book written by its authors as an observation, "The Low Sky: Understanding the Dutch" can be described as true cultural guide. Han van der Horst descibes the Netherlands from the Stone Age to the present day. Reading this book will help you get familiar with the Dutch history, politics, law, various past and current issues, and of course the culture. "The Low Sky" is a great source of information and will definitely help to expand your knowledge of the Netherlands.

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Koninginnenach

by Nathalie_B

While the whole country celebrates the Queen's day (Koninginnedag) on April 30th, The Hague starts the celebrations on the everning of April 29th. These celebrations are known as "Koninginnenach" and involve lots of life music all over the city. While the concerts start at 8pm (usually) the real fun begins at around 10-11pm. All the streets become closed for traffic and all you see is crowds walking on the roads with their own 6-packs.Beer is of course sold on the streets but at that evening the only brand you can find is "beer" means drink whatever is sold, don't be picky and enjoy the celebrations.

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Local traditions and culture in Netherlands

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Local Customs: Cities in Netherlands
  1. Amsterdam Local Customs
  2. Rotterdam Local Customs
  3. Maastricht Local Customs
  4. The Hague Local Customs
  5. Eindhoven Local Customs
  6. Haarlem Local Customs
  7. Utrecht Local Customs
  8. Leiden Local Customs
  9. Delft Local Customs
  10. Schiphol Local Customs
  11. Breda Local Customs
  12. Nijmegen Local Customs
  13. Arnhem Local Customs
  14. Groningen Local Customs
  15. Tilburg Local Customs
  16. Valkenburg Local Customs
  17. Apeldoorn Local Customs
  18. Den Bosch Local Customs
  19. Scheveningen Local Customs
  20. Hengelo Local Customs
  21. Keukenhof Local Customs
  22. Enschede Local Customs
  23. Bergen op Zoom Local Customs
  24. De Efteling Local Customs
  25. Roermond Local Customs
  26. Noordwijk aan Zee Local Customs
  27. Leeuwarden Local Customs
  28. Alkmaar Local Customs
  29. Gouda Local Customs
  30. Texel Local Customs
  31. Amersfoort Local Customs
  32. Zwolle Local Customs
  33. Assen Local Customs
  34. Middelburg Local Customs
  35. Amstelveen Local Customs
  36. Dordrecht Local Customs
  37. Den Helder Local Customs
  38. Hoorn Local Customs
  39. Zaanse Schans Local Customs
  40. Vlissingen Local Customs
  41. Enkhuizen Local Customs
  42. Hilversum Local Customs
  43. Almere-Stad Local Customs
  44. Giethoorn Local Customs
  45. Hoek van Holland Local Customs
  46. Brielle Local Customs

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Questions and Answers

dnwitte profile photo

Q:  A couple of years since I've been back. Nothing stays the same. So, is the old strippenkaart system finally over? I can read... 

mccalpin profile photo

A: chippenkaartenmarken ;-) 

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