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

126.

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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127.

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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128.

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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129.

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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130.

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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131.

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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132.

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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133.

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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134.

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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135.

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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136.

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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137.

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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138.

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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139.

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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140.

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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141.

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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142.

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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143.

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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144.

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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145.

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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146.

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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147.

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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148.

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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149.

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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150.

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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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Bikes & more serious Matter

by pepples46

and more Bikes...you can't escape them, but you could escape with them !!so when you rent a bike, be careful where you 'park' it, make sure it is safely locked....Holland is the the one Country where riding a Bike is actually...heaven. one has the same rights as the cars, trucks and busses, I think even more so, when you hit by a car...ATLC told me, mostly the Car-driver get's the blame...so all Drivers out there, hop on ya Bikebut of course that is not the only Local Custom...there are the Tulip fields, the small Town Churches, the Tolerance of the Dutch without accepting whats happening in the Red light District or the joint smoking Younster...lack of moral behaviour is not accepted, tolerated... yes! very little in Holland is lawless, even less is unplanned,a Visitor has to understand that...or just like the Dutch do..respect!and something else: the Dutch don't like noisy and nosy...

Tip Photo
Kroketten

by sammie

These golden brown fried tasty tidbits can be eaten as a cocktail treat, but they can also be inserted in a bread roll, smothered in mustard, and devoured as a tasty mini-sandwich. The kroket is the larger version of the bitterbal. So if you like bitterballen, you also like kroketten.Any snackbar has a kroket (among otherthings) for you.

Tip Photo
Bitterballen

by sammie

Savory Creamy Meatballs would be an appropriate translation of the word 'bitterballen'. These deep-fried meatballs are filled with a beef ragout and have a crispy outside. They are often served at cocktail parties or as a snack with a pre-dinner drink. You eat these tasty deep-fried morsels hot, on a toothpick, dipped in mustard. But you can also leave the mustard behind, as i do because i don't like mustard.

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When you're in the Netherlands,eat like the dutch.

by sammie

Breakfast Start your day with a Dutch breakfast: fresh bread with butter, jam, cheese, ham or chocolate sprinkles (hagelslag). Yes: Scatter chocolate sprinkles on your buttered bread. You might also want to eat a slice of Breakfast cake (ontbijtkoek), a cake containing cinnamon. Get yourself ready for the chilly rain, strong wind, wet snow storm or radiant sunny day. The Dutch climate is full of whimsical surprises. Coffee At 10:30 am it’s time for a cup of coffee. A cup of coffee is not just drinking a cup of coffee. The small, strong cup is to be savored while reading the newspaper or conversing at length with friends. Lunch Lunch is another bread and butter meal, the same as breakfast, perhaps served with thinly sliced cold meats. More coffee, tea or milk. An ‘uitsmijter’ will satisfy your hunger. It consists of bread with slices of cheese and/or meat, topped with fried eggs. In...

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The Eleven City tour. (The Elfstedentocht)

by sammie

The 11-city marathon covers a course of almost 200 kilometres, this route has to be done in 1 day!. From town to town, over lakes and ditches, between the fields and under the bridges. Hundreds of thousands of spectators brave the cold and cheer the skaters along the route. Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland, has always been the start and finish. The marathon takes the participants from Leeuwarden to Sneek, IJlst, Sloten, Stavoren, Hindeloopen, Workum, Bolsward, Harlingen, Franeker, Dokkum and back to Leeuwarden.On enrolment, every participant gets a card which has to be stamped in each town and at a number of checkpoints secretly located along the route. At each town and checkpoint all the competitors and participants have to show their card and have it stamped by hand. A participant only gets his or her 11-city marathon cross if the card is fully stamped and if he or she arrives back...

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Yummi, before Exteniction *Advokaat*

by dr.firas

LOL It was the idea of CarinThanks a lot for making me taste this wonderful very old traditional kind of Dutch dessert:*Advokaat*, it is an uncooked egg, fresh one, with alcohole and it is sweet, Ali told me the new generation of Dutch people don't like it, and it is about to be extinct, well if so I was lucky to try it, and shall say it would be a pitty if one day it will disappear!

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The Dutch flag

by dr.firas

I like it, it has the same colors of the French, Russian, Luxemburg, Slovak, ones, oh, but if to mention the rest of the flage in the world I won't be able to stop soon LOLUSA, and and and...etcbut I like it, it is elegance!

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1000 Bicycles

by dr.firas

Just a picture with no need for comment, look this huge numbers of the Bicycles, it is nothing in comparing of the tottal number, I guess there are not less than one million in Amsterdam!very local Dutch thing!

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Sailors

by dr.firas

I wish I had time to translate the words of the wonderful song of Jaques Brel from French to English to share it here in this tip, as it is talking about the Sailors life, in a critical dark side, I had an interesting talk with this sailor, he had a very bad English, but I understood and felt most of the words in that song real in this short conversation, but Jaques Brel forgot one only one little detail, is showing the human side of those men, he was so freindly and simple, and I like it!

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Typical dutch costume

by dr.firas

I've first seen it in Rotterdam, then in Amsterdam I saw a beautiful lady, who works on the Nadia hotel, and she was wearing it, it is very beautiful on women, I like it, really folkloric but so lovely!

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Top 3 Hotels in Netherlands

Seven Bridges Hotel  Amsterdam

 4 Reviews and 488 Opinions  We almost stayed here. Looked like a charming hotel, although we didn’t see the rooms. It’s in a... 

 Hotels in Amsterdam

The Manhattan Hotel Rotterdam  Rotterdam

 6 Reviews and 138 Opinions  Right opposite Rotterdam Centraal train station on Weena, is the imposing 5 star Westin hotel. It... 

 Hotels in Rotterdam

Novotel Maastricht  Maastricht

 4 Reviews and 178 Opinions  It's great to see and witness that the hotel has a heated outdoor swimming pool, which you can use... 

 Hotels in Maastricht

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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