Rotterdam & South Holland

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Includes  Why Go? Rotterdam...... 147 In the iconic region southwest of Amsterdam, tulips, wind- Dordrecht ...... 162 mills, cheese, Dutch Masters and blue-and-white Delftware Biesbosch china abound, but it’s the cities here that are the biggest National Park ...... 165 draws. Gouda...... 165 The country’s second-largest, Rotterdam, is riding a wave of urban development, redevelopment and regeneration Den Haag (The Hague)...... 168 with striking additions to its dramatic skyline, and electrifying art, food and bar scenes that are fuelling an international Delft...... 175 buzz. Leiden has a centuries-old university culture, historic Leiden...... 180 canal-laced core and exceptional museums. Den Haag, the Zeeland ...... 187 seat of government and the Dutch royals, as well as the capital Middelburg ...... 187 of Zuid-Holland (South Holland), also has a trove of magnif- icent museums, along with a stately air, luxe shopping and resort beach, while Vermeer’s beautiful home town Delft is an exquisite medieval time capsule. Zeeland (Sea Land), the country’s southernmost, dyke- Best Places to Eat protected province, is anchored by the mast-filled port of ¨¨FG Food Labs (p155) Middelburg. Cycling throughout this gentle, mostly sub-sea- level region is unparalleled. ¨¨Restaurant Allard (p173) ¨¨In den Doofpot (p185) ¨¨Brasserie ‘t Crabbetje When to Go (p178) ¨¨Rotterdam’s museums, shopping, restaurants, bars ¨¨Fenix Food Factory (p156) and nightlife – as well as its excellent public-transport network – mean you can ignore the weather while indoors, and comfortably visit year-round. Best Places to ¨¨Spring brings an explosion of colour to the glorious tulip- Stay filled gardens at Keukenhof (p187), which open just eight weeks a year and are worth scheduling a trip around. ¨¨Villa Augustus (p164) ¨¨Between spring and autumn, you’ll find many more ¨¨King Kong Hostel (p153) attractions open throughout the region than in the winter ¨¨Des Indes (p172) months, and greater odds of enjoying a balmy canal stroll or ¨¨De Vier Seizoenen (p186) a beach swim. ¨¨Hotel The Roosevelt (p188) #] #\

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