ZUID HOLLAND & 183 Kinderdijk Rotterdam Delft Gardens Keukenhof Den Haag

Keukenhof Gardens Mauritshuis ( p191 ) Delft ( p199 ) ( p189 ) Haag’s world ( p203 ) p203 ( its first in Rotterdam

Go for a spin in Kinderdijk ( p215 ) Get your Art 101 in splendid form at Den wearing pearl earrings in old- Look for girls Realise that Holland’s second city should be Pop off for posies at      HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

Cycling in this flat, mostly near- and sub-sea-level region is unparalleled. Ferries offer chances offer is unparalleled. Ferries region and sub-sea-level Cycling in this flat, mostly near- Further south, Zeeland (Sea Land) is the dyke-protected province that people often as- (Sea Land) is the dyke-protected that people often province south, Zeeland Further Several smaller places are also worth smaller places are time: Gouda is a perfect your Several old canal town, while Zuid Holland’s major cities are the biggest attractions: there’s Leiden, with its university with its university Leiden, the biggest attractions: there’s Holland’s major cities are Zuid The Keukenhof gardens are a place of pilgrimage for lovers of tulips. Not much further of tulips. for lovers a place of pilgrimage KeukenhofThe are gardens

that you can pick a town you fancy as a base and see the rest via quick and frequent trains. via quick and frequent and see the rest that you can pick a town you fancy as a base to get out on the water and short Holland, meanto get out on the water Zuid distances between towns, especially in spawned the Delta Project. Middelburg is the main town, with a serenity belying its proximity to the tragedies that belying its proximity is the main town, with a serenity Middelburg sociate with the when they’re not thinking of tulips, cheese and windmills. not thinking with the Netherlands when they’re of tulips, cheese and windmills. sociate Biesbosch National Park, a sprawling natural area along the border with Noord Brabant. along the border with a sprawling natural area Biesbosch National Park, Dordrecht has its own surprises amid canals and charm. Just east and south of Dordrecht is amid canals and charm. Just east and south of Dordrecht has its own surprises Dordrecht architecture. mighty Rotterdam, blessed with an edgy urban vibe, surprising cultural scene and striking blessed with an edgy urban vibe, surprising mighty Rotterdam, air, fun shopping and kitsch beach; charming, beautiful Delft, the home of Jan Vermeer; and air, fun shopping and kitsch Vermeer; charming, beautiful Delft, the home of Jan beach; culture and old town (and proximity to the bulb fields); Den Haag, with its museums, stately its museums, stately to the bulb fields); Den Haag, with and old town (and proximity culture the coast. west, the beaches are great for biking along great and hiking,west, the beaches are with trails and paths everywhere omnipresence. tall Dutch people standing up to the sea, Vermeer and tulips avoid cliché simply by their and up to the sea, Vermeer tall Dutch people standing Think Holland and you’re thinking about these two provinces where tulips, cheese, plucky tulips, cheese, plucky thinking where you’re Holland and two provinces about these Think

Zeeland Zuid Holland & Zuid Holland & ZUID HOLLAND & ZEELAND buildings. Italsohasafew claims tofame: patterned with canals andattractive old Lovely isarefreshing, Leiden vibrant town, % Dutch destinations. easily make classic atripjustexploringthese Rotterdam, Europe’sbusiestport.Youcould of theroyalfamilyandgovernment; and citiesareportant here: DenHaag, theseat Netherlands. Twoof thenation’smostim- the economicandpopulationheart of the Utrecht, Zuid Hollandispartof theRandstad, Along withNoord(North)Hollandand 184 ZI HOLLAND ZUID LEIDEN ZUID HOLLAND&ZEELAND 071 /pop116,800 Domburg Zeeuws-Vlaanderen UDHLAD • edn ZUID HOLLAND••Leiden Sluis Walcheren Middelburg N ORTHSEA Westerschouwen Delta Project Neeltje Jans Waterland Veere

IJzendijk Westerschelde Renesse Beveland Zuid-Beveland Noord- A58 Schouwen- Duiveland

Hoek vanHolland Goes Oosterschelde Zierikzee ZEELAND E312 Perkpolder (The Hague) Den Haag Kruiningen Monster A4 A20 Scheveningen HOLLAND Noordwijk aanZee To Antwerpen Katwijk aanZee ZUID (Anvers) (19km) A13 A29 A4 A15 Bergen opZoom E19 A17 A59 A12 Keukenhof Delft A44 group led byJohn Robinson, whowould sail wasthe what warmerwelcome. Mostnotable toasome- and Englandarrived inLeiden tion elsewhere intheLowCountries, France in homes. ofa staple Dutch menusinrestaurants, and tle of legged itsoquickly,they abandoned aket- ers. Accordingtolore, theretreating Spanish arrived andrepelled Beggars theinvad- Sea 1574. Itwasaterrible time,endingwhenthe Silent forwithstanding twoSpanish sieges in students), thealmamater of RenéDescartes. the Netherlands’oldestuniversity (and20,000 it’s Rembrandt’sbirthplace,andhometo Haarlem Willemstad Roosendaal Decades later, persecu- Protestants fleeing The university wasagiftfromWillemthe B ELGIUM To Alkmaar E30 Leiden ROTTERDAM E25 (11km) A16 E19 hutspot A4 To Antwerpen Lisse (Anvers) (37km) Schipohl Kinderdijk A9 Gouda a/d Rijn Dordrecht Alphen A8 Gorinchem Breda National Park (hotchpotch) –todayit’sstill Biesbosch Aalsmeer A10 A12 E311 E312 Amstelveen Utrecht Tilburg Oudewater AMSTERDAM A59 E35 A27 E30 A2 A7 12miles 20km 0 0 To Antwerpen A261 Hilversum UTRECHT (Anvers) (60km) To Hoorn Zaltbommel (18km) lonelyplanet.com NOORD BRABANT Nieuwegein A15 Bosch Den E25 Eindhoven A27 Almere Amersfoort A1 A2 A58 A28 A67 A12 To Arnhem To Arnhem Nijmegen (41km) (40km) (62km) (86km) (34km) (51km) Zwolle Sneek Venlo Tiel A2 To To To To E25