Travel Archives - DutchNews.nl

Dutch destinations: pint-sized Staverden packs a punch

Staverden is just one of a few places that claim to be the smallest city in the Netherlands. Its diminutive size makes one question whether or not it’s worthy of an entire travel feature, but Brandon Hartley was determined to give it a shot. Is Staverden the smallest city in the Netherlands? That depends on your definition of both ‘smallest’ and ‘city.’ Staverden received city rights way back in 1298 and currently boasts 30 residents. Using those metrics, that would... More >

Best case scenario: tourists to Amsterdam around half of 2019 peak this year

Amsterdam expects tourist numbers this year to be around half of the levels in 2019 and, in the worst-case scenario, to drop by more than two-thirds. The capital’s statistical analysis service, the OIS, reveals that at best it expects 45% fewer visitors to turn up this year. However, the results could vary wildly depending on international travel policy and vaccination programmes. In 2019, the peak of tourism and of reports of tourist nuisance, almost 22 million day trippers and overnight... More >

Motorists from high risk countries face Covid test requirement, as ban on UK flights is lifted

Travellers returning to the Netherlands by car from coronavirus high risk areas will also soon be required to show a negative Covid test on re-entering the country, health minister Hugo de Jonge told MPs on Tuesday. The plan is part of proposed changes to the public health act which the government wants to introduce to make quarantine compulsory and which are now being put out to consultation. Travellers will be checked at random and will also be expected to carry... More >

DutchNews.nl destinations: lockdown in a lock keeper’s cottage

Steve White and his wife spent 10 enriching days in up-and-coming Georgia in 2019 and liked it so much that in 2020 they planned a couple of weeks in neighbouring Armenia. But then The Darkness fell upon the world, and they ended up sleeping in a larder in a 17th century lock keepers cottage in the ex-fishing port of Maassluis, a distant suburb of Rotterdam. We hit upon Maassluis as an unlikely substitute for Yerevan after my Dutch wife read... More >

Complaints flood in about cancelled holidays in coronavirus times

More than 2,000 people have reported problems with cancelled holidays to a special hotline. The Consumentenbond, an association that represents consumer interests, has been flooded with reactions about people’s recent holidays in the past three weeks. The majority of people who had concerns, 1116 consumers, were upset about how their flight cancellations were handled, 616 had gripes about package holidays, while 394 were upset about accommodation providers. However, a fifth of the 2,600 responses were actually compliments about how holiday... More >

Should I stay or should I go? Expats weigh up the risks of a family Christmas back ‘home’.

So, will you be spending the holiday season abroad with family or have you already bought your kerststol and kransjes for a traditional Dutch Christmas here in the Netherlands? DutchNews.nl reports on how the corona crisis is shaping the winter holiday plans of international residents in the Netherlands. Do not travel abroad unless it’s essential, the Dutch government has urged, stressing that holidays and family visits are not. Instead, we are encouraged to stay here in the Netherlands, gather round... More >

Holiday voucher holders want their money back as confidence plummets: Telegraaf

Disappointed would-be holidaymakers are demanding their money back as trust in the voucher system plummets amid fears of ‘a tsunami’ of bankruptcies, the Telegraaf said on Friday. The paper said insurers, consumer organisation Consumentenbond and travel umbrella organisation ANVR have been reporting a growing number of people who have seen their travel plans scuppered by the coronavirus crisis and who now want to exchange their holiday vouchers for cash. At the moment some €3bn worth of vouchers is outstanding, the... More >

Dutch destinations: take a walk in the wild Westerkwartier in Groningen

If you are looking to get away from it all, if you love walking or birdwatching or just exploring an unknown bit of the Netherlands, then the western part of Groningen is an often overlooked gem. Muntjersyster Ryd, Middag-Humsterland, Langewold, Elzinge – many of the names in this very rural part of the country sound as they have come straight out of Lord of the Rings. They are names steeped in history, and Westerkwartier, which runs from the Wadden Sea... More >

European travel restriction headache is good for Dutch holiday parks

Looking to get away from it all this autumn? Organising a short break abroad now starts with the government travel website as the first port of call, while many don’t bother and are opting for a holiday in the Netherlands as the safer option. A trip abroad is becoming more and more complicated as countries which are dealing with rising infection numbers impose (local) limits to travel and Dutch tourists themselves may not be welcome everywhere, or subject to conditions.... More >

Dutch destinations: get away from it all in the Veluwe

Many consider the Veluwe, an area of heathland between Arnhem and Apeldoorn to be a sanctuary. Its wilderness areas and small towns offer a welcome respite from the turbulence of the Randstad cities, especially during the off-season. Just watch out for the wolves and wild boars! The Veluwe is about as rural and isolated as things get in the Netherlands. As an area it is best known for the Hoge Veluwe National Park, but the rest of the roughly 1,1000... More >

More than 2,000 shared bikes and mopeds to hit Amsterdam streets

More than 1,400 shared bikes and 700 shared scooters will be landing on the streets of Amsterdam, three years after the city took tough action against a rash of abandoned shared bikes. The city has announced that instead it will be controlling a ‘small-scale, local’ experiment, working with six commercial providers of the shared vehicles. The experiment is due to last for two years, and may be extended for another year if there proves to be space for the extra... More >

All of Spain, more parts of France are code orange, as coronavirus cases rise

The Dutch foreign office has upped its official travel advisory for the whole of Spain to orange, meaning all but essential travel to the popular holiday destination should now be avoided. Monaco and several more parts of France – Sarthe, Hérault and Alpes Maritimes – have also been scaled up to orange because of the rise in coronavirus cases. Alpes Maritimes includes Nice, where the Tour de France is due to start on Saturday. The new advisory comes into force... More >