Kingdom of the Netherlands

Understand

History The Netherlands, historically the region now known as the Benelux, was part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was acquired piece by piece by the Burgundians. At the end of the Middle Ages, it became a Spanish possession. A few historic city centres and several castles from this Spanish period remain today. Following the Dutch Revolt, also known as the 80-year war, led in part by national hero William of Orange, aimed to remove Spanish king Philip II off the throne in favour of another monarch, the Netherlands proclaimed its independence as a republic in early 1588, after both the French and English allied rulers were deemed unfit of taking the throne. Independence only became official with the 1648 Peace of Münster. The (first) split with Belgium came when the northern provinces (including Flanders) signed the Union of Utrecht in 1579, while the southern Netherlands, roughly modern-day Wallonia, declared their desire to keep Philip II as their monarch in the 1579 Union of Atrecht. The Netherlands grew to become one of the major economic and seafaring powers in the world during the 17th century, which is known as the Dutch Golden Age (Gouden Eeuw). During this period, many colonies were founded or conquered, including the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and New Netherland (which at its height extended along the East Coast of today's United States, from Rhode Island to the Eastern Shore of Maryland); the latter was traded with the British for Suriname in 1667. After peacefully transforming into the Batavian Republic, a sister republic of the French Empire, following the Batavian revolution of 1795, the Netherlands became a kingdom in 1806 when Emperor Napoleon appointed his brother Louis-Napoleon as 'King of Holland', which was annexed into France in 1810. In

See

Dutch culture

For many fore

Getting there

The Netherlands is a member of the Schengen Agreement. See Travelling around the Schengen Area for more information on how the scheme works, what countries are members and what the requirements are for your nationality. In summary:

There are normally no immigration controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty; there may be such controls temporarily, such as in connection with important events and various crises. The operators may carry out identity checks before passengers board international flights, ferries or trains, even between Schengen countries. Citizens of the EEA countries and Switzerland do not need visas to travel in the Schengen area, and may stay up to 90 days with no requirements other than having a valid ID card or passport. See European Union#EEA citizens. Normal visas granted by any Schengen member are valid in all countries that have signed and implemented the treaty (with exceptions for some overseas territories). The granting country may offer additional rights (such as longer stays or right to work) that apply only locally. All non-EEA/Swiss travellers must register their residence within 5 business days of entering the Netherlands with the Aliens' Police (Vreemdelingenpolitie) or the municipality responsible for your place of residence. Hotels normally will handle the registration formalities for their guests. Applications for visas and long-term residence permits are handled by the IND. Travellers from Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, the UK, the US, South Korea, and Switzerland can enter the Netherlands without a provisional residence permit (MVV) to stay for more than 90 days for any purpose, but must complete registration formalities with the IND and obtain a residence within 90 days of ent

Getting around

The Netherlands is served by an extensive public transport network, making this a good way to get around and discover the main sights. Motorists can rely on an extensive system of (Auto)snelwegen (Highways/motorways) and Autowegen (semi-highways). Of course the Netherlands is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly countries in the world. A truly extensive bicycle infrastructure makes cycling an excellent way to get around.

Public transport The Netherlands has a fine-grained and well-organised public transport system. Most villages can be reached by public transport although services may be infrequent, especially at weekends. The Dutch public transport system consists of a train network which serves as the backbone, extended with a network of both local and inter-local buses. Amsterdam and Rotterdam have a metro network, each of only a few lines, although Rotterdam's line E reaches The Hague. Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague also have extensive networks of trams. Utrecht only has two tram lines which serve mainly as links to the surrounding suburbs of Nieuwegein and IJsselstein.

Travel information 9292.nl, ☏ 0900-9292 (high cost)Country code missing. A journey planner for all Dutch public transport - All public transport companies participate in the 9292 reisplanner, which can plan a door-to-door (or tourist hotspot-to-hotspot) trip for you using all public transportation types. The site mostly relies on scheduled detours, but delays are incorporated to a limited degree. 9292 information is also available by telephone costs about €1 min, maximum: €20. (updated Dec 2025) Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways)- Information about trains can be found at the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) website, which includes a trip planner which uses the latest information about