Leisure 2021

So much to see, so much to do when it comes to spending leisure time in the Netherlands. Yet, as 2020 has shown, you can never be sure that you will be able to enjoy the all the beautiful sights that this country has to offer. Even for 2021 we cannot yet be sure that all entertainment facilities will be open so check first before heading out.

Boat and bike tours Only in the Netherlands can visitors so seamlessly merge relaxation and activity in one holiday. For example, during specially-themed boat and bike tours, you can enjoy the views as you glide past beautiful polder landscapes, colourful ower bulb fields the Wadden slands and Friesland or old Dutch villages. Discover the whole country on a trip from Amsterdam to Maastricht, visit the old Hansa cities along the Rhine and IJssel rivers or explore the many lakes of Friesland. Guests will spend the night on a luxury ship while cycling to a host of attractions during the day, after which the ship will meet them in the next port of call. www.holland.com/global/tourism/book/cycling-holidays/ boat-bike-tours www.boatbiketours.com/sail-and-bike-tours

Marker Wadden: Restoring nature Marker Wadden is the latest addition to the Netherlands! The new Markermeer islands are still under construction, but since September 2018 visitors can discover this nature paradise. n this new habitat for plants insects fish and birds you can explore a new beach, follow the hiking trail or enjoy a new bird-watching hideout. You can reach the island with your own boat, the ferry service from Lelystad or a chartered day trip. www.anwb.nl/vrije-tijd/nieuws/2019/april/bijzonder-uitjemet-de-veerboot-naar-de-marker-wadden www.natuurmonumenten.nl/projecten/marker-wadden

Rural Holland: National Parks and Gardens From forests, heathland and peat bog to tidal nature and stream valleys rolling hills purple heather fields sand dunes and mazes of reed in the wetlands: at the 20 Dutch national parks, measuring around 120,000 hectares in total, visitors can discover the stunning variety ofDutch nature. Take the Dwingelderveld, Europe’s largest wet moorland area, where woods, fens and marshlands provide a home to a wide variety of plants, as well as rare species of butter ies and birds. n aren the 20-hectare hortus botanicus, one of the oldest and largest botanical gardens of the Netherlands, features a wild plant garden, Celtic garden and Chinese garden with an authentic Chinese teahouse. www.nationaalpark.nl/8687/en/national-parks www.visittheotherholland.com/theme/national-parks www.visitweerribbenwieden.com/tourist-info’s/ www.nationaalpark-dwingelderveld.nl www.hortusharen.nl/en/welcome

Culinary highlights The Netherlands has an enormous variety of eateries, from exclusive three-star restaurants to cosy pubs and local cafes. There is also a lot of variety, even within such a small country. Of course, the Netherlands is known for its mashed potato, and indeed the potato is a favourite staple in all shapes and varieties, be it mashed, boiled, baked or fried. However, travel to Limburg to try some dishes particular to the region, such as zoervleis (meat marinated in vinegar and stewed with gingerbread and syrup) and vlaai (fruit pie). At Lekker Venlo, 18-20 June 2021, you will be able to taste some of the unique Limburg delicacies. Zeeland on the other hand is famous for its uni ue salty avours. Seafood lovers can visit the many restaurants in the province to taste oysters, lobsters, mussels, cockles and periwinkles, discover how they are harvested and prepared, or learn about seafood on a guided tour.

At the time of writing, most of the regular culinary festivals had not yet confirmed their 2021 events but some are planned to take place. For example, visit the corona-safe edition of Texel Culinair on 12-13 March 2021. Texel, the biggest Wadden island, covers a wide range of landscapes and therefore of tastes. Fresh fish from the orth Sea salty samphire from the brackish wetlands and cheese from the thousands of sheep combine to create wonderful delicacies for you to taste.

At the Amsterdam Coffee Festival, 5-7 March 2021, it is all about pushing boundaries. Visitors can expect to find innovation in ‘the lab’, whilst in La Marzocco’s Roasters Village

they will find the most innovative specialty coffee roasters and labels from the Benelux and Europe. Art from hundreds of artists from all over the world can be seen in the Coffee Art Project, plus there is buzzing street food market. www.holland.com/global/tourism/destinations/provinces/ zeeland/salty-flavours-from-zeeland www.lekkervenlo.nl www.texelculinair.nl www.amsterdamcoffeefestival.com

ni ue eekend a ay If you are planning a cosy weekend away, why not drift off under the roof of a historical Dutch windmill or in the middle of the river Rhine. The Drijfpaleis, for example, on the Rhine near the centre of Arnhem, offers guests a balcony view and opportunity to relax in the Mosaic Garden. The interior of the Drijfpaleis promises guests the feeling of being in a different world. In Groningen you can sleep comfortably in a converted our windmill and for lucky visitors, the blades will be rotating too.

Drij paleis Boterdijk C Arnhem www.drijfpaleis.nl Molen Hunsingo Onderdendam roningen, www.booking.com/hotel/nl/molen-hunsingo.nl www.holland.com/be_nl/toerisme/ontdek-nederland/ thuis-in-nederland/bijzonder-overnachten-in-nederland

The Kr ller M ller museum The Kröller-Müller Museum boasts the second-largest Van Gogh collection in the world: almost 90 paintings and over 180 drawings. The Van Gogh Gallery displays varying selections of about 40 works by Vincent van Gogh. Furthermore you will also find masterpieces by modern masters such as Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondriaan.

One o Europe s largest sculpture gardens In the sculpture garden, one of the largest in Europe, you can enjoy both sculptures and nature. Distributed throughout the garden are over 160 sculptures by iconic artists, from Aristide Maillol to Jean Dubuffet, from Marta Pan to Pierre Huyghe. www.krollermuller.nl/en

Castles and country houses Many of the castles and historic houses around Gelderland, often managed by the Gelderland Trust for Natural Beauty, are open to the public. At Hernen, visitors can explore the impressive medieval castle with a magic lantern and learn about the young married couple that refurbished it in 1544. At Rosendael Park & Castle, sat in a 19th-century landscaped park, guests will feel like they have returned to the era of the dukes of Gelderland. Here, they can also see the round tower, the largest of its kind preserved in the Netherlands. English-speaking tours available upon request.

Paleis het Loo is projected to reopen on 3 April 2021 after a thorough renovation. The gardens will be fully reconstructed to resemble Baroque Dutch gardens from the time of the first residents ing Willem and his wife ary Stuart, and there are historical as well as contemporary owers that give the Palace Gardens each season a special atmosphere.

Hernen Kasteel Dorpsstraat AH Hernen hernen glk.nl Kasteel en park Rosendael Rosendael DA Ro endaal rosendael.glk.nl Paleis het oo Koninklijk Park A Apeldoorn www.paleishetloo.nl www.glk.nl/english/seven-castles-and-houses/rosendael-park-castle www.holland.com/global/tourism/holland-stories/castles-and-country-houses www.visittheotherholland.com/theme/castles-and-country-houses

Infinite ellness The Dutch have taken wellness to a new level and there is much to choose from, such as De Veluwse Bron, located on a beautiful natural lake, or Sanadome Hotel & Spa Nijmegen, which claims to be the best wellness hotel of the country. In popular spa destination Valkenburg, at Thermae 2000 - sourced by 40,000-year-old water and awarded the official E mark originally pure healing water the new nfinitum opened December 2019 promises infinite tran uillity and infinite views over the Limburg hills.

Velu se Bron Visk eek eg K Emst www.veluwsebron.nl Sanadome Hotel Spa ijmegen Weg door onkerbos S ijmegen www.sanadome.nl Thermae Cauberg BT Valkenburg www.thermae.nl www.holland.com/global/tourism/activities/wellness