Beyond Amsterdam, beyond your expectations, lies the real Holland. Beautiful countryside, rich history and vibrant cities – look closely and soon Holland will offer up its charms to you.
Sandy beaches, beautiful landscape, picturesque villages and rich heritage, some of the most attractive parts of North Holland are just a few minutes drive out of Amsterdam.
Drive around the IJsselmeer and you can give your family a taste of Holland at its most authentic. The treasures of The Golden Circle are waiting to be explored at your own pace.
Holland truly is the land of bulbs, tulips and many other flowers. Every month of the year Holland surprises its visitors; the earliest bulbs have barely shown their faces, before pastel-hued fruit trees burst into bloom around mid-April. Hundreds of glorious gardens create a colourful atmosphere all over the country. And there are just as many ways of enjoying Dutch blooms - just take your pick.
Only a stone's throw from Amsterdam’s busiest shopping street, you will find one of the most famous courtyards: Begijnhof (groups not allowed) where, every spring, hundreds of daffodils grace the velvety lawns. Courtyards (or 'hofjes' as they are known in Holland) originated as the centers of almshouses run by charitable foundations for the elderly poor. There are 35 such almshouses in Leiden alone.
The largest and best-known hofje in Leiden is the Mermansburg on the Oude Vest where, in the inner courtyard, a water pump crowned with a citadel and a merman hints at the meaning of the hofje's name (Merman's Citadel). Built between 1778 and 1780, the Mermansburg was extensively restored between 1977 and 1979. Many other Dutch towns boast hofjes, some of the most charming and best known of which can be found in Haarlem and Delft.
BOTANICAL GARDENS
There are 17 botanical gardens spread across the country, the oldest of which you will find in Leiden (Hortus Botanicus)where a reconstruction of the original garden, dating back to 1594, forms an integral part of the present one. The garden has some unusual collections, imposing trees, a Japanese garden and the Clusius garden.
Amsterdam has two excellent botanical gardens: De Plantage, an indoor and outdoor tropical and subtropical paradise, containing 6,000 different species of plants including palm trees, cacti and herbs. The second garden being the garden of the Free which features a Japanese bonsai collection and flesh-eating plants.
In the northern province of Groningen, Haren's botanical garden erupts in a kaleidoscope of spring color no less impressive than the bountiful burst of life, which occurs at the same time each year in Holland's bulb growing areas.
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