The Netherlands Holidays

As the capital city of a country that has consistently over-achieved for centuries, Amsterdam is the perfect distillation of all things Dutch. We think its combination of fantastic museums (Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the modernist Stedelijk Museum, to name just a few) alone makes Amsterdam perfect Big Short Break territory. In fact, the city has the highest density of museums of any city on the planet, with Anne Frank's House and the National Maritime Museum two other highlights. Culture Vultures will also doubtless gravitate to the Concertgebouw, the national concert hall with famously good acoustics that is home to arguably the finest orchestra on the planet. Now a word of encouragement for the more, shall we say, culturally ambivalent. Museums and concert halls aside, this is a very pretty city just to wander around, with 17th century Dutch gabled townhouses that were once home to wealthy merchants lining beautifully maintained canals. Hop on board a canal boat or bicycle (flat is good, remember) for another way of seeing what the city has to offer, and come evening there is a resurgent restaurant scene to enjoy with everything from bistros to Michelin stars to choose from. And any country that thinks chocolate hundreds and thousands are a good accompaniment to breakfast gets our vote. This is also a city that does a good beer, with many a decent pub in which to enjoy said beer, and some excellent shopping opportunities, especially in the Nine Little Streets neighbourhood.