Traveler Tim Hinkle discusses his recent trip to The Netherlands and Paris, sharing his favorite parts, surprises and recommendations. See photos on our Facebook page.
Tim’s Netherlands Itinerary and Recommendations
Amsterdam:
- Stay:
- Lloyd Hotel (Eastern Docklands) – Originally a hotel for Eastern European migrants that turned into a political prison during Nazi occupation and then into a juvenile detention center. It was restored back into a hotel in 2004.
- Sights and Attractions
- Eating and Drinking:
Day trips from Amsterdam:
- Leiden - a medieval city on the Rhine, home to the oldest university in the Netherlands and played a major role in the independence of the Netherlands from Spain in the 17th century.
- Groningen - Called the “Metropolis of the North," has fabulous bicycle infrastructure, a bustling pedestrian and bike-oriented city center, and the striking Martini Tower.
- Eindhoven - the birthplace of Philips Electronics and a former industrial powerhouse, which now has lots of renovated historic manufacturing buildings. The Strijp-S district, formerly Philips industrial buildings, today is a hip and buzzing center of mixed-use activity with shops, bars, restaurants, and of course, all reachable by bike.
- Rotterdam - Europe’s largest port city, re-built with modern architecture following the obliteration of its historic city center by German bombers in the 1940s. The Lijnbaan in the center of the city was one of the world’s first pedestrian-only outdoor shopping malls when it opened in 1953 and is still thriving today. The monumental Rotterdam Centraal station opened in 2014.
- Haarlem - a smaller Dutch city that offers a nice break from the bustle of Amsterdam. It’s also the capital of the province of North Holland.
