Bicycles, cheese, and tulips.
That’s just some of the many GREAT things the Netherlands is famous for.
After spending just a couple of nights in the Netherlands during our summer holiday, it quickly became clear to us that we must return for more adventures!
In the meantime, all we can do is write about what we learned so far from this interesting country. So in this blog post, we’ll go through all the greatest things that the Netherlands is famous and known for. And hopefully, it’ll give you an idea of what to look forward to on your next trip.
So here it is! 25 GREAT things the Netherlands is famous and known for.
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1.The Netherlands is famous for cheese
Do you love cheese? Then the Netherlands is just right for you! So many great cheeses are produced in this country, and they taste amazing.
Dutch cheeses include Edam, Maasdam, Beemster, Old Amsterdam, Prima Donna, and many more! But the most well-known cheese in the Netherlands is probably the Gouda. It’s a delicious cheese that’s super popular worldwide – you’ve probably had it before.
Known for its creamy and mild taste when young, while more firm and strong when matured, the Gouda has deliciously earned its popular place in the world.
So make sure to go by some of the many cheese shops around the Netherlands during your trip. Even if you don’t like cheese, just go in and get overwhelmed by the smell and yellow bright colours of the cheese wheels.
2. The Netherlands is the world’s largest exporter of flowers
Did you know that the Netherlands is the world’s largest exporter of cut/bouquet flowers? It’s safe to say that many flowers are produced in the Netherlands, however, one in particular is more famous than the others – the tulip.
During spring, especially in mid-April, you can see the amazing tulip fields that the country is known for.
Funnily enough, the tulip isn’t even a native plant to the Netherlands. It was imported from Turkey in the 16th century, but it quickly became a popular plant that was high in demand. It was so popular that a period in the 17th century has been named “Tulip mania”. During this period, the demand of tulips was so high that a rare tulip bulb allegedly exceeded the value of gold!
3. Heineken is the world’s second largest beer company
One of the products that the Netherlands is most famous for is the Heineken Beer. Sold in many countries across the globe, it stands as the second largest beer company in the world.
In 1973, Gerard Heineken, whom the beer is named after, began his brewery in Amsterdam. It didn’t take long before the citizens of Amsterdam fell in love with the lager, so it became a popular brew and the company quickly grew in size.
So make sure to enjoy a Heineken on your trip to the Netherlands – it’s available in most bars and restaurants. We especially loved to drink a brew while nibbling on some of that amazing Dutch gouda cheese! – Just a suggestion.
4. The Netherlands is known for its flat land
While the Netherlands doesn’t rank first place for being the flattest country in the world, it is well-known as the flattest country in Europe. In fact, the country is so flat that it’s named after it. “The Netherlands” refers to “the lower lands”.
You’ll quickly notice just how flat the country is when you’re driving through it. On the highways, you’ll often see nothing but flat plains that stretch as far as the eye can see. It’s actually pretty cool to experience.
But why is this such a great thing about the Netherlands if the country is going to struggle when the sea level rises due to global warming? Well, the flat lands are exceptionally good for farming, and the lowlands means that the country is full of beautiful canals – in some canals you’ll also find people living in houseboats. Plus, the Netherlands are already making plans for how to deal with the rising sea levels.
5. The Dutch are the tallest people in the world
Another thing the Netherlands is famous for is the height of its people. For many years now, the Dutch have been the tallest people in the world.
Their tall height is explained by a nutrient diet (among some other factors). Height is generally often used as a measure of how healthy a nation is – and in that case, the Dutch people are very healthy!
In 2019, Dutch men were an average of 182,53 cm tall, whereas Dutch women were an average of 168,72 cm tall. The overall average of a Dutch person is therefore 175.62, which makes the Netherlands the tallest nation in the world. Read more here: 25 tallest nations ranked.
6. There are 1000+ historical windmills in the Netherlands
One of the most common symbols of the Netherlands is the old, classic windmill.
The windmills were very important to The Netherlands as they were used to drain water in the fields from the lowlands. This way, the fields could still be used for farming even though they were located below sea level.
The windmills also had other industrial purposes like grinding grain and such, but the most critical purpose they served was definitely to drain the fields.
At its peak, there were more than 10000 windmills in all of the Netherlands, but today only a little over 1000 is left. Some of these windmills are very historical since they’re hundreds of years old, so make sure to see if you can visit one of them during your trip to the Netherlands.
Check out this fellow blogger’s historical guide: Windmills in the Netherlands
7. The Netherlands is famous for wooden clogs
We’ll never forget when we arrived in Utrecht, and the first thing we heard was horse hooves walking behind us. Turned out, it was a guy walking in wooden clogs. That was the first and only time we ever saw someone wear wooden shoes in the Netherlands.
Nevertheless, the Netherlands is still famous for its wooden clogs. The shoes date back to the 13th century and were used to protect the feet of farmers, fishermen, and factory workers.
While we were lucky to see one Dutch guy actually wear them, you shouldn’t expect to see it. However, you can find many colourful wooden shoes in the tourist shops around the country. Maybe you can even go try them on yourself?
Want to read more about the wooden shoes? Then check out this article about wooden clogs.
8. The first stock market in the world is from the Netherlands
While Belgium was the center of international trade in the 1400s, it was actually the Netherlands that created the first modern stock trading.
In 1611 in Amsterdam, the Dutch East India Company was the first publicly traded company. It wasn’t long after when the United States started to form stock exchanges in New York and Philadelphia. However, the price for the very first stock market in the world still goes to the Netherlands.
9. International courts are located in the Hague
The Netherlands is known for being home to the International Court of Justice and to the International Criminal Court. Both courts are located in The Hague, also known as “Haag” in Dutch.
The International Court of Justice is situated in a beautiful building named the Peace Palace, and it settles international disputes and gives opinions on international legal issues as an organ of the United Nations.
The International Criminal Court, on the other hand, is a much different court that has the jurisdiction to prosecute an individual for crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and human rights violations.
Apart from the international courts, The Hague is also known as the administrative center of the Netherlands. While Amsterdam is the capital, The Hague is the seat of the Dutch government.
10. The Netherlands is famous for snack walls
Something I (Cecilie from Denmark) haven’t seen anywhere else in the world is the snack walls! Also known as “snack muur.”
It’s basically a wall where you can insert some money (often around €2), and then get a warm friturie snack. It’s absolutely delicious! You can get kroket, burger, sausages, bitterballs, and much more!
We absolutely loved a snack now and then while discovering the Netherlands, and this was certainly something we’ve only found this country to be known for.
11. The Netherlands is known for ‘coffee’ shops
You can’t write a blog post about things the Netherlands is famous for and not mention the coffee shops. Here we don’t mean delicious café latte and cappuccino. No, we’re talking about the small shops around the country where you legally can buy marijuana.
While drugs are legalised in the Netherlands it doesn’t mean that we recommend you to go get high. Not at all. That’s completely up to you. But in our opinion, it’s nice that it’s out in the open.
We’ve traveled to countries where we’ve been approached by shady dealers lurking in dark alleys, and it can honestly feel a bit uncomfortable. So we personally support the idea of keeping drugs legalised and out in the open. But that’s just our opinion.
12. There are more bicycles than people
One of the things that the Netherlands has long been famous for is bicycles.
In fact, there are more bicycles than people in the country. According to the official government site, there are 17 million people in the Netherlands and a whoopin’ 22,8 million bicycles!
Bicycling is now such an important part of Dutch culture that a lot of money have been invested in great bicycle lanes all over the country. It’s definitely one of the best (and safest) destinations in the world where you can go on a bike vacation.
Want to join the bike culture on your next trip? Check out the following tours:
- 3-hour guided bike tour in central Amsterdam
- From Amsterdam: bike through the countryside
- Rent your own bike in Amsterdam
13. The Dutch are the world’s best non-native English speaking
When visiting the Netherlands, you won’t have any troubles asking for directions because you will rarely bump into someone who doesn’t speak English. Of course, this requires that you speak some English yourself.
In 2019 (the latest data I could find), the Netherlands were rated the world’s best country to speak English as a second language.
During our own trip, we were pleased to learn that this is completely true. It was so easy to ask for help and get around. Speaking English is definitely a great thing to be known for! Makes it so much easier for us travelers.
14. Miffy was created by Dutch artist Dick Bruna
When walking the streets of Utrecht, we saw a museum dedicated to Miffy (Also known as “Nijntje” in Dutch), the fictional white, female rabbit with her red dress. It was quickly made clear to us that this was a Dutch creation.
In 1955, Dutch Artist Dick Bruna created the first Miffy book. It increased in popularity and several Miffy books followed, then the TV series came, and even a movie.
While I personally never watched or read Miffy in my childhood, Glenn certainly does remember the little white rabbit. And it seems that many people around the world does! How about you? Did you ever read/watch Miffy in your childhood?
15. The Dom Tower is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands
One of the most historical buildings that the Netherlands is famous for is the Dom Tower in Utrecht (also known as “Domtoren” in Dutch).
The first brick of the iconic church tower was laid in 1321, and it wasn’t until 61 years later that it was finished. But good things take time. Compared to many other historical buildings in Utrecht, the Dom Tower has survived for hundreds of years and is still standing tall today.
The Dom Tower is 112 meters tall, which makes it the tallest church tower in all of the Netherlands. You can easily spot it from many places around the city of Utrecht.
It’s possible to visit the Dom Tower on your trip to the Netherlands. Just notice that it’s currently undergoing an immense restoration which will last until 2024. We were told that just the scaffolding around the tower took a whole year to set up! Scaffolding or not – we still went up the iconic tower and thought it was a great experience.
Related blog post: How to Visit the Dom Tower – Utrecht’s Most Iconic Landmark
16. Van Gogh is one of the world’s most famous painters
One of the most famous painters of all time is without a doubt Vincent Van Gogh – so he’s definitely to be included as one of the great things the Netherlands is famous and known for.
While his artworks weren’t appreciated or acknowledged the way they ought to be in his own lifetime, they certainly are today. Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter who managed to create more than 2000 artworks in just a decade – more than 800 of the artworks were oil paintings.
Born in Zundert in the Netherlands in 1853 and died in France in 1890, Van Gogh was only 37 years old when he committed suicide after battling depression and poverty. A true “tortured artist” one might say – luckily, his incredible paintings are finally getting the admiration they deserve.
If you want to experience Van Gogh’s masterpieces yourself, then head to the Van Gogh Museum on your visit to Amsterdam.
17. Rembrandt was from the Netherlands
Another one of the Netherlands’ most famous painters was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn – or commonly known as just “Rembrandt.”
Born in Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt was from a completely different time (and art period) than Van Gogh. Therefore, their painting styles are nothing like each other. Rembrandt was a baroque painter during the Dutch Golden Age, who worked beautifully with light and shade.
Among some of his most famous paintings are: “The Night Watch”, “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee”, “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp”, and many more. He was especially good at creating portraits – including many self-portraits over the years.
Want to learn more about Rembrandt? Then check out the Rembrandt House Museum on your trip to Amsterdam.
18. De Haar is the biggest castle in the Netherlands
One of the most famous castles (and buildings) in all of the Netherlands is without a doubt De Haar Castle.
Located just a 20-kilometer drive out of Utrecht, the castle is beautifully situated in an enormous park with flowers, forests, ponds, bridges, and deer. But De Haar is not only known for its beautiful surroundings, the castle is full of history with the first house dating back to the 13th century.
So, if you want to spend a day in a beautiful park or visit one of the Netherlands’ most well-known castles, then make sure to check out De Haar.
Regretfully, we decided to only visit De Haar’s Park since the tickets are a bit steep in price. But next time, we’ll definitely go for the full experience! Get your tickets here:
19. The Netherlands is known for Jenever
The Netherlands, Belgium, and some parts of Northern France are known for the unique liquor named Jenever. Since 2008, an official AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée) was created, which states that only these specific areas can produce this liquor.
Traditionally, the liquor was made by distilling malt wine until it reached 50 percent, and then juniper berries were added to give it better taste. However, today the distilling process is completely different as it undergoes several steps to make the flavour more wholesome.
Jenever is served in small glasses, often similar to shot glasses, but you’re supposed to enjoy it slowly – one sip at a time.
20. The Netherlands is famous for its canals
One of the things that the Netherlands is mostly known for are canals! In many cities, you can often find a beautiful canal twisting and turning through the cityscape.
Check out one of our favorite canal cities in the Netherlands: Things to do in Utrecht
But the city with the most impressive canals are without a doubt Amsterdam. The network of canals in Amsterdam is so unique that it has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fun fact: Did you know that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice? Amsterdam has 165 canals and Venice has 150 canals.
Because of the many canals in the Netherlands, you also find a lot of houseboats. Some of them modern and some of them old. It’s honestly pretty cool to see how people live on water!
21. There are 2 types of ‘Santa Claus’ in the Netherlands
When I celebrated my first Christmas with Glenn, who is from Belgium, he had mentioned Sinterklaas a couple of times like I knew what he was talking about… I obviously didn’t. Apparently, in Belgium and the Netherlands, they celebrate Sinterklaas on the 5th and 6th of December.
Sinterklaas is based on Saint Nicholas who was a Greek bishop, and he is wearing a red bishop hat, has a long white beard, he rides on a white horse, he carries a book with the records of the nice and the naughty children, and he brings presents to the children.
As you can hear, there are many similarities between Sinterklaas and Santa Claus, yet they are not the same since Sinterklaas is a religious figure.
Have you ever heard of Sinterklaas before? Let me know in the comment section. Either way, it must be nice to get Christmas presents twice during December!
22. The Netherlands is still known as Holland
In Denmark, we call the Netherlands “Holland”. So when talking about the country, we always refer to it as “Holland”. Many foreigners do the same, but it’s actually wrong.
Holland is only a province in the country of the Netherlands.
In 2019, the Dutch government made a decision to try to rebrand the country as “The Netherlands” instead of “Holland”. This meant changing the name in international sport events and cultural events, and making sure the tourism board only used the term “The Netherlands” to describe the country.
While we foreigners certainly don’t mind calling the Netherlands by its righteous name, the country is still widely known as Holland. I guess some things can only change with time.
23. The most famous city in the Netherlands is Amsterdam
While there are many great cities in the Netherlands, the most famous one is without a doubt Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and the biggest city of the country. It’s known for its incredible UNESCO inscribed canal system, its many enlightening museums, and its coffee shops.
It’s a great city to spend a long weekend soaking up the sun on the canals while getting your cultural fix in the many museums. We absolutely love Amsterdam, and we cannot wait to go back for more!
24. The national color of the Netherlands is orange
The Netherlands is known for the color orange. For example, you see it when their international football team is playing in the vivid color while thousands of orange-coloured fans are cheering from the tribune.
But why are the Dutch celebrating in orange when the national flag is red, white, and blue?
The orange color dates back to William of Orange from the 16th century, who is known as the founding father of The Netherlands. Since then, orange represents the color of the Royal Dutch Family, whose official last name is “Orange-Nassau”.
The Dutch flag also used to be the color of orange, white, and blue. However, it’s unknown why it changed from orange to the red in the flag we see today. But one thing is for sure, whether in the flag or not, the orange color is probably the most important color to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
25. The Netherlands is known for Koningsdag
The Netherlands is known for celebrating “Koningsdag” also known as “King’s Day”.
It’s basically a national holiday in the Netherlands where people celebrate the birthday of the reigning monarch. Right now, that is Dutch King Willem Alexander, who’s birthday is on April 27.
During this day, the streets are covered in orange, which as we just learned is the national color of the Netherlands. People celebrate with setting up small market stands, partying, and drinking plenty of alcohol.
It honestly looks really fun in the pictures! We’d love to visit the Netherlands during Koningsdag some day! And you can easily disguise as a tourist – just wear orange.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this blog post about all the great things the Netherlands is famous and known for! While my favorite thing is obviously the cheese (see picture below), we both think that the country has so much to offer, and we cannot wait to go back some day.
Thanks for reading and happy travels!
Like this type of post? Learn more about other countries below:
- What is Belgium known for?
- What is Denmark known for?
- What is Greece known for?
- What is Italy known for?
- What is Portugal known for?
- What is New Zealand known for?
I love Holland. Visited in 2007. My brother lives in Rotterdam since 1999.
Hi Donna, it’s such a great country!
Here’s to going back some day 😊
Best, Cecilie
Hi Cecilia,
My name is Robert and I was born in The Netherlands in the city of Groningen. I really appreciate your writing and fun facts about the Netherlands.
My wife and I emigrated to the USA in 1975. You asked if anyone had heard of Sinterklaas and we certainly have as any “Nederlander” would.
Sinterklaas or Saint Nick (Nicholas) was born in Greece as you mentioned. He became a bishop there and the Catholic Church assigned him a post in Spain. During the 80 year war between Spain and The Netherlands (1568-1648) the Spanish king, Phillip II ordered some 40,000 troops to the Netherlands to try to stop the reformation and the Dutch desire for independence from Spain ( the Habsburg empire). Those troops brought the story of Saint Nicholas to the Netherlands. The bishop would ride his white horse on the eve of his birthday through the streets and would exchange candy for carrots or hay that children left in the window sill for his horse. The story changed to small gifts that St. Nick, now riding his horse on rooftops, would drop in the chimney. In turn early Dutch settlers took the same story to the USA. However instead of Spain, he came from the North Pole and while Saint Nick rode a horse, Santa Clause was traveling by reindeer. Another fun fact, Saint Nicks helpers ( originally Moors, who occupied Spain for centuries earlier, morphed into elves.
As we all know humans have an imaginative mind.
Please keep writing!
Robert
Hi Robert, thank you so much for taking your time to share the story of Sinterklaas with me and my readers. I’m happy you’re enjoying my writings and I’ll make sure to keep them coming! We went to the Netherlands last summer and we cannot wait to go back to explore more of the country 🙂
All the best to you and your wife.
Cecilie.
Hej there! I am from Romania and we also have one Santa on 5th of December. We know him today as St. Nicolas but he was also called Santa Frosty (“Mos Gerilã”). I do not record to have a colour attach to his character, I remember to see it in some drawings with a grey-fade green color as he is old and live in the forest and nobody sees him on streets and malls as we see Santa Claus. I remember to be told as a child that St. Nicolas came thru the key hole and leave sweets for good children and a small branch for the bad children who didn’t listen. (In Italy is a similar tradition but instead of branch they receive a coal and the color is blue). So St. Nicolas is not so important as St. Claus but in Romania we happily celebrate him every year, nowadays many parents give big presents but normally he bring only candies and fruits. We also celebrate on 6th Dec in Orthodox Christian religion all who were baptise with the name: Nicolae, Neculai, Nicoleta or similar.
Hi Gabriel, thank you for sharing your story about St. Nicolas from Romania. It’s so interesting to learn about the different characters from all over the world, which arrive around our holiday season. I hope to visit your country someday – I hear there is lots to explore in Romania 😊 Best, Cecilie
As I am scuba diving vacationing in Bonaire, I’ve met many folks from the Netherlands. I found your list and descriptions really helpful to get an overall “feel” and “insights” into the Netherlands. I also realize such in-depth discussions really do take a lot of care, work and focus. Thank you both! Best, Dennis
Hi Dennis, we’re happy you found this blog post helpful. It did take a long time to put this one together. Because there is just so much you can include, and we try to only include the best and most positive things that a country is known for 😊 Best, Cecilie