Holidays in Netherlands

Understanding Netherlands

History

The southern part of the country was part of the Holy Roman Empire until it was acquired piece by piece by the Burgundians At the end of the Middle Ages, it became a Spanish possession together with what is now Belgium Little survives from this period, except a few historic city centers, and a few castles

Following the Dutch Revolt, led by national hero William of Orange Willem van Oranje, the Netherlands became a de facto independent republic in 1572 The first split with Belgium came when the northern provinces including Flanders signed the Union of Utrecht in 1579 It grew to become one of the major economic and seafaring powers in the world during the 17th century, which is known as the Dutch Golden Age Gouden Eeuw During this period, many colonies were founded or conquered, including the Netherlands East Indies currently Indonesia and New Amsterdam currently New York City, which was later traded with the British for Suriname

In 1805, the country became a kingdom when Emperor Napoleon appointed his brother 'King of Holland' In 1815, it became the 'United Kingdom of the Netherlands Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden together with Belgium and Luxembourg under King William I Willem I In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom Luxembourg received independence from the Netherlands in 1890, as the Salic Law prohibited a female ruler

Avoiding the liberal revolutions of 1848 and new adopted Treaty, The Netherlands quietly became a constitutional monarchy and remained neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products In 1944, the Low Countries formed the union of the Benelux in which they economically and sometimes politically work together The country was a founding member of NATO in 1949 and the European Community EC in 1957, and participated in the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union EMU in 1999

Culture

Quite a few travelers visit the Netherlands to enjoy its famously tolerant attitude: prostitution is decriminalized, but only for those prostitutes registered at a permitted brothel Safe sex and use of condoms is common practice, and the prostitute will usually have these available It is illegal for sex workers to solicit for customers on the street and prostitutes are most common in the capital Amsterdam, where red-light districts are popular, even if tourists only visit as a momento of the visit In more rural areas, prostitution is almost non-existant Sex shops, sex shows, sex museums and drugs museums are also popular The sale, possession, and consumption of small quantities of cannabis while technically still illegal, is officially tolerated, but coffeeshops are subject to increasing restrictions Harder drugs eg ecstasy or cocaine remain illegal both in theory and practice In the same open minded atmosphere is the Dutch ease towards homosexuality, gay marriage is legalized Also the practice of Euthanasia is legalized under strict conditions

Geography

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world No matter where you go, you are never far away from civilization Cities can be crowded especially in the Randstad area, where congestion is a serious problem Much of the country is flat and at or below sea level making it an ideal place to cycle Hills can only be found at the Veluwe and Southern Limburg Much of countryside is dominated by highly industrialized farming - despite its population density, the Netherlands are one of the largest food exporters in the world Though there are some beautiful spots scattered across the country, the tourist expecting a countryside full of picturesque villages, tulips and windmills may be in for a bit of a shock The villages, tulips and windmills are there for sure, you just have to find them for example, in the Waterland and Zaan Region The most beautiful places are most of the times the places only known by the Dutch themselves Asking a Dutchwoman for some ideas of what to see could be helpful Otherwise just visit local 'tourist shops', known as the VVV, they can be found in all the larger towns

The geography of the Netherlands is dominated by water features The country is criss-crossed with rivers, canals and dikes, and the beach is never far away The western coast of the Netherlands has one of the most beautiful North Sea beaches that can be found, attracting thousands if not millions of people every year, among them a lot of Germans as well

Talking in Netherlands

The national language in the Netherlands is Dutch It's a charming, lilting language punctuated by phlegm-trembling glottal gs not in the south and schs also found, for example, in Arabic Dutch, especially in spoken form, is partially intelligible to someone who knows other Germanic languages especially German, Frisian, Swedish and Norwegian, and you might be able to get along at least partially in these languages if spoken slowly

Besides Dutch, several other languages are spoken in the Netherlands, in the eastern provinces of Groningen, Overijsel, Drenthe and Gelderand people speak a local variety of Low Saxon Grunnegs or Tweants for example In the southern province of Limburg the majority speaks Limburgish, a language unique in Europe because of its use of pitch and tone length to distinguish words for example: 'Veer' with a high tone means 'we', while the same word with a low tone means 'four'

Officially, the Netherlands is bilingual, as Frisian is also an official language Frisian is the closest living language to English Other forms of Frisian are also spoken by small minorities in Germany When travelling through Fryslân you will come across many roadsigns in two languages similar to Wales and South Tyrol This is also the case in southern Limburg Everybody speaks Dutch, but the Frisians are so protective of the minority language that ordering a beer in it might just get you the next one free In areas bordering Germany, German is widely spoken However, outside of the eastern provinces, a good amount of people especially amongst the younger generation can also speak basic German too French will be understood by some as well, especially the older generations Immigrant languages are prominent in urban areas, they include Turkish, Arabic, Sranan-Tongo Surinam and Papiamento Netherlands Antilles

"They all speak English there" is quite accurate for the Netherlands Education from an early age in English and other European languages mostly German and French makes the Dutch some of the most fluent polyglots on the continent Oblivious travelers to the major cities should be able to make their way without learning a word of Dutch Dealing with seniors or finding yourself in a family atmosphere, however, will probably require learning a bit of the native tongue

What to see in Netherlands

• Amsterdam's canals and traditional architecture
• Windmills, such as Kinderdijk and Schiedam
• Picturesque countryside villages, such as Broek-in-Waterland, Marken and others in the Waterland and Zaan Region
• Flower fields in the Bulb Region, such as the Keukenhof
• Delta Works in the province of Zeeland and South-Holland

What to do in Netherlands

Events

• Every two years, the country goes football crazy as either the European Championship or the World Cup is held It's not uncommon for literally fifty percent of the population to be watching a game if it's a particularly important one Often bigger cities will put up large tv screens for the general public, like on the Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam Likewise, cafes and bars are another popular place to watch games
• In the Southern Netherlands North Brabant, Limburg and to a smaller extent also in Twente, Overijssel and the south of Gelderland, the Catholic celebration of Carnival is held since medieval times It occurs immediately before Lent; which is usually during February or March Parades can be seen almost in any town on Sunday, sometimes also occurring on Monday Parades can also be held in the evening, usually on Saturdays all the wagons are then lit up by numerous small lights The other days of the week, many activities can be found ranging from street painting stoepkrijten to beer drinking contests The cities of 's-Hertogenbosch, Breda and Maastricht are advisable for attending Carnival
• Queen's Day Koninginnedag is held every year at April 30th all over the country except if this day is a Sunday, then it will be held at the Saturday before In every village and town, you will find frollicking Dutch, free markets and authentic Dutch games It is advised to wear orange clothes, most Dutch people walk around in their national colour An advisable city to attend at this day is Amsterdam, because it's one of the largest events of the year there In several larger cities most notably The Hague and Utrecht, the festivities start in the evening of the 29th of April
• Pinkpop 32 is a three-day pop festival every year with Pentecost "Pinksteren" in Landgraaf, Limburg
• Lowlands 33 popfestival - every last weekend of August at Biddinghuizen, Flevoland
• Summercarnaval 34 - A big parade through the center of Rotterdam One of the biggest events in The Netherlands
• Heineken Dance Parade 35 - A big dance parade through Rotterdam Much in the spirit of the popular Love Parade in Germany
• Northsea Jazz Festival 36 - Big summer jazz festival, held in the Ahoy stadion, Rotterdam since 2006 as it moved there from The Hague Around 1,800 jazz, blues, funk, soul, hip Hop, latin and r&b acts play during this 3 day event
• Vierdaagsefeesten 37 - Summer festival in Nijmegen lasting seven days, during the Nijmeegse Vierdaagse, which always starts on the 3rd Tuesday in July The celebrations though start already the weekend before and over 1 million people attend During the festival, there is a section for all the top Dutch bands such as Moke and Racoon, De Affaire which is focussed on alternative and rock, The Matrixx which has all your electronic dance music needs, and of course the numerous terraces and bars
• Sensation 38 - Famous dance party, with genres such as trance, house and hardstyle Begin July in Amsterdam
• Dance Valley 39 - The largest dance festival, with over 40,000 visitors Annually mid July in park Spaarnwoude, near Schiphol Airport The focus is on celebrating summer, and has circus tents in which every tent is a different genre in dance music
• Mystery Land 40 - Dance festival with a flower-power theme In the last week of August near Schiphol Airport Most dance genres are present, including even electro Also has activities such as workshops and theatre, which are usually uncommon with dance festivals
• Defqon1 41 - Dance festival focussing on the harder dance styles, such as hardstyle and hardcore Residing in Flevoland, usually in mid June, but in 2009 is held in mid September

Buying stuff in Netherlands

A lot of shops do not accept banknotes of €100, €200 and €500, due to concerns about counterfeiting and burglary Shops usually open by 9AM and they usually close by 5:30PM or 6PM Most shops are closed on Sundays, except the first Sunday of the month In Amsterdam centrum area is an exception, since you can see the shops open till 9PM and Sundays from noon till 6PM The shops can be crowded with people coming into town from outside the city In some area's shops are closed on Monday morning

Costs

Accommodation and food is on the expensive side Rail travel, museums, and attractions are relatively cheap Retail prices for clothing, gifts, etc are similar to most of Western Europe; consumer electronics are a bit more expensive Gasoline, tobacco and alcohol are relatively expensive due to excise taxes

Shop

The Netherlands is a good place to buy flowers Outside florists, you can buy them pre-packaged in most supermarkets

Klompen

The Netherlands is famous for its wooden shoes However, nowadays almost no one except for farmers in the countryside wear them You could travel through The Netherlands for weeks and find no one using them for footwear The only place where you'll find them is in tourist shops Wearing wooden shoes in public will earn you quite a few strange looks from the locals

If you do try them, the famous "wooden shoes" are surprisingly comfortable, and very useful in any rural setting Think of them as all-terrain footwear; easy to put on for a walk in the garden, field or dirt road If you live in a rural area at home, consider taking a pair of these with you if you can Avoid the kitschy tourist shops at Schiphol and Amsterdam's Damrak street, and instead look for a regular vendor which can usually be found in towns and villages in rural areas The northern province of Friesland has a lot of stores selling wooden shoes, often adorned with the bright colors of the Frisian flag

Food and eating in Netherlands

The Netherlands is not known for its cuisine, but hearty Dutch fare can be quite good if done well A conventional Dutch meal consists of meat, potatoes and some type of vegetable on the side The Dutch, however, are known for their specialties and delicious treats:

• Dutch cheese is particularly famous, especially Gouda, Edam, Leerdammer, Maaslander and Maasdam

• Raw herring haring, which is actually cured in salt It's available both from ubiquitous herring stands and fancy restaurants, usually served with chopped onion and occasionally even plopped into a bun to make broodje haring New herrings Hollandse Nieuwe is a special treat available around June

• Pea soup erwtensoep or snert, made of green peas and smoked sausage Can be very hearty and a meal itself if there are enough potatoes and other veggies mixed in

• Bitterbal a round ball of ragout covered in breadcrumbs and deep-fried, served in bars as snacks with drinks and usually arrive in groups of at least five or as part of a bittergarnituur, always with mustard Be sure to try these, Dutch people love them

• Bittergarnituur, a plate containing different warm and cold snacks, like blocks of cheese, slices of sausage, bitterballen, perhaps something like chicken nuggets or mini spring rolls, and mustard or chili sauce for dipping One usually orders a bittergarnituur along with alcoholic drinks, from which the name of the dish is derived translated to English "bitterganituur" would become "Dutch gin garnish"

• Borecole mash pot boerenkool, mashed potatoes with borecole, often served with a sausage

• Dutch Sauerkraut zuurkool, mashed potatoes with sauerkraut

• Hotch-potch hutspot, mashed potatoes with onions & carrots Served with slowly cooked meats or sausage

• Endive mashed pot stamppot andijvie, potatoes mashed with endive and bacon

• Rookworst literally "smoked sausage", available to go from HEMA department store outlets, but also widely available in supermarkets

• Dutch pancakes pannenkoeken, which are either sweet zoet or savoury hartig in variety of tastes, like apple, syrup, cheese, bacon etc Eat them in pancake houses pannenkoekenhuizen

• Food from former colonies like Indonesia and Suriname Many traditional dished from these countries have become part of the Dutch kitchen or even staple foods

For dessert:

• Poffertjes are small slightly risen pancakes with butter and powdered sugar Eat them in poffertjeshuizen

• Syrup waffle Stroopwafel Two thin layers with syrup in between Available packaged from any supermarket or made fresh on most street markets and specialized stalls

• Limburgse vlaai predominantly in the Southern Netherlands, dozens of kinds of cold sweet pie, usually with a fruit topping

• Liquorice drop is something you love or hate, you can buy all kinds of varieties You can get it from sweet to extremely salty double salt and in a hard or soft bite

Other "typically Dutch" foodstuffs are:

• Chocolate sprinkles Hagelslag, sprinkled on top of buttered slices of bread much like jam

• Chocolate spread on bread like Nutella

• Unadorned chocolate bars Pure chocolade

• Dutch peanut butter on bread, which is considerably different from eg US peanut butter Dutch peanut butter is also the basis for Dutch Indonesian or 'Indo' saté satay sauce which also contains lots of Asian herbs and spices

• A bread roll with butter and a slice of cheese for lunch, rather than more elaborate lunches,

• Dutch coffee dark, high caffeine grounds, traditionally brewed,

• Tompouce

Some of these "typically Dutch" foodstuffs taste significantly different from, but do not necessarily improve upon, specialties from other countries For example, while Dutch coffee and chocolate can instill feelings of homesickness in expats and might be seen as "soul food", fine Belgian chocolate and Italian coffees espresso, etc are considered to be delicacies

Seasonal food: Pepernoten, Kruidnoten, taai-taai, kerststol, paasstol, oliebollen

Restaurants

As Dutch people usually eat Dutch food at home, most restaurants specialize in something other than local fare Every medium-sized town has its own Chinese/Indonesian restaurant, often abbreviated as Chin/Ind restaurant, where you can eat a combination of Chinese and Indonesian dishes Usually you get a lot of food for a small amount of money Do not expect authentic Chinese or Indonesian cuisine though, the taste has been adapted for Dutch citizens These restaurants have been influenced by the Dutch East Indies currently Indonesia from when they were a colony of the Netherlands Typical dishes are fried rice Indonesian: nasi goreng, fried bakmi bami goreng and prawn crackers kroepoek A suggestion is the famous Dutch-Indonesian rice table rijsttafel, which is a combination of several small dishes from the East Indies, not unlike the nasi padang of Indonesia Most of them have a sit-in area and a separate counter for take-away with lower prices

Besides Chinese/Indonesian, the bigger cities offer a good choice of restaurants with Middle Eastern cuisine for a bargain price such as the Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam Popular dishes are shawarma shoarma, lahmacun often called Turkish pizza and falafel The Argentinian, French, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Spanish, Surinam and Thai cuisines are also well-represented in the Netherlands

Modern Dutch restaurants serve good quality food and are relatively expensive compared with surrounding countries Most of the time, profit is made from the drinks and the desert, so be careful ordering those if you are on a budget In the Netherlands, going to a restaurant is generally not seen as a quick way to eat food, but as a special night out with friends or family, which can take a couple of hours Service fees and taxes are included in the menu prices Tipping is not mandatory, but rounding up is pretty much expected and polite Keep 10 percent in mind if you want to give a tip

Since 1 July 2008, smoking has been banned in all restaurants, cafes, bars, festival tents and nightclubs Smoking is allowed only in separate, enclosed, designated smoking areas in which employees are not allowed to serve Staff may only enter such smoking rooms in emergency situations

Snackbars

In town centers, near public transportation areas or even in more quiet quarters you can find a snackbar, sometimes known as frituur or cafeteria These snackbars are pretty much the antithesis of high cuisine, but their snacks are considered typical for the country, and many Dutch expats miss them the most when going abroad The popular Febo 42 chain's outlets are basically giant vending machines, just slot in a euro or two and take out the snack of your choice

The most popular snack is French fries, known as patat in most of the country and as friet in the Southern Netherlands The "standard" way is to order them with mayonnaise patat met, although the local mayo is not the same as you'd get in France or most of the rest of the world: it is firmer, sweeter and contains less fat, whilst remaining just as unhealthy Other sauces are tomato ketchup, curry ketchup unlike regular curry, tastes more like ketchup, Indonesian peanut sauce satésaus, cut raw onions uitjes, special speciaal, a combination of mayonnaise, curry ketchup and optionally cut raw onions and war oorlog, a combination of mayonnaise, peanut sauce and optionally with cut raw onions The following fried snacks are considered typical for the country as well:

• Croquette 'kroket', a crispy roll filled with ragout Can be ordered on bread as well
• Frikandel, a long, skinless and dark-colored sausage, kind of like a minced-meat hot dog Can be ordered on bread, or as speciaal with mayonnaise, curry ketchup and cut raw onions
• Kaassoufflé, cheese snack popular with vegetarians, can also be served on bread
• Bear's claw berenklauw, often called bear's snack berenhap or bear's dick berenlul, is a sliced meatball with fried onion rings on a wooden skewer, often served with peanut sauce pindasaus

Vegetarianism

Vegetarians should not have any major trouble 45 percent of the Dutch population is vegetarian and most restaurants have at least one vegetarian option on their menus or can make you one if you ask for it Most supermarkets sell vegetarian products or even have a part of their supermarket dedicated to vegetarian products It is advisable to specifically mention what you do and do not eat meat, fish, dairy, eggs as not everyone has the same definition of vegetarianism Finding a vegetarian option in a fast food restaurant might provide more of a challenge Chip shops that sell veggie burgers are the exception rather than the rule

Drinking in Netherlands

The Netherlands has two drinking ages: 16 years for alcohol under 15% beer, wine, etc, and 18 for stronger alcoholic drinks

Beer

Although the Dutch beer "Heineken" is one of the world's most famous beers, it is just one of the many beer brands in the Netherlands You can get all kinds of beers from white beer to dark beer Popular brands are Heineken, Grolsch, Brand, Bavaria, Amstel etc

In addition to the usual lagers, try Dutch wheat beers witbier, which are flavored with a spice mix called gruit and thus taste different from the better-known German varieties Fruit-flavored varieties are also available

Traditional beers come from monasteries in the South of the Netherlands Brabant and Limburg or Belgium You can visit a traditional beer brewer in for instance Berkel-Enschot just east of Tilburg at the 'Trappistenklooster' It needs to be said that the brewery is now owned by the big brewer Bavaria, so it's not so traditional any more

Most breweries have nowadays also produce a non-alcoholic variant of their beers, like Bavaria Malt or Amstel Malt Which consist sometimes 0% or less than 0,5 alcohol and is very suitable for people who would like to drive and don't drink or sometimes called "de Bob" as promoted in its campaign

Bitters and gin

Also popular in winter are alcoholic bitters Originally from the province of Friesland the bitter called Beerenburg is served in the entire country Most other regions also produce their local, less famous variants of a bitter

• Orange bitter Oranjebitter, this bitter liquor is drunk only on Queen's Day Koninginnedag

• Dutch gin jenever or genever, the predecessor of English gin It's available in two types, called oude old and jonge young, which have nothing to do with aging, just the distillation style The more traditional "old-fashioned" oude is sweeter and yellowish in color, while jonge is clearer, drier and more akin to English gin

Tea and coffee

Dutch drink black tea, and it comes in many different tastes, from traditional to fruit infusions etc Luckily, if you're English, you get the teabag served with a cup of hot but never boiling! water, so you can make your own version Milk in your tea is almost unheard of and only given to children

Coffee is almost compulsory when you are going to visit people One of the first questions when coming through the door is often "Koffie?" and it is served in small cups a half mug with cookies

If you're from the States or Canada, you can drink one cup of Dutch coffee in the morning and add water the rest of the day! If you order 'koffie verkeerd' which means "coffee the wrong way 'round" you get a cup of mostly hot milk with a small splash of coffee -- more like the French 'café au lait' or the Italian 'latte'

Hot chocolate

Hot chocolate with whipped cream is a winter tradition in the Netherlands It really fills you after a cold walk In the summer you can also get it in every decent bar, however sometimes it's made from powder as opposed to the traditional kind, and doesn't taste that good

Accommodation in Netherlands

A wide range of accommodation is available, concentrated on the major tourist destinations They include regions popular for internal tourism, such as the Veluwe In non-touristed areas, accommodation may be very limited

Prices are generally high Budget accommodation starts at around €20 and prices go upwards from there Seasonal demand affects availability, especially in Amsterdam

Official Dutch Youth Hostels are called since they changed their name in 2003 "Stay Okay" 43 They are not as widespread as in Great Britain Also there is no kitchen available for guests, so either you eat what is on menu or you eat out Besides the Official Dutch Youth Hostels there are plenty other hostels spread around the country Popular are The Flying Pig Hostels 44 in Noordwijk and Amsterdam, they provide a kitchen for one's own use and they have a liberal smoking policy

Another option is staying at a bed & breakfast There is a wide choice in the big cities, but there are also plenty to be found in the smaller towns and villages Prices are generally €40-100, depending on the number of occupants and the season Bed & breakfasts may not offer all the facilities that bigger hotels do, but the service is generally friendly and personal Also, many bed & breakfasts are to be found along popular hiking trails and cycling paths

Short-term apartment rental is available in cities, but may not be legal While most have a 3 night minimum stay, the process of making reservations and checking in is generally identical to that of staying in a hotel, the notable exception being that most require a credit card deposit, and the balance payment in € on arrival

Vacation rental homes are popular in The Netherlands, and many Dutch city dwellers own a home in the country side even though that country side is often only an hour or less from big cities Traversia has the largest collection of vacation rentals in The Netherlands, by Dutch owners

If you are traveling by bicycle or by foot, there is a list of 3600 addresses where you can stay at private homes with bed and breakfast for no more than € 18,50 per person per night, although you must also pay € 9 for membership of this scheme It is called frankloop!Vrienden op de fiets 45

Working in Netherlands

Work opportunities for those from outside the European Union are very restricted Only when an employer can prove they've searched in the EU, they are allowed to hire a non-EU citizen Official policy is to deter all non-EU immigration, unless there is an economic necessity

Students from other European countries are only eligible for study financing when they have a fixed 32 hour/month work contract, or when they have lived in the Netherlands for five years

Since 2005, the Dutch law enables what they call “knowledge immigration” the idea is to allow local companies to “import” foreign employees to work in the Netherlands The process is straightforward and takes between 4 to 10 weeks

Cities in Netherlands

aalburg  aalsmeer  aalten  alblasserdam  alkmaar  almelo  almere  alphen  amersfoort  amstelveen  amsterdam  anna paulowna  apeldoorn  appingedam  arnhem  assen  asten  axel  baarn  barendrecht  barneveld  bedum  beek  beesel  bemmel  bergeijk  bergen  bergen  bergen op zoom  bergschenhoek  best  beuningen  beverwijk  bladel  blaricum  bleiswijk  bloemendaal  bodegraven  borculo  borne  borsele  boskoop  boxmeer  boxtel  breda  breukelen  brielle  brummen  brunssum  bunnik  bunschoten  bussum  capelle  castricum  coevorden  cranendonck  cuijk  culemborg  dalfsen  de bilt  delft  delfzijl  de lier  denekamp  den helder  deurne  deventer  didam  diemen  doesburg  doetinchem  dongen  doorn  dordrecht  drimmelen  dronten  druten  duiven  echt  ede  eersel  eibergen  eijsden  eindhoven  elburg  emmen  enkhuizen  enschede  epe  ermelo  geertruidenberg  geldermalsen  geldrop  gendringen  gennep  goedereede  goes  goirle  gorinchem  gorssel  gouda  grave  groesbeek  groningen  grootegast  haaksbergen  haaren  haarlem  haarlemmermeer  haelen  hardenberg  harderwijk  haren  harenkarspel  harlingen  hattem  heemskerk  heemstede  heerde  heerenveen  heerhugowaard  heerlen  heiloo  helden  hellendoorn  hellevoetsluis  helmond  hendrik-ido-ambacht  hengelo  heusden  heythuysen  hillegom  hilvarenbeek  hilversum  hoogeveen  hoorn  horst  houten  huizen  hulst  ijsselstein  kampen  kapelle  katwijk  kerkrade  kesteren  kollumerland  krimpen  landsmeer  langedijk  laren  leek  leerdam  leeuwarden  leiden  leiderdorp  lelystad  leusden  lichtenvoorde  liesveld  lisse  lochem  loon op zand  lopik  losser  maarsen  maasbracht  maasbree  maassluis  maastricht  margraten  meerssen  meppel  middelburg  middelharnis  mierlo  moerdijk  monster  montfoort  naaldwijk  naarden  nederweert  neede  neerijnen  nieuwegein  nieuwkoop  nijkerk  nijmegen  noordwijkerhout  noordwijk  nuenen  nunspeet  nuth  oirschot  oisterwijk  oldebroek  oldenzaal  ommen  oostburg  oosterhout  ootmarsum  opmeer  oss  oud-beijerland  oudewater  papendrecht  purmerend  putten  raalte  reeuwijk  renkum  rheden  rhenen  ridderkerk  rijnsburg  rijssen  rijswijk  roermond  roosendaal  rotterdam  rozenburg  rucphen  sassenheim  schagen  scheemda  schiedam  schijndel  schinnen  schipluiden  schoonhoven  simpelveld  sint anthonis  sint-oedenrode  sliedrecht  slochteren  sneek  soest  someren  son en breugel  spijkenisse  stadskanaal  staphorst  steenbergen  steenwijk  stein  strijen  susteren  terneuzen  the hague  tholen  tiel  tilburg  tubbergen  tynaarlo  uden  uitgeest  uithoorn  urk  utrecht  vaals  valkenburg  valkenswaard  veendam  veenendaal  veere  veghel  veldhoven  velsen  venlo  venray  vianen  vlaardingen  vlagtwedde  vlissingen  vlist  voerendaal  voorhout  voorschoten  voorst  vriezenveen  vught  waalre  waalwijk  wageningen  wassenaar  wateringen  weert  weesp  werkendam  westervoort  wierden  wijchen  winschoten  winsum  winterswijk  wisch  woensdrecht  woerden  woudenberg  woudrichem  zaanstad  zaltbommel  zandvoort  zeewolde  zeist  zelhem  zevenaar  zijpe  zoetermeer  zuidhorn  zundert  zutphen  zwijndrecht  zwolle