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According to Indexdotcom, the capital of Holland and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe – Amsterdam is spread between numerous canals through which small bridges pass. In total, there are more than 600 bridges in the city. The most beautiful bridges in the city are Blauburg and Mahere brug. The best way to see the city and feel its unique atmosphere is a canal tour. Almost all the main sights of Amsterdam are visible from the water. The first thing that many tourists see is the Central Station, built in the 19th century. The building of the station is made of red brick in neo-Gothic style. A beautiful clock hangs on the wall of the station building. Many streets of the city originate from the station, including the main street – Damrak, passing through which you can get to the main historical place of the city – the “Big Canal Quarter”. The most famous place of the “Square of the Grand Canals” is undoubtedly considered the main square of the city “Dam”, around which the best buildings of the city are located: the Royal Palace, the Freedom Monument and much more. A characteristic feature for Amsterdam is the presence of many churches in the city. The most famous and oldest church in the city is the Ude Kerk, built in 1300. Here you can listen to organ concerts. Amsterdam is also known as one of the largest museum centers. In addition to the historical and cultural heritage of Holland, many tourists come to the capital to visit the famous “Red Light District”, which is located opposite the Central Market, flea markets, of which there are a huge number in the city, as well as famous Dutch jewelry stores and flower markets. To the west of the capital is the city of Haarlem, which in the period from the 11th to the 13th century served as the residence of the Dutch palatine counts, thanks to which many historical monuments have been preserved in it. In the center of the city is the old Grote Markt, which is surrounded by equally old and beautiful medieval buildings. Not far from the center is the old Haarlem almshouse, built in 1608. Now the almshouse houses the Khalsa City Museum. The Hague is one of the oldest cities, which was known as early as 1248, although it became a city only in 1811. Although The Hague is not the capital, it is the seat of the Dutch government, the local parliament and the royal court. As the Dutch themselves call The Hague – “the city of officials and pensioners.” In addition to the state government, the International Court of Justice is also located in the city, which is housed in the Peace Palace. At the moment, the state parliament sits in the ancient Bennienhof castle, located in the historical part of the city. In front of this castle is the central square of the city, and around it you can see real works of architecture: Gothic monuments, a medieval prison, which now houses the Museum of the Inquisitions, a city passage and much more. No less famous in the world is Rotterdam, which already in 1340 was one of the most significant cities in Europe. Now Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe. During the Second World War, the city was almost completely destroyed, so there are practically no historical monuments left, however, modern architectural solutions that are rapidly being implemented in this business city can amaze the imaginations of many people. The oldest and well-preserved part of the city is the area near the Delft port, which is crossed by many narrow streets and canals. Old buildings and windmills still stand here, which is a huge rarity for Rotterdam. In the center, not far from the Maritime Museum, stands the Scream monument, which was erected here in memory of the old city destroyed during the war.

National cuisine of the Netherlands

A characteristic feature of Dutch cuisine is the use of, at first glance, incompatible ingredients and the excellent ability to cook seafood. A favorite dish of many Dutch people is “haring”, which is lightly salted herring cooked with pieces of onion or pickled cucumber. No less popular are herring fillet fried with onions and stewed pike perch with vegetables. In addition to sea fish, river fish and shellfish are well prepared here. Meat is used extremely rarely, and very often offal, various trimmings are used for cooking, but they are prepared with decent imagination and the finished dish turns out to be very tasty and satisfying. The most common meat dish here is “hotpot” – stew with vegetable puree as a side dish. In addition, Holland is known for hot sandwiches common here. The most famous sandwich is a three-layer, which includes scrambled eggs, ham and bacon. Sandwiches with apples, as well as sandwiches with lard and tomatoes. As an appetizer, pieces of hard cheese with fruit are often used. Among alcoholic beverages, the most popular are various types of beer and vodka. Vodka, most often juniper, which is more like gin.

Visa to Holland

To enter the Netherlands, residents of Russia and the CIS must have a Schengen visa category C. Obtaining such a visa makes it possible to stay in the countries participating in the Schengen agreement for no more than 90 days. If the trip is planned with a child over 6 years old, then a separate photo must be pasted for him in the parent’s passport. If the child is over 14 years old, then he must have his own passport. The standard period for obtaining a visa is 2-3 business days, but just in case, it is advisable to submit documents no later than two weeks before the trip, since when applying for a visa, questions may arise for the applicant or the consulate will consider it necessary to check some of the data received from the applicant. To obtain a category C visa, you must pay a consular fee of 35 euros, and a visa needs to be obtained urgently, then the consular fee will be 70 euros.