Trains to Netherlands
It’s flat, friendly and mostly below sea level: introducing the Netherlands! Superb cycling, exemplary tulips and more windmills than you can shake a stick at. Plenty of less obvious activities too. More
Geography teachers despair at the confusion surrounding the Netherlands (not Holland!). Indeed there are some whippersnappers who think that Amsterdam is a country all of its own! Well, fear not. Loco2 is here to bring you not one, not two, but three cities in Europe’s lowlands, and only one of them Amsterdam.
We think we know the drill when it comes to The Netherlands, with its legalised prostitution and relaxed approach to drugs that make it a hive for pot-smoking troublemakers everywhere. But to entertain such stereotypes would be to overlook a beautiful country whose cities are rife with diverse cultural tradition, and whose landscape begs to be explored.
What’s more, the Netherlands is one of the easiest cities to reach by train from the UK. All cities featured below can be reached in six hours or less with a simple interchange at the Brussels Eurostar hub, and passage on any of the frequent Thalys trains for onward connections to Utrecht, Rotterdam and of course, the nation-state of Amsterdam.
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Utrecht
Utrecht is much like Amsterdam, except less popular. Expect cobbled streets and canal-side eateries, art by the bucketload and lively nightlife - but expect it to yourself. Unlike its noisier neighbours, Utrecht is a relative secret. In the nearby capital you’ll be fighting with a stoned teenager for a spot in a pancake house, but this quaint city largely remains the preserve of grown-ups. It’s bliss.
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Rotterdam
Rail, road and waterways converge at this, the busiest port in Europe, making way for an industrial extravaganza at the Dam of the river Rotte. But this industrious image hides a city that’s relaxed and edgy, with a burgeoning art scene and gritty club culture. Progressive, exciting, and cutting its own jib - Rotterdam is Amsterdam’s avant garde sibling.
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Amsterdam
Temptress, heathen, corrupter of youth... Amsterdam can be overlooked by holidaymakers on account of its seedier side. But behind the red lights and reefers lies an arty, cosmopolitan centre steeped in history. With picturebook canals, the sound of bicycle bells and the smell of flower markets, Amsterdam is much more than some give it credit for.