Whether it’s the chocolate-glazed, sprinkle-laden stroopwafels that attract tourists or the city’s vibrant, historic heart — Amsterdam has royally earned its crown as one of Europe’s most popular city break destinations. Just how popular, you may ask? Well, according to leading vacation rental company Holidu, Amsterdam has already netted a whopping 91,200 Google searches in 2024. After analysing Google search data from the past year, Holidu’s travel experts compiled a ranking of the most popular European cities. Based on the number of Google hits each city received, the ranking placed Amster ..read more

Have you ever heard of mudflat walking in the Netherlands and thought: “What the heck is that!?” You’re not alone. It’s an activity that you can do across the mudflats in the Wadden Sea, right here in the Netherlands. And spoiler: It really is what it sounds like — walking through mud to explore a nature reserve. It is a uniquely beautiful experience and, if you’re not afraid of getting dirty, a lot of fun! TIP: While anyone can try mudflat walking, it’s recommended to explore with a certified tour guide. The tides can be tricky to plan for, and you don’t want to end up stuck! Your guide w ..read more

We’ve all seen it, some poor soul falling victim to a Dutch police officer and their notepad. However, from today, Dutch police will stop fining people for minor violations. Minor violations usually consist of things such as putting your bins out too early, fishing outside of fishing season and also speeding. Of the 8 million traffic fines in the Netherlands, 6.6 million were for speeding offences. — LLAG (@LLAG) May 3, 2023 So, why are Dutch police suddenly so forgiving? Because they want things to change. Early retirement for police officers Since 2021, a temporary policy has allowed polic ..read more

Turning down €1.5 million is a decision that would probably play on your mind. Well, three years after doing just that, Princess Amalia wants to claim her inheritance back. Despite originally turning down her state income and expense allowance during her studies, the Princess will now begin accepting reimbursement, NOS reports. READ MORE | The Dutch and their monarchy, a two-sided coin She needs the money for “foreseeable costs associated with an independent and autonomous performance of her position”, as her letter to outgoing Prime Minister Rutte revealed: Prinses Amalia laat vandaag per b ..read more

Going viral on TikTok makes you big news, with bigger queues. That’s the case for tiny chip shop Fabel Friet in Amsterdam, but now it’s looking more like a recipe for disaster. The small shop on the Negen Straatjes has become so popular that they have started employing crowd controllers to keep the queues in check, AD reports. But that’s not enough, according the Amsterdam municipality. @carterfordays fabel friet: best fries in amsterdam#fabelfrietamsterdam #fabelfriet #amsterdamfoodguide ♬ Jersey Giant – Elle King From crispy fries to court case The TikTok queues are causing chaos, with tour ..read more

Some of the horror stories you hear about the Dutch healthcare system could hospitalise you. However, my one-week whirlwind from being unregistered to sitting in emergency care completely changed my outlook.  In a very short space of time, my experience made me question (almost) everything I’d heard about the Dutch huisarts, hospitals and the hugely reluctant attitude towards antibiotics in the Netherlands.  Dutch doctors, I owe you an apology My first nine months as an international student living in Utrecht were going happily and healthily, boosted by biking and fresh air. READ MO ..read more

Everyone wants to get away on a holiday to relax — but it seems like the airport is the final obstacle before you can finally rest. And of all the airports in Europe, the beloved (or dreaded?) Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was named the second most stressful hub, according to StressFreeCarRental. What makes Schiphol so stressful? Schiphol was given flack for being one of the busiest airports in Europe, for charging passengers €113.50 to park there for a week, and for its high departure delay score. It doesn’t make up for the delays, but I can’t stop watching the genius clock at #Schiphol airpo ..read more

Picture a Dutch wall vending machine: the gleaming windows emit heat and the smell of food. You tap your card, a door opens to release the goods — it doesn’t get better than this. Or does it? We know Dutchies love eating their favourite fried food from vending walls. But now there’s much more on the menu of these machines, RTL reports. READ MORE | What your favourite Dutch FEBO snack says about you Looking for flowers, fast? Need bike lights badly? Kids craving cotton candy? You can now find all these and more in one of the 50,000 wall vending machines across the Netherlands. They come in all ..read more

After a long day at work and a windy bike ride home, you only want to sit on your couch and relax. But then the dreaded moment comes: you need to get up and cook. Ah, yes, adult life can be hard sometimes — and sometimes we wish we could have a built-in chef at home like when we lived with our parents. But wait… maybe we can!  Factor is a ready-to-eat meal delivery service that brings fresh, chef-cooked meals from the kitchen straight to your home. It’s the perfect way to simplify your life while maintaining a healthy lifestyle! Not your typical ready-made meal: fresh, nutritious, and t ..read more

Listen, I know that there are worse things in the world, but let me rant for a second. If you’re a woman in Amsterdam with a full bladder, good luck. And if you’re a woman with a full bladder on King’s Day, prepare to get swindled. Ok, let’s set the scene I’ve just left a friend’s house. There’s a big group of us, I’m four drinks deep, and we have a thirty-minute journey ahead of us. Naturally, about 10 minutes in, the need to pee hits a few of us. For the men in the group, the solution was simple — they could saunter up to one of the hundreds of urinals the city had set up for them and relie ..read more