Get ready for summer travel

Summer is fast approaching, though one of the busiest times of year to visit Holland it is also the best time to enjoy good weather, mingle with different people, take part in outdoor activities, attractions and more! Avoid the stress of travelling to Holland with restricted baggage allowance and delays at the airport, drive and sail direct to Holland or  rail and sail to Holland from any Greater Angelia station straight to Harwich International Port. The Netherlands is one of the most visited European destinations, sailing may not be as fast as air travel, but definitely more relaxing with fewer delays and lots of things onboard to help kick start your trip! Our Britannica and Hollandica superferries complete with cabins, restaurants, a bar on the outside deck for a sunny day as well as on the main deck (for those not so sunny and dry days), a cinema and more to get you in the holiday mood, why travel on cramped plane when you can sail off into the sunset!

 

Fun in the Dutch Sun

There is so much to see in Holland and simply not enough time to fit everything in a single trip (good excuse to plan another getaway). So with that in mind, discover a few of our highlights:

While the sun is out, why not take a tour around the famous canals? This may be one of the most touristy things to do, but it is truly a great way to get around the different Dutch cities. Make the most of a canal tour with food and drinks, so you can enjoy a meal with friends or that special someone while taking in the scenery and using it as a means to get to your next pit-stop! Amsterdam isn’t the only city that offers a great tour along the canals, there are other fantastic locations like Utrecht, Maastricht and the scenic river Meuse or the canals of Leiden.

If you prefer to look at nature on land then another popular place to visit would be the world-famous tulip gardens. The Keukenhof Garden is the best place to start, with a garden boasting over 800 varieties of tulips over 32 hectares of land, the kids will enjoy running around in the colourful scenery and couples will enjoy a romantic walk through the beautiful flowers.

Another great way to discover the flower gardens and tour around Holland on land is by bike (What’s also great is that you can sail with your personal bike from the UK to Holland)! There are great cycle tours to try this summer like in Amsterdam the hub of the cycling world, where cycling makes touring the many sights and attractions easy! The Dutch city of Groningen, “the world’s most bike-friendly cities” is also a great destination to try if you would prefer somewhere a little more off the beaten track.

 

This one is for the grownups looking for something a little more exciting! Holland is not just known for its tulips, canals and lovely cycle tours… There’s also the Dutch beer and Gin scene! For beer-lovers there is the famous Heineken Experience Tour and in The Hague there’s beer tasting with a variety of exclusive local brewers. For the Gin-lovers you could try the Bols of Amsterdam where you can enjoy an interactive cocktail and genever experience. For some real “Dutch courage” (gin), well then there’s also Schiedam which some say is the Jenever capital, it’s easy to get to from Rotterdam and as well as their famous gin there’s also beautiful landmarks to see, it has some of the Netherlands tallest windmills and beautiful buildings.

A few of our favourite things

We like to make a summer trip from start to finish a wonderful experience, so that starts off onboard!

Onboard we like to start a day sailing, when the sun is out with glass of something special on the deck outside taking in the views of the North Sea. Its great fun for adults and kids enjoy the open air at sea watching the Ferry sail! For a night sailing, it’s always good to start with a visit to the Metropolitan restaurant for deliciously and freshly prepared meals by our onboard chefs, then its off for a stroll to the cinema for a late night showing.

Once in Holland, in the summer staying close to the beaches is a good way to spend your time with sun, sea and sand! A great beach destination would be Scheveningen, it is one of the most popular beaches located in The Hague with a fantastic view of the sea off the Scheveningen Pier. It’s known for its popular attractions, such as the Kite Festival and the Fireworks Festival. If you don’t fancy the beach, well it is still a great location for museums, sculpture gardens, shopping, cafes and restaurants.

There are the classic picks for people wanting to visit Holland like, the Van Gogh Museum where you will discover 200 paintings 500 drawings and so much more! During this visit, why not squeeze in a tour of the Anne Frank House? This cultural experience can be enjoyed by adults and children, not only is it educational, but there’s so much to take away from it.

In The Hague there’s the Escher in the Palace to the Mauritshuis where you will discover important works by Dutch and Flemish artists like the “Girl with the Pearl Earring” by Vermeer. Holland is never short of theatre shows whether outdoors like the VondelPark shows, the Theatre of The Hague or The Muziektheater (home of the Dutch National Ballet and the Nederlands Opera).

How will you be spending your Dutch Summer? At the beach, exploring art and culture, or simply relaxing along the canals enjoying Dutch food, music and an authentic local experience?!


  • Mark Jackson says:

    The beach at Hoek van Holland is great. With superb snack bars and fish restaurants.
    Brielle near the P&O ferry is a lovely town to visit.

  • Mark Jackson says:

    Holland is best seen away from the Tourist town of Amsterdam.
    We have stayed in all parts and love the place. Rotterdam is great for shopping and eating out. The euromast is good too we have has cottages in Vlagweg Easten Holland. Handy for a day trip to Hamburg to see the zoo and Minitur wonderland. Stavinese in the west near enough to go to Antwerp. Etc. Christmas markets in Valkenburgs caves is well worth a few days or jump on the train Koln.