Holland is one of the most popular countries in western Europe for tourists. Its convenient location and excellent connections with neighboring countries makes it an attractive holiday destination for 5 million tourists every year. Anyone interested in history or culture will enjoy visiting any one of the 600 Dutch museums which house collections ranging from 17th century paintings to toys, skates, clocks, money boxes, ceramics in Utrecht The most famous are the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam with its collection of important paintings by Rembrandt, the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Mauritshuis in The Hague and Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn. The Open Air Museums in Enkhuizen and Arnhem are also extremely popular. They contain buildings such as farmhouses, cottages and industrial premises which have been transported to the new site brick by brick, together with permanent exhibitions depicting the Dutch way of life in previous centuries. The Netherlands has much to offer by way of contemporary art, for example the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and the Kröller Müller in Otterlo (near Arnhem). Numerous art galleries mount exhibitions of the latest developments in the art world. Each of the Dutch towns and cities has its own distinctive character. Amsterdam with its canals, bridges and 17th century houses attracts millions of visitors every year. In the summer months, people enjoy relaxing and meeting friends at the many pavement cafés, in winter they are to be found in the numerous restaurants and bars. The Hague and Rotterdam are equally distinctive and remarkably dissimilar. The Hague is the official residence of Queen Beatrix. It is also the home of parliament and government ministries, a city of promenades, shopping arcades and parks, only a few minutes from the seaside resort of Scheveningen. Rotterdam is primarily famous as a port. Delfshaven is the ancient heart of the city with the pilgrim's church dating from 1641. The new city center with its ultra-modern, sometimes futuristic architecture, testifies to the enormous effort put into rebuilding the city after the Second World War.

Another aspect why tourists visit Holland is because of its flowers The flower season begins in March and ends in September. But visitors can enjoys flowers in Holland all the year round. For example the Kerstflora (X-mas Flora) Show held every year in December is a five day show of house plants and flowers grown under glass. Aalsmeer, close to Amsterdam, is the home of the world biggest flower auction. The bulb fields are in bloom from the end of March to the end of May, depending on the weather. Millions of tulips daffodils and hyacinths in countless varieties cover the polders of South Holland. Even when spring is over, Holland is still a garden. Many foreigners think of Holland as a flat country of windmills and water where everyone wear clogs. But that is only part of the total picture. There are still a thousand or so windmills to be seen and many people in country areas do indeed still wear clogs. But Holland is first and foremost a modern country with extensive facilities for recreation and tourism, and excellent conference facilities and hotel accommodation for international meetings.

More information about Holland surf to www.holland.nl