Destination:
Netherlands

Lively, lascivious Amsterdam has a unique atmosphere that makes a mockery of the caricature of the 'conservative Dutch'. Radiating out from Dam Square, the historic centre of the city is ringed by quaint canals and cobbled streets, and throngs with bicycles, tourists, houseboats, students and street performers. Amsterdam wears two faces: on one, it smiles and beckons hedonistic youth with its notorious Red Light District and liberal view of marijuana use; while on the other it offers discerning travellers some of Europe's finest museums and art galleries.

For the tourist, one of the joys of Amsterdam is its compactness. The old part of town is a pleasure to explore on foot, strolling across ancient bridges and down narrow lanes past gabled houses, and dropping in to browse inviting souvenir boutiques crammed with blue and white Delft china and wooden clogs and tulips. Pavement cafes and cosy bars offer rest and refreshment. An alternative is to take a circular canal-boat cruise and see the city from the water, peering in on the lives of the locals who live on houseboats lining the waterways.

At night even the most conservative visitor is drawn by the lively atmosphere of the infamous Red Light District, known as De Wallen, which is bounded by the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudeziujds Achterburgwal canals near the Dam Square. Here prostitutes display their charms in brightly lit shop windows and touts encourage passers-by to view raunchy floorshows. The best nightclubs and bars, and theatres and cinemas are mainly to be found in the bustling Leidesplein and Rembrandtplein.

The largest urban centre in the northern Netherlands, Groningen is an ancient city with a young heart, thanks to its large student population. Old and new blend well in this city, which dates from the third century, but had to be largely reconstructed after bombing in World War II. Its status as a major Dutch educational centre has imbued Groningen with a vibrant arts scene, lively nightlife and a wealth of fascinating museums covering various topics from science to comics, and even tobacco.

Through the centre of town runs the Herestraat, a wide pedestrian avenue packed with big-name stores. Radiating out from the main street are narrow roads lined with small shops selling local goods and crafts, interspersed with bars, cafes and restaurants.

The city's landmark building is the Martini Tower, adjoining a church on the main square (the Grote Markt), which can be climbed to afford a spectacular view across the city. Its most notable building, however, is the city theatre (the Stadsschouwburg), a pink Renaissance concoction with a unique ornate interior, which is as worth seeing as the productions which take place on its stage. You can also visit a number of medieval almshouses, which still function today as homes for seniors and the poor.

Art pervades the city, even in the train station with its magnificent stained glass windows; but not to be missed for art-lovers is the renowned Groningen Museum opposite the station, which houses a permanent collection of 17th-century works (including Rubens' Adoration of the Magi), Hague School paintings, ceramics, as well as works by Groningen's expressionist De Ploeg group.

Groningen is a pretty city, with a number of parks and gardens to relax in on beautiful days. The Renaissance-style Prinsenhof Garden, open from April to October, has lovely topiaries that have been sculpted for over 250 years.

With plenty to do and see, and easily accessible by air or train, Groningen has become a firm favourite with visitors seeking to stray beyond the traditional Dutch tourist destinations.

South of Amsterdam lies Delft, a Dutch city famous for its distinctive blue and white ceramics. There is more to Delft than china, however, and the city has a 750-year history full of drama and excitement.

Founded in 1246, Delft became a prosperous city until much of it was destroyed by a great fire in 1536. It was hit with another disaster in 1654, when a gunpowder warehouse exploded and large sections of the city were destroyed. Delft has also been the site of Dutch East India Company offices, acting as a major trading centre in the Netherlands.

Nowadays, Delft is one of the prettiest towns in the Netherlands, with a number of beautiful buildings and a network of canals that are pleasant to stroll along. There are a few museums worth visiting, and the Thursday Market at the main square is a great place to both soak up some local culture and do a bit of souvenir shopping.

The city has a lively atmosphere thanks to the 13,000 students of the Delft University of Technology, and there are a number of cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs to keep everyone entertained. While Delft has no red light district, there are a few marijuana coffeeshops in town as well.

Of course, the famous earthenware is not to be forgotten and apart from the tourist shop windows, which overflow with a sea of blue and white, you can visit the Porcelijne Fles, the factory which produces the most iconic pieces.

Unlike many historic cities in the Netherlands, which sport Renaissance buildings and ancient Gothic churches, Rotterdam is a gleaming cluster of high-rise buildings, some of which are marvels of 20th-century architecture.

After many parts of the city were destroyed in World War II, much was demolished in order to rebuild. In fact, only three buildings in Rotterdam's centre survive: the art deco City Hall, the iconic White House, and the St Lawrence Church. Another enclave of historic Rotterdam is the Delft Harbour area, luckily missed by German bombs.

The result of all this construction is a city with its own unique personality when compared to the rest of the Netherlands. Rotterdam is made up of spacious streets with slick shopping malls and public parks dotting the efficiently-designed city centre. You can view it all from the iconic Euromast Space Tower, a 605 foot (184m) tower with a revolving sit-down elevator.

Rotterdam hasn't forgotten its history though, and there are a number of museums where you can catch glimpses of its illustrious past, including those dedicated to natural history, maritime history, photography, art, architecture, World War II, and the Netherlands' rail system.

Rotterdam is a multicultural city, with larger immigrant populations than most of the Netherlands, and this is evident in the diversity of restaurants and neighbourhoods within the city.