the Netherlands

Most banks and post offices are open from Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Only major banks and post offices are open on Saturday. GWK Travelex is open every day of the week. Most GWK Travelex offices are located nearby train and bus stations.

Holland has a mild, maritime climate. The summers are generally warm with changeable periods, but excessively hot weather is rare. The winters can be fairly cold with the possibility of some snow. Rainfall is prevalent all year.

All major credit cards are accepted widely, but not everywhere. If in doubt, ask in advance. Cash-on-card services are available from selected American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and VisaCard addresses. These cards are also accepted by all GWK currency exchange outlets and Change Express Offices.

Holland is one of the euro countries. Even though all of these countries issue their own euro coins, all coins and notes are legal tender in all euro countries. There are eight coins (€ 0.01, € 0.02, € 0.05, € 0.10, € 0.20, € 0.50, € 1 and € 2) and seven notes (€ 5, € 10, € 20, € 50, € 100, € 200 and € 500). Very few shops, restaurants, etc., accept the € 500 note. Small shops and supermarkets do not accept the € 200 and € 100 notes either. When you pay in cash, the amount is rounded off to the nearest € 0.05.

The voltage on outlets in Holland is 220 volts. Hotels may also have a 110-volt or 120-volt outlet for shavers. Travelers are advised to bring along a power converter and an adapter for round two-prong plugs with side grounding contacts.

Emergency services (police, fire services and ambulance): 112 Police (non-emergencies): 0900 – 8844

The medical care sector in The Netherlands is based on a referral system which requires patients to see a local general practitioner first. Medical specialists will generally only see those patients who have been referred to them by a general practitioner. The Dutch National Health Service does not cover visitors to the Netherlands. It is therefore recommended to obtain an estimate of the cost involved before receiving any services. It is also important to telephone the doctor's office for an appointment.

Every country has its own holidays. The most famous holidays in Holland are Sinterklaas (December 5th) and King’s Day (April 27th). Sinterklaas is celebrated in December, with children receiving presents when they have been ‘good’. King’s Day is when the Dutch celebrate their king’s birthday. It is a national holiday celebrated mainly in the streets with many music acts and draws many tourists every year.

Holland has numerous places where you can use a computer with internet access, including internet cafés, libraries and almost any hotel. Nowadays many restaurants, lunch rooms, coffee shops and cafes also offer free Wi-Fi services. Travelers from the European Union can use their own data plan without roaming costs.

Water dominates the Dutch landscape. Three big European rivers (Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt) reach the ocean via the Netherlands and create an important delta. 26% of the Netherlands is under sea level. During an age-long battle against the water, the Dutch constructed a water system consisting of dykes, polders and weirs. However, the Netherlands offers more variation than the familiar green, flat polder landscape with black and white cows.

The official language is Dutch. The population of the province of Friesland has a choice between Dutch and Frisian, the only officially recognized regional language. Many Dutch people also speak German and English.

Most shops are opened every day from around 9 a.m. until 6.00 p.m. On Monday mornings, shops often don’t open until around noon. Most towns and cities have a shopping night when shops are opened until 9 p.m. This is usually on a Thursday. Every Dutch city has its own rules for shopping on Sundays. Dates are available at the local tourist information (VVV). In most big cities, supermarkets are open every day until 10 p.m., except on Sunday’s when they close around 5.30 p.m. In other parts of the country, supermarkets are usually opened until 8 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, with varying opening times on Sundays.

The Netherlands is two-hours ahead on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), one-hour ahead Central European Time (CET) and seven-hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

The tap water in Holland is of excellent quality and you can drink from any tap, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Bottled water is available at all supermarkets, snack bars and kiosks.

Holland uses the metric system and therefore uses meters as its measurement for length, liters for liquids and kilos for weight. This is different from countries that use the Imperial System. The conversions between these two systems are: Kilometers & miles 1 mile = 1.609 kilometers / 1 kilometer = 0.621 miles Liters & gallons 1 gallon = 4.546 liters / 1 liter = 0.220 gallons Kilos & pounds 1 pound = 0.453 kilos / 1 kilo = 2.204 pounds