The Netherlands. What are the "Must Do's"?

[Tornado]

Hi

I am thinking of travelling to the Netherlands for a cycling holiday to take in some culture and get an idea of what a cycle friendly nation is like. May also pop across the border and check out a little of Belgium. So as my title asks, What are the things that I must see or do? Landmarks, History, Food, Culture or whatever you may have enjoyed or heard about. I'm looking at 3-4 weeks being dedicated to being over there.

[thecaptn]

I don't know what the "must do's" are but I know you should stay out of the cafes.
A mate of mine went into one for a milkshake and ended up spending the afternoon watchin an impromtu rock concert put on by the dahlias in a flower bed.
He said it was quite good though.

[Tornado]

Haha. Yeah I can imagine. I'm not too keen on going on any space odyssies, so I'll keep that in mind. One part of the culture I'm happy for them to enjoy amongst themselves.

[elantra]

I did some bicycle touring in the Netherlands many years ago (1990) but suspect these comments are still relevant.
Overall it's great.
Highlights included -
Maastricht, quite a beautiful area
Limburg - there is a big hill (almost a mountain) you can ride to the top of and find a bar or cafe.
It's called Dreilandenpunt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaalserberg
When i was there you could descend a bush track into Germany and eventuate in the rather pleasant German city of Aachen.

Another popular urban destination is the city of Bruges, just over the border in Belgium.
However the ride from Holland into Bruges was quite dreary, maybe because it was raining that day.

What i do remember about Holland is that in general the food is more tasty than some other euro countries.
This is perhaps because of the local seafood and also the Indonesian influence.
In the smaller towns there were some wonderful street-food markets
I am sure Holland is a very worthy destination, but be careful in Amsterdam, it's busy and has a reputation for various things including crime, like most cities.

[Tornado]

Thanks elantra. I was beginning to think my thread had hit a dead end before it kicked off.

[Janine de fietser]

The Netherlands are covered by a bicycle network called fietsknooppunten. So if you buy a map make sure these fietsknooppunten are on it.
These knooppunten are signposts with a number on it, and a map of the region, so you know to which next number to ride. The knooppuntennetwork covers the whole of the Netherlands, and uses the most beautiful cyclingroutes. I would recomend to visit ofcourse Amsterdam, and the coast (Zandvoort is closest to Amsterdam) cycle through the dunes. Make a tour just north of Amsterdam (Monickendam, Marken, Zaansche Schans). Then go east visit Naarden. Take a tour along the river Vecht to Utrecht. follow the cyclingroute LF14 to the east and turn north when you reach Arnhem to go over National Parc De Hoge Veluwe (kroller muller museum). In short there is enough to see to spend 4 weeks cycling in Holland. There are spedial signposts for cyclists ( with red lettering, green lettering for scenic (sometimes unpaved) routes). LF-routes (also signposted http://www.nederlandfietsland.nl/landel ... -lf-routes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) are long routes that cross the country. I would recommend the LF-3 that follows the river IJssel to connect important 15th century commerial towns. (http://www.nederlandfietsland.nl/landel ... hanzeroute" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). One minus but important point. Get a good lock for your bike, especially in the cities many bikes get stolen.