AMSTERDAM

Shimmering canals lined by gabled houses, candlelit cafes, buzzing of bicycles, lush green parks, monumental museums, colourful markets, diverse dining, quirky shopping, and legendary nightlife make the free-spirited Dutch capital one of Europe's great cities.

Amsterdam is compact and you can roam the city on foot but there's also an excellent public transport network.

DON'T MISS:

• The Royal Palace opened as a town hall in 1655 but became a palace in the 19th century. The interiors gleam - especially the marble work – at its best in a floor inlaid with maps of the world in the great burgerzaal (citizens’ hall), which occupies the heart of the building. (paleisamsterdam.nl)

• The Anne Frank Huis draws almost one million visitors annually (purchase tickets online to minimize the queues). With its reconstruction of Anne’s melancholy bedroom and her actual diary – sitting alone in its glass case, filled with sunnily optimistic writing tempered by quiet despair – it’s a powerful experience.

• Museumplein is the grassy expanse around which Amsterdam's three big museums fan out from: Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum.

• Vondelpark is one of Amsterdam's most magical places – sprawling, English-style gardens with ponds, lawns, footbridges, and winding footpaths.

• Albert Cuypmarkt is Amsterdam's largest and busiest market. Apart from the fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices, clothes, and other general goods, you will be constantly tempted with herring sandwiches, egg rolls, doughnuts, and caramel-syrup-filled stroopwafels.

In addition to the Medieval Centre and Red-Light District, party hotspots around Amsterdam include Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein, both awash with bars, clubs, coffee shops (café authorized to sell cannabis), and pubs. To truly experience the unique Dutch quality of gezellig , head to a history-steeped bruin café (brown cafe, i.e. pub, traditional drinking establishments so named for the nicotine-stained walls).

WORTH A TRIP FROM AMSTERDAM:

The working, inhabited village Zaanse Schans functions as an open-air windmill gallery on the Zaan river. Popular with tourists, the mills are completely authentic and operated with enthusiasm and love. Zaanse Schans is laid out like a real town and although it resembles an open-air museum, the complex itself is not really a museum in itself. Like a normal town, admission to most of the site is completely free. The museums and mills at Zaanse Schans set their own opening times and days. Admission fees range from €1 to €5 per site with the mills generally €4 each.

Zaanse Schans can be reached from Amsterdam Centraal (central train station) by bus or train within less than an hour. Buses are the easiest way to reach Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam. Connexxion Bus (Line 391) connects Amsterdam four times per hour in 40 minutes with Zaanse Schans the final stop.

THE RANDSTAD

One of the most densely populated areas on the planet, the Randstad stretches from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and is crammed with classic Dutch towns and cities such as Den Haag, Utrecht, Leiden, and Delft. A cycling network links the towns amid tulip fields.

Just 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam, HAARLEM's canals and cobblestone streets filled with gabled buildings, grand churches, terrific museums, cozy bars, fine cafes, and antique shops draw scores of day-trippers. Haarlem's center radiates out from the Grote Markt - where the Saturday morning market here is reputed as one of the Netherlands' best; there's a smaller market on Monday.

KEUKENHOF is the world’s largest bulb-flower garden, attracting nearly 800,000 visitors during a season almost as short-lived as the blooms on the millions of multi-coloured tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Located near Lisse, between Haarlem and Leiden, special seasonal busses provide a link in season with combination tickets providing transport and entry.

Flanked by wide boulevards, DEN HAAG is the Dutch seat of government (although Amsterdam is the capital). Embassies and various international courts of justice give the city a serious air. Its seaside suburb of Scheveningen has a lively vibe to accompany the long stretch of beach.

Compact and charming, DELFT is synonymous with its blue-and-white-painted porcelain. It's a very popular destination with day-trip visitors who stroll its narrow canals and gaze at the remarkable old buildings. This is also the home town of Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer, so get an early start if you want to beat the crowds.

ROTTERDAM is a veritable open-air gallery of modern, postmodern, and contemporary construction. It's a remarkable feat for a city largely razed to the ground by WWII bombers. Rebuilding has continued unabated ever since with ingenuity and vision. Futuristic architecture, a proliferation of art, and a surge of dining and nightlife venues make modern Rotterdam one of Europe's most exhilarating cities. Not only is Rotterdam an architectural gallery, but its streets are also filled with art and you will find well over 60 sculptures scattered all over town.

UTRECHT retains a beautiful old-world city center, ringed by unique 13th-century canal wharves below street level. Canal-side streets brim with shops, restaurants, and cafes. Its spirited student community of 40,000 is the country's largest. Focus your wanderings on the Domplein and south along the tree-lined Oudegracht.

THE SOUTH

You might not think it, but actual hills rise on the Netherlands' southern edge, where Belgium and Germany are within range of a tossed klomp (wooden shoe). The standout destination here is Maastricht.

MAASTRICHT is well worth the journey from Amsterdam and the pearls of the Randstad, and you can easily continue to Belgium and Germany.

Among Maastricht's 1650 listed historic buildings, look for Spanish and Roman ruins, French and Belgian architectural twists, splendid food, and a cosmopolitan flair. Maastricht's numerous delights are scattered along both banks of the Maas and are sure to reward avid walkers. Ringed by grand cafes, museums, and churches, the large Vrijthof square is a focal point. Intimate Onze Lieve Vrouweplein is a café-filled square named after its church, which still attracts pilgrims. The arched stone footbridge Sint Servaasbrug dates from the 13th-century and links Maastricht's center with the Wyck district.