Kingdom of the Netherlands

Sleep

A wide range of accommodation is available, concentrated in the major tourist destinations. They include regions popular for domestic tourism, such as the Veluwe and Zuid-Limburg.

Stay healthy

The Netherlands has some of the best tap water in the world. It is even considered to be of similar or better quality than bottled natural mineral or spring water due to high standards that are strictly enforced and are even more strict than the already high food standards. Due to the high quality of both the water production and the distribution network, there is no need to add chlorine. At the majority of the train stations and even in some natural reserves, there is a water tap point, where the water is also of very good quality. Food (either bought in a supermarket or eaten at a restaurant) shouldn't pose any problems either.

The health care system of the Netherlands is up to par with the rest of Europe. Hospitals are mostly situated in larger cities, and all have English-speaking medical staff. General practitioners can be found in almost all towns, except for small villages, and they can typically speak English too. In case of a potential life-threatening emergency: call 112 and if necessary an ambulance will be sent and bring you to the most suitable emergency department (Dutch: Spoedeisende Hulp/SEH) of a hospital. In case of a non-life-threatening emergency call the local GP (Dutch: Huisarts) during office hours or the night GP (Dutch: Huisartsenpost) after office hours. If necessary the GP will send an ambulance or make a referal to the most suitable emergency department. If you have a non-life-threatening emergency do not go to the emergency department without ref…

Respect

The Dutch have a reputation of being among most informal and easy-going people in Europe, and there are few strict social taboos to speak of. It's unlikely that Dutch people will be offended simply by your behaviour or appearance. Similar to their German neighbours, Dutch people value honesty, being straightforward, and not beating around the bush. Visitors from the Anglosphere are often taken aback by the directness of Dutch people in conversations, but rarely do they intend to offend. Nevertheless, the standards for overt rudeness and hostility are similar to those in other western European countries.

The Dutch have a strong culture of egalitarianism, and it is considered vulgar to ask people about their personal wealth or reveal how rich you are. Service staff such as waiters, cleaners, hotel staff, shop workers and drivers expect that customers will treat them as equals.

It is not advisable to be forceful about your own religion or to assume a Dutch person you've met is a Catholic or a Calvinist, since in most of the country, religion only plays a modest role and many people are not religious. In urban areas it's not considered rude to ask somebody about this, but you'll generally be expected to be entirely tolerant of whatever the other person believes and not attempt to proselytise in any way. Openly religious behaviour is usually met with bewilderment and ridicule rather than hostility. An exception is the Dutch Bible Belt which runs from Zeeland into South Holland, …

Connect

The country code for the Netherlands is 31. The outbound international prefix is 00 (e.g. to call the US, substitute 00 1 for +1 and for the UK 00 44 for +44.)

The cellular phone networks in the Netherlands are operated by KPN, VodafoneZiggo and Odido; other operators use one of these 3 networks. All providers offer 4G coverage in almost every corner of the Netherlands, and 5G is at almost the same level. Note that 3G networks have been turned off, and 2G is only available at KPN and VodafoneZiggo, mainly for business purposes.

If you're bringing your own (GSM) cell phone to call (or receive calls) whilst in the Netherlands, make sure to check the relevant "roaming" charges for your provider, as they vary substantially. Receiving phone calls on a cell phone using a Dutch SIM card is free in most cases; charges may apply if you're using a foreign SIM card, as the call is theoretically routed through your country of origin. It may be cheaper to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card to insert into your GSM phone, or even to buy a very cheap pay-as-you-go card+phone bundle. Providers that specialise in discount rates to foreign countries include Lyca and Lebara.

As of January 2023, there are no public phone booths left in the Netherlands.

0800 numbers are toll-free while 09xx numbers are charged at premium rates. Mobile phones have numbers in the 06 range, and calls to cell phones are also priced at higher rates. (National) Directory Inquiries can be reached via 1888, 1850 and various…