Netherlands, or, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a modern as well as prosperous country, situated in the northwestern Europe. The most densely populated nation in the world – Netherlands has Belgium to the west, Germany to the east, and the North Sea to the north. The Kingdom of the Netherlands is made up of the Netherlands and overseas islands including Aruba and Antilles. Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, and is a member of several world organizations, which among many others are, the NATO, the European Union, and the OECD. Further, the nation forms a part of the Benelux Economic Union, and is home to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Besides being a strong base for international business, Netherlands is home to some of the best tourist destinations in the world. Netherlands consists of 12 provinces: Utrecht, Drenthe, Groningen, Gelderland, Flevoland, Zuid Holland, Limburg, Friesland, Noord-Brabant, Noord Holland, Overijssel, and Dutch Islands.

The capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is not only one of the most happening destinations of Netherlands but also of Europe. The system of canals spreading across the whole city center; the Rijksmuseum – the national museum of the Netherlands; Rembrandt House Museum, housing the rare artifacts of Rembrandt van Rijn; the Amsterdam Dungeon – a marvelous blend of a museum, attraction park, and a theater; the Royal Palace; the House of the Waterfalls; the Portuguese Synagogue – an impressive building; and El Tawheed Mosque, founded in 1986, are just few among the attractions of the city. In addition, the city also has to its credit to a chain of world-class squares and open air markets including Koningsplein, Waterlooplein, and Albert Cuyp market.

Another prominent Netherlands city is Rotterdam, with its attractions such as Euromast Tower, offering the panoramic views of the city; Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI); Erasmus Bridge, an imposing bridge famed for its engineering marvel; and Sonneveld House, and historic home. Hague, with such destinations as Madurodam, Omniversum, and Escher in Het Paleis; Urecht, highly regarded for its Vredenburg Music Centre and Slot Zuylen; Laiden, whose focal points are Pietersherk and Valk Windmill; and Arnhem, noted for its Burgers’ Zoo and Safari Park and Airborne Cemetery, are the other prominent cities in the country. Also, worth mentioning are the attractions of the Netherlands cities such as Haarlem, Maastricht, Groningen, Den Bosch, Zaandam, Meddelburg, and Tilburg, all of them boasting of unique sights as well as museums and art galleries. Above all, many of these aforesaid cities host numerous interesting festivals.

Apart from these, accommodation is aplenty in the country, with a spectrum of both first-class and budget hotels. The nation is also much sought after for its gastronomic restaurants, serving sumptuous international cuisines.

Flights are always available to Netherlands, since it has international airports like Amsterdam Airport, apart from regional airports such as Eindhoven Airport and Groningen Airport. Additionally, the nation has a well integrated railway system, with more than 350 railway stations and three categories of train: intercity, trains, and rapid trains.

With salubrious climate, superb attractions, and exuberant as well as friendly people, the Netherlands attracts hoards of people year-round.

St. Maarten is certainly a wonderful tourist destination if you want to enjoy its excellent beaches and take in the other sights that make it an important tourist hot spot. While in St. Maarten, be sure to check out the wonderful beaches called Maho Bay and also Mullet Pont Bay while other notable beaches include Cay Baai and also Guana Bay. Besides the beaches you can also visit Border Monument, Dutch Cul de Sac and also the Great Salt Pond.

Over in Philipsburg there are also many interesting spots to visit such as viewing the Burgher’s House, court house, De Ruyterplein and also Fort Amsterdam as also the Sint Maarten Museum. Another exceptional place worth visiting here is Simsonabaai which is a fishing village that is not very big and is ideal if you want to go sailing, water skiing and also for wind surfing.

However, most people actually come to Maho Bay which is situated close to where the Queen Juliana Airport landing strip ends and so besides the excellent water activities to keep you amused, there is also the ever present landing and taking off of aircraft as a side attraction as well. In a similar vein, you could enjoy the excellent sandy beaches at Mullet Pont Bay while a visit to the Border Monument is worth your while as it is an ideal reminder of how the Dutch and also French learnt to coexist on this island for over three hundred years.

You might also find the Fort Amsterdam in Philipsburg a great experience as here are where the ruins of the island’s first fort lie that were supposedly built as far back in time as the seventeenth century. And, the Sint Maarten Museum is another tourist attraction because it helps to highlight how the history of island from pre-Columbian times unfolded and you can get to see the tools, idols, pottery as well as one Arawak canoe as well.