Netherlands

Since 29 December, travellers from the European Union travelling to the Netherlands must be able to show a negative result to the COVID-19 test if they are coming from a high-risk area of the EU/Schengen Area. This provision applies to travellers arriving by air, ferry, international intercity train or coach. However, it excludes...

Rotterdam is home to a new hotel, The Slaak, located in the dynamic Kralingen-West district, just a few minutes from the city centre and the old port. The only hotel to open its doors in the Dutch city this year, this hotel - part of the Marriott group's Tribute Portfolio lifestyle brand - is part of a new concept of...

Since Friday 8 March, business travellers passing through Amsterdam's Schiphol airport have had access to the brand new Star Alliance lounge. Located in zone 2 of the departures level, on the Panorama terrace, this lounge has a capacity of 150 passengers, including eligible first and business class passengers, holders of...

From 11 June, Eurostar will be operating a third daily service from London to Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Ticket sales began on 4 January. "Our new route to the Netherlands has met with strong demand from our customers," says Mike Cooper, Eurostar's Managing Director. "A third daily train...

If you've got an hour to spare? Why not take the opportunity to admire Rotterdam's new market halls, the Markthal, and get an idea of this daring architectural project while filling up on local specialities. Once you've left the market, a tour of the cube-shaped houses is a must:...

HÔTELS MAINPORT With its feet in the water, this five-star hotel combines chic design and port heritage. Since opening in mid-2013 in the heart of the city centre, the Mainport has become a new home base for business people from all over the world, playing on the theme of travel. Designed by Feran Thomassen, the décor on each floor is dedicated to...

Dutch Railways (NS- Nederlandse Spoorwegen) continues to work on improving punctuality and service. The Dutch company runs 4,000 trains every day, carrying more than 1.2 million passengers. The company, which has just announced a profit of 32 million euros, has launched the modernisation of its rail fleet,...

Amsterdam GETTING THERE THALYS operates up to 11 daily connections between Paris Gare du Nord and Amsterdam Centraal, in just 3 hours 17 minutes. Since December, Thalys has introduced a new offer based on three, rather than two, fare categories. The Standard ticket is equivalent to a trip in Comfort 2 second class, while the Comfort ticket is equivalent to a trip in Comfort 1 second class.

"A visit to Amsterdam would certainly be incomplete without a concert at the Royal Concertgebouw. We programme more than 700 concerts a year, and it's not only the orchestra that's a must, but also the building's exceptional acoustics. Located on Museumplein, it faces the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. To avoid the crowds...

There are 100,000 bicycles in Utrecht every day. Exploring the city by bike is of course the most obvious way to get away from it all. But Utrecht is also a city of canals, where drifting away from the tourist centre towards the romantic Wilhelmina Park offers a real break from the daily grind....

Reported by Cécile Balavoine. Photos Ludovic Maisant. The breeze caresses the banks of the Amstel, a gentle ray warming the faces. A boat passes by, passengers admiring its terrace on the water: the Hôtel de L'Europe. Originally a small farm in the Middle Ages, it became an inn during the Renaissance, and since 1896 has been one of the...

Reported by Cécile Balavoine. Photos Ludovic Maisant. Strolling through the canals, medieval streets, beguinages and parks of Utrecht, you'd never suspect that between 2010 and 2013, the region was recognised as the most competitive in Europe. Ahead of London and Paris! And to achieve this, Utrecht has been able to rely on its particular trump card: its university,...

[highlight] Bénédicte Guichard, co-founder of Cleeng Bureaucracy is reduced, procedures are simple What is Cleeng? Bénédicte Guichard - Cleeng is an e-commerce platform for online videos that enables broadcasters to sell their content online on a subscription or pay-per-view basis for live events such as sport, television,...

Reported by Cécile Balavoine. Photos Ludovic Maisant. A small country with a population of 17 million, the Netherlands is ranked 17th in the world for the strength of its economy. Since the Renaissance, this nation of navigators has been a land of traders, and today re-exports 40 % of the goods it imports. This commercial fibre in the Dutch DNA has made Amsterdam...

Reported by Cécile Balavoine. Photos Ludovic Maisant. Second in the world in terms of foreign direct investment: in 2016, the Amsterdam-Rotterdam metropolitan region featured prominently in the IBM Global Locations Trend report. With 168 projects, the region was ranked behind London, still in first place but losing ground as a result of Brexit, and ahead of...

WE TRY TO BE AUDACIOUS Where does the heart of Rotterdam's business beat? Mirjam van de Kamp - The main companies are headquartered around the railway station, and of course close to the port, which remains essential to Rotterdam's economic activity. The cruise terminal area also attracts companies...

Where some would use the word 'revenge', the people of Rotterdam prefer to speak of a 'renaissance'. In the end, it doesn't really matter. Razed by the bombings of 1940, its reconstruction has provided a vast playground for architects from all over the world, establishing the metropolis as a design stronghold. Which may come as a bit of a surprise...

The cube-shaped building of the new Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol now houses 433 rooms under a 42-metre-high glass roof. Of these, 12 suites feature a separate lounge, a spacious bathroom and a large work area, while 96 executive rooms guarantee access to the Executive Lounge. The Hilton...