Eindhoven is a municipality and a city located in the province of Noord-Brabant in the south of the Netherlands, originally at the confluence of the Dommel and Gender streams. The Gender was dammed off in the post-war years, but the Dommel still runs through the city.

Neighbouring cities and towns include Son en Breugel, Nuenen, Geldrop-Mierlo, Heeze-Leende, Waalre, Veldhoven, Eersel, Oirschot andBest. The agglomeration has some 440,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area (which includes Helmond) has nearly 750,000 inhabitants. Also, Eindhoven is part of Brabant Stad, a combined metropolitan area with more than 2 million inhabitants.

This is the city where I am living and where I am studying. The most important place is the centre of the city, next to the Central Station. You can go there because it is full of shops, restaurants, pubs...
With the covered shopping centre 'De Heuvel Galerie', Piazza Centre, large department stores including the exclusive 'De Bijenkorf' and an extensive selection of boutiques an specialist shops, the centre of Eindhoven is the most bustling shopping centre in the South of the Netherlands.

Where to go?
The following streets form the main, pedestrianised shopping area: 18 Septemberplein, Demer, Rechtestraat, de Markt, Nieuwstraat, Hermanus Boexstraat, Vrijstraat and Hooghuisstraat.

How can you arrive?
- Eindhoven is a rail transport hub. The main station has connections in the directions of:
-Tilburg - Breda - Dordrecht - Rotterdam - Delft - Den Haag
-'s-Hertogenbosch - Utrecht - Amsterdam - Alkmaar
-'s-Hertogenbosch - Utrecht - Amsterdam Zuid - Schiphol Airport
-Helmond - Venlo
-Weert - Roermond - Sittard - Maastricht/Heerlen

Eindhoven's central railway station is served by both intercity and local services while the smaller station, Eindhoven Beukenlaan is only served by local trains.
Up until World War II, a train service connected Amsterdam to Liège via Eindhoven and Valkenswaard, but the service was discontinued and the line broken up. Recently, talks have resumed to have a service to Neerpelt, Belgium via Weert.



Located approximately 8 kilometres from the town centre, Eindhoven Airport is the closest airport nearby, and the second busiest in the country (after Schiphol). There are flights with Air France to London City, Ryanair serves London Stansted airport, Dublin, Rome, Milan, Pisa, Marseille, Glasgow, Madrid, Valencia, Stockholm, Reus and Girona (both near Barcelona)and Wizzair. In the summer season, Reykjavík is served with 2 weekly flights operated by Iceland Express.
There are direct bus to the central station for €3 each 20 minutes (401 line).


The A2 / E25 motorway from Amsterdam to Luxemburg passes Eindhoven to the west and south of the city. The A2 connects to the highway A58 to Tilburg and Breda just north of the city. Just south of Eindhoven, the A2 connects to the A67 / E34 between Antwerp and Duisburg. In 2006, the A50 was completed connecting Eindhoven to Nijmegen and Zwolle.

The public transport of Eindhoven consists of almost 25 city bus lines, which also serve neighbouring cities like Veldhoven, Geldrop and Nuenen. Two of these buslines (401 and 402) arehigh quality public transport and the buses on these lines are so-called Phileas vehicles, a combination of tram and bus. Apart from the city lines there are some 30 regional and rush-hourlines.


What do you have to visit?
Philips Stadion.
-PSV Eindhoven is the major football (soccer) club in the city. Playing in the Philips Stadion it is one of the dominant clubs in The Netherlands' top-ranked league, Eredivisie. PSV won the national title a total of 21 times. Recent successes include the 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 national titles, finishing second in the league in 2002 and 2004. In international football, PSV were the 1988 winners of the European Cup (Champions League), the highest achievement in European club football.


Going out in Eindhoven
Eindhoven has a compact and lively city centre. People go out and nightlife takes place mainly in five different 'going out areas'. These areas, each with its own atmosphere and character, are all within walking distance of one another in the city centre. One of them are the Stratum Street.

It is a street with numerous bars, cafes and pubs. It is the perfect place to enjoy one night dancing.

Opening hours
In Eindhoven the pubs are opened until 04.00 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. On other days they close at 02.00 hours.

Den Haag is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. It is located in the west of the country, in the province of South Holland, of which it is also the provincial capital.

Den Haag is the home of the States-General of the Netherlands. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands lives and works in Den Haag.

This is a big city. Then, you have to arrive by train in Den Haag Centraal Station

where, if I were you, I would buy a tram ticket for all the day for €7,5.

Den Haag is the largest Dutch city on the North Sea and includes two distinct beach resorts. The main beach resort Scheveningen, in the northwestern part of the city,

is a popular destination for tourists and young people. Then, you have to go to the beach by tram where is full of bars, restaurants and pubs to enjoy, if you are lucky, of a sunny day swimming.

Finishing this, you can go to the centre. City life concentrates around the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof, where the parliament is located. The number and variety of foreign residents makes the city quite culturally diverse, with many foreign pubs, shops and cultural events.

If you want to go shopping, don't worry, it is a big city full of shops, but here, in Den Haag you have to visit different places.

On the one hand, the layout of the city is more spacious than other Dutch cities, and because of the incorporation of large and old nobility estates, the creation of various parks and the use of green zones around natural streams, it is a much more green city than any other in the Netherlands. That is, excepting some mediaeval close-knitted streets in the centre.

On the other hand, the city contributes substantially to international politics: Den Haag is home to over 150 international organizations. These include the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and the Appeals Chamber of the ICTY and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
The foundation of Den Haag as an "international city of peace and justice" was laid in 1899, when the world's first Peace Conference took place in Den Haag on Tobias Asser's initiative, followed by a second in 1907.

Currently, The Hague is the world's second UN city, after New York. In line with the city's history as an important convention center and the current presence of institutions such as the ICJ, Den Haag's city council employs a city branding strategy that aims to establish den Haag as the Legal Capital of the World and the International City of Peace and Justice.

But, like always, if you want to see a little bit the city, I put a video from youtube showing this:


And, of course, Google Street View:

Mostra un mapa més gran

Rotterdam. This is another city that you have to visit. It is a city in the Dutch province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands.

I arrived by train because for me is the best public transport to travel to the different cities. This is a big city, is truly a metropolis. My first impression was to see the skyline.

It can be seen for miles around, enhancing the city’s imposing appearance. Rotterdam is known in the Netherlands and abroad as a city of great architecture.
Rotterdam has a diversity of shopping districts. If you like go shopping, this is your city. From exclusive to popular, from megastore to small boutique, in an arcade or a bustling street; Rotterdam has it all.

After that you can go to have lunch in a restaurant. I went to the New York restaurant. They have in the menu a big variety of meat, fish and shellfish. Is situated in Koninginnehoofd 1 where you can arrive taking the Metro Wilheminaplein.




Mostra un mapa més gran

Transport. Because of its central location Utrecht is well connected to the rest of the Netherlands, and has a well-developed public transport network.

Utrecht Centraal is the main railway station of Utrecht. There are also some smaller stations in the suburbs:
- Utrecht Lunetten railway station
- Utrecht Overvecht railway station
- Utrecht Terwijde railway station
- Utrecht Zuilen railway station
There is also a museum station for the Dutch Railway Museum, at Utrecht Maliebaan railway station.
From Utrecht Centraal there are:
- Regular Intercity trains to all major Dutch cities, and since March 2006 a direct service to Schiphol Airport

- International trains (ICE) to Germany

- Regular Local Trains To Areas all around The Netherlands

A light-rail line runs from Utrecht Centraal station, through the neighbourhoods of Lombok and Kanaleneiland to Nieuwegein and IJsselstein. This line is operated by Connexxion.


Bus transport. Utrecht Central railway station also operates as the main local and regional bus station. The bus network of Utrecht includes:
- Local buses, operated by GVU, including a high-quality bus line to the Uithof university district to the east of the city, served by bi-articulated buses.
- Regional Connexxion buses.
- Regional Arriva buses. Arriva also operates buses to Gorinchem and Dordrecht (Q-liner).
- Veolia Transport buses to and from the region northwest of the city, and to Breda and Oosterhout (Interliner).
Utrecht Centraal's bus station is the busiest in the Netherlands.

The Utrecht Central railway station is also frequented by the pan-European Eurolines bus company. Furthermore, it acts as departure and arrival place of many coach companies serving holiday resorts in Spain and France and during winter in Austria and Switzerland.

Roads. Utrecht is well connected to the main roads in the Netherlands. Two of the most important major roads cross near Utrecht: The A12 [The Hague - Arnhem - Germany] and the A2[Amsterdam - Maastricht - Belgium]. Other roads are the A27 [Almere - Breda] and the A28 [Utrecht - Groningen]. Due to the increasing traffic, traffic congestion is a common phenomenon in and around Utrecht.

Utrecht's cityscape features the Dom Tower, belonging to the former cathedral (Dom Church). An ongoing debate is if any building in or near the centre of town may surpass the Dom Tower in height (112 m). Nevertheless, some tall buildings are now being constructed that will become part of the skyline of Utrecht. The second highest building of the city, the Rabobank-tower,

will be completed in 2010 and will stand 105 m tall. Two antennas will increase that height to 120 m. Two other buildings were constructed around the Nieuw Galgenwaard stadium (2007). These buildings, the 'Kantoortoren Galghenwert' and 'Apollo Residence', stand 85.5 and 64.5 metres high respectively. Finally, there are controversial plans for a 262 m high skyscraper in the newly built neighbourhood of Leidsche Rijn: the 'Belle van Zuylen' tower.
Another landmark is the old centre and the canal structure in the inner city.

The Oudegracht is a curved canal, partly following an old arm of the Rhine. It is lined with the unique wharf-basement structures that create a two-level street along the canals. The inner city has largely retained its Medieval structure and the moat ringing the old town is largely intact. Because of the role of Utrecht as a fortified city,which restricted construction outside the walls, until the 19th century the city has remained very compact.
Due to the past importance of Utrecht as a religious centre, several monumental churches have survived. Most prominent is the Dom Church. Other notables churches include the romanesque St Peter's and St John's churches, the gothic churches of St James and St Nicholas, and the so-called Buurkerk, now converted into a museum for automatically playing musical instruments.

Museums. Utrecht has several smaller and larger museums. Many of those are located in the eastern part of the old town, which is called MuseumQuarter.
- Aboriginal Art Museum Located at the Oude Gracht this museum has a small exhibit of Australian Aboriginal Art

- Centraal Museum Located in the MuseumQuarter this municipal museum has a large collection of art, design, and historical artifacts.

- Dick Bruna Huis Part of Centraal Museum this separate location is dedicated to Miffy creator Dick Bruna
- Museum Catharijneconvent Museum of the Catholic Church shows the history of Christian culture and arts in the Netherlands

- National museum 'From musical clock to street organ' National Museum in the centre of the city, displaying several centuries of mechanical musical instruments.
- Railroad Museum Railroad sponsored museum on the history of the Dutch railroads

- University museum Utrecht University museum includes the ancient botanical garden
- Volksbuurtmuseum Wijk C
- Money museum, museum of the Royal Dutch Mint, located in the actual building where Dutch coins are minted.

Utrecht. It was my second city to visit. It is located in the eastern end of the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 300,030 in 2007. The easiest form to arrive is by train from everywhere in Holland. There is no much to visit in Utrecht because all the most important is in the middle of the city next to the train station. Then, if you check the map,

you will have to see the Cathedral and the canals where you can go 1 hour by ship for €7.
Then, if you are hungry, you should go to the Springhaver restaurant because it is one of the cheapest restaurants in Utrecht where you can eat good quality food:
•Cuisines: Vegetarian, Dutch, International, Organic
•Price Range: €12-€20
•Address: Springweg 50, Utrecht 3511 VS, The Netherlands
•Phone: 030-231 37 89

Utrecht's ancient city-centre features many buildings and structures from its earliest origins onwards. It has been the religious centre of the Netherlands since the eighth century. Currently it is the see of the Archbishop of Utrecht, the most important Dutch Roman Catholicleader. Utrecht is also the see of the archbishop of the Old Catholic church, titular head of the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholic), and the location of the offices of the main Protestant church. Until the golden age, Utrecht was the city of most importance in the northern Netherlands (the present-day country of the Netherlands, excluding Belgium and Luxembourg), until Amsterdam became the cultural and populous centre of the Netherlands. Utrecht is host to Utrecht University, the largest university of the Netherlands, as well as several other institutes for higher education. Due to its central position within the country it is an important transportation hub (rail and road) in the Netherlands. It has the second highest number of cultural events in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam.




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Nightlife Amsterdam is famous for its vibrant and diverse nightlife. The two main nightlife areas are the Leidseplein

and the Rembrandtplein.

Amsterdam has many cafes. They range from large and modern to small and cozy. The typical Bruine Kroeg (brown cafe) breathe a more old fashioned atmosphere with dimmed lights, candles, and somewhat older clientele. Most cafes have terraces in summertime. A common sight on the Leidseplein during summer is a square full of terraces packed with people drinking beer or wine.
Many restaurants can be found in Amsterdam as well. Since Amsterdam is a multicultural city, a lot of different ethnic restaurants can be found. Restaurants range from being rather luxurious and expensive to being ordinary and affordable. Some of the best restaurants in the Netherlands are located in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam also possesses many discothèques. Most of these 'clubs' are situated near the Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein. The Paradiso,

Melkweg and Sugar Factory are cultural centers, which turn into discothèques on some nights. Examples of discothèques near the Rembrandtplein are the Escape and Club Home.
Also noteworthy are Panama, Hotel Arena (East) and The Powerzone.
The Reguliersdwarsstraat

is the main street for the GLBT community and nightlife.

Festivals In 2008, there were 140 festivals and events in Amsterdam. Famous festivals and events in Amsterdam include: Koninginnedag (Queen's Day);

the Holland Festival for the performing arts; the yearly Prinsengrachtconcert in August; the 'Stille Omgang' (a silent Roman Catholic evening procession held every March); Amsterdam Gay Pride; The Cannabis Cup; and the Uitmarkt. On Koninginnedag - held each year on April 30th - hundreds of thousands of people travel to Amsterdam to celebrate with the city's residents. The entire city becomes overcrowded with people buying products from the freemarket, or visiting one of the many music concerts.
The yearly Holland Festival attracts international artists and visitors from all over Europe. Amsterdam Gay Pride is a yearly local LGBT parade of boats in Amsterdam's canals, held on the first Saturday in August. The Gay Pride event is a frequent source of both criticism and praise. Finally, the annual Uitmarkt is a three-day cultural event at the start of the cultural season in late August. It offers previews of many different artists, such as musicians and poets.

Museums The most important museums of Amsterdam are located on het Museumplein (Museum Square),

located at the southern side of the Rijksmuseum. It was created in the last quarter of the 19th century on the grounds of the former World Exposition. The northern part of the square is bordered by the very large Rijksmuseum. In front of the Rijksmuseum on the square itself is a long, rectangular, pond. This is transformed in winter time into an ice rink. The western part of the square is bordered by the Van Gogh Museum

(it is a personal recommendation,)Stedelijk Museum, House of Bols Cocktail & Genever Experience and Coster Diamonds. The southern border of the Museum Square is the Van Baerlestraat, which is a major thoroughfare in this part of Amsterdam. The Concertgebouw is situated across this street from the square. To the east of the square are situated a number of large houses, one of which contains the American consulate. A parking garage can be found underneath the square, as well as a supermarket. The current appearance of the square was realized in 1999, when the square was remodeled. The square itself is the most prominent site in Amsterdam for festivals and outdoor concerts, especially in the summer. Plans were made in 2008 to remodel the square again, because many inhabitants of Amsterdam are not happy with its current appearance.
The Rijksmuseum possesses the largest and most important collection of classical Dutch art. It opened in 1885. Its collection consists of nearly one million objects. The artist most associated with Amsterdam is Rembrandt,

whose work, and the work of his pupils, is displayed in the Rijksmuseum. Rembrandt's masterpiece the Nightwatch

is one of top pieces of art of the museum. It also houses paintings from artists like Van der Helst, Vermeer,Frans Hals, Ferdinand Bol, Albert Cuijp, Van Ruysdael and Paulus Potter. Aside from paintings, the collection consists of a large variety of decorative art. This ranges from Delftware to giant dollhouses from the 17th century. The architect of the gothic revival building was P.J.H. Cuypers. At present, the museum is being expanded, renovated, and a new main entrance for the museum created. Only one wing of the Rijksmuseum is currently open to the public, with a selection of master pieces on display. The full museum will re-open in 2012 or 2013.
Van Gogh lived in Amsterdam for a short while, so there is a museum dedicated to his early work. The museum is housed in one of the few modern buildings in this area of Amsterdam. The building was designed by Gerrit Rietveld. This building is where the permanent collection is displayed. A new building was added to the museum in 1999. This building, known as the performance wing, was designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. Its purpose is to house temporary exhibitions of the museum. Some of Van Gogh's most famous paintings, like the Aardappeleters (The Potato Eaters) and Zonnenbloemen, are present in the collection. The Van Gogh museum is the most visited museum in Amsterdam.
Next to the Van Gogh museum stands the Stedelijk Museum.

This is Amsterdam's largest museum concerning modern art. The museum opened its doors at around the same time the Museum Square was created. The permanent collection consists of works of art from artists like Piet Mondriaan, Karel Appel, and Kazimir Malevich. This museum is also currently being renovated and expanded. The main entrance will be relocated from the Paulus Potterstraat to the Museum Square itself. It will be open again to public in 2009. The current exhibition of this museum is housed in a former post office near the central station.
Amsterdam contains many other museums throughout the city. They range from small museums such as the Verzetsmuseum, the Anne Frank House,

and the Rembrandthuis, to the very large, like the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdams Historisch Museum, and Joods Historisch Museum.

Amsterdam was my first city to visit. It is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country.

I arrived by train in the Amsterdam Cebtraal Station because is the closest station to the centre. There you have to visit, to sum up, all Amsterdam central with the canals, shops, parks, museums and the Red Light District.



There, you can find the Bulldog coffee shop one of the most visited coffee shops in Amsterdam where you can take a rest next to a canal.
If you are hungry, you can buy Dutch croquettes and French fries everywhere because it’s the typical Holland food.




Furthermore, if you want to enjoy another day more, you can find a lot of hotels and hostels. In my case I went to go to sleep in the Citizen M Hotel where you can go by the line 15 tram, it is an upscale hotel but it is the cheapest.







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Amsterdam. The city is an indicative of the city's origin: a dam in the river Amstel. The city is the financial and cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the world's top 500 companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city.
Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops draw more than 3.66 million international visitors annually, as of 2009.



Transport Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-friendly large cities in the world and is a centre of bicycle culture with good facilities for cyclists such as bike paths and bike racks, which pervade the city. 38% of all journeys in the city are made by bicycle. In the city centre, driving a car is discouraged parking fees are expensive (5€/hour), and many streets are closed to cars or are one-way. Public transport in Amsterdam mainly consists of bus and tram lines, operated by Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf, Connexxionand Arriva.



Currently, there are 16 different tramlines and a freight tram operation is being developed. There are currently four metro lines, with a fifth line, the North/South line, under construction. Approximately 35% of all people travelling in Amsterdam use public transport.

Amsterdam Centraal is also an international train station. From the station there are regular services to destinations such as Austria, Belarus, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark,France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Switzerland. Among these trains are international trains of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen and the Thalys(Amsterdam-Brussels-Paris-Cologne), CityNightLine, and InterCityExpress. Eurolines has coaches from Amsterdam to destinations all over Europe.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is less than 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Central Station. It is the biggest airport in the Netherlands, the fifth largest in Europe, and the twelfth largest in the world in terms of passengers. It handles about 46 million passengers a year and is the home base of three airlines, KLM, transavia.com and Martinair. Schiphol was, in 2006, the third busiest airport in the world measured by international passengers.

Welcome to Holland Erasmus

My name is Roger Mola and I come from Tarragona, Spain. I have been studying in Holland for 4 months on Fontys University in Eindhoven and it was unbelievable. This is the reason why I decided to make this blog.



Like an Erasmus student I have been travelling for different cities in Holland and now I know something more about this country, the people, the weather, the language… and I tried to combine personal experience with some research to realise this blog.



This is a blog where you can find a lot of information about Holland in one page. You will see the most important cities in this country and all the information about what you can do.