Netherlands: Difference between revisions
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The national language in the Netherlands is '''[[Dutch phrasebook|Dutch]]''' (''Nederlands''). It's a charming, lilting language punctuated by phlegm-trembling glottal ''g''s (not in the south) and ''sch''s (also found, for example, in Arabic). Dutch, especially in written form, is partially intelligible to someone who knows other Germanic languages (especially German and Afrikaans), and you might be able to get along at least partially in these languages if spoken slowly.
However, the Dutch merchant tradition and international attitude have left this little country with a strong tradition of multilingualism. The majority of the adult population is able to speak '''English''' relatively well, and most younger people speak it fluently, so you should have no trouble getting by. If you attempt to speak Dutch to locals and it does not sound native, do not be surprised if they respond to you in English. Do not take this personally; they are not trying to be rude, but just trying to make communication easier. If you want to practise your Dutch, just tell them and they will usually oblige if they are not in a hurry.
While less widely spoken than English, basic [[German phrasebook|German]] is also spoken by many, especially by seniors and those in the regions near the German border and it is a mandatory subject in high school for two years, though German fluency among younger people is marginal at best. [[French]] and [[Spanish]] are spoken by some as well, but proficiency is rare and usually on a much lower level than English or German. French and especially Spanish are slowly overtaking German in popularity. Besides Dutch, several regional languages and dialects are spoken. In the eastern provinces of Groningen, Overijssel, Drenthe and Gelderland people speak a local variety of Low Saxon (including Grunnegs and Tweants). In the southern province of Limburg the majority speaks Limburgish, a regional language unique in Europe because of its use of pitch and tone length to distinguish words. Frisian is the only official language besides Dutch, but only common in the province of [[Friesland]]. It's the closest living continental language to English.
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[[File:Stena Hollandica at Hoek van Holland Haven aerial photo.jpg|thumb|Ferry in Hook of Holland]]
There are three ferry services from the UK:
* [
* [
* [
You may find it more convenient to take the ferry from [[Dover (England)|Dover]] to [[Calais]] or [[Dunkirk]], which are only just over 100 km by road from the southwestern province of Zeeland. As the UK is not part of the EU or Schengen zone, full border checks apply.
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You can only use OVpay for second class train travel and distance-based fares. Not all operators support discount subscriptions with OVpay yet.
'''9292'''
In addition to being a journey planner the [https://www.9292.nl/en 9292] smartphone app can be used to buy ticketsfor the whole of the planned journey.
=====OV-chipkaart (being phased out)=====
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===== Unlimited Travel Ticket =====
* [https://www.
* [https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes/one-country-pass/benelux
* [https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/benelux Interrail] (European residents) also have a Benelux passes.
===== Train ticket deals =====
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Most of the Netherlands is densely populated and urbanised, and train services are frequent to most big cities and larger villages and towns in between. There are two main types of trains: Intercities which only stop at major stations and Sprinters which stop at all stations. All types of train have the same prices. Also, there are high-speed trains called 'Intercity Direct' between Amsterdam and Breda, which only requires a supplement ticket between Schiphol and Rotterdam. Travelling all the way from the north of the country (Groningen) to the south (Maastricht) takes approximately 4 hours.
The ''Spoorkaart'' is a map of the railway system and shows all services. You can obtain the most recent version from [https://www.ns.nl/
Most lines offer one train every 15 minutes (every 10 min during the rush hours), but some rural lines run only every 60 min. Where more lines run together, the frequency is, of course, even higher. In the western Netherlands, the rail network is more like a large urban network, with up to 12 trains per hour on main routes.
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* {{do
| name=Northsea Jazz Festival | alt= | url=
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| content=Big summer jazz festival, held in the Ahoy stadion, [[Rotterdam]]. Around 1,800 jazz, blues, funk, soul, hip Hop, Latin and r&b acts play during this 3 day event.
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