The Netherlands

The Dutch capital is a watery wonderland. Amsterdam made its fortune in maritime trade, and its Canal Ring was constructed during the city's Golden Age. Stroll alongside the canals and check out the narrow, gabled houses and thousands of houseboats; relax on a canal-side café (pub) terrace; or, better still, go for a ride. Cruises and boat rentals abound. From boat level you'll see a whole new set of architectural details, such as the ornamentation bedecking the bridges and, come nightfall, glowing lights reflecting in the ripples.

Unlike many European cities that emerged from the ashes of WWII with hastily reconstructed city centres, Rotterdam pursued a different path. Its architecture is striking rather than simply functional and contributes to its glittering, skyscraper-defined skyline. The world's best architects compete here for commissions that result in eye-popping, one-of-a-kind designs, such as a 'vertical city' (the country's largest building), a forest of cube houses, a pencil-shaped residential tower, a swooping white cable-stayed bridge, a fantastical horseshoe-shaped covered market, and an ethereal 'cloud-like' building housing the city's history museum.

The Netherlands has produced a wealth of famous artists. In Amsterdam, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, Vermeer’s Kitchen Maid and other Golden Age treasures fill the mighty Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum hangs the world’s largest collection by tortured native son Vincent, while the Stedelijk Museum shows Mondrian, De Kooning and other Dutch visionaries among its modern stock. Outside the capital, Haarlem's Frans Hals Museum collects the painter's works, Rotterdam's Museum Boijmans van Beuningen spans all eras, and Den Haag's Mauritshuis unfurls a who's who of Dutch Masters.

Grab a bike, tinkle your bell and go. You can rent them anywhere and no nation on earth is better suited for cycling. Not only is it as flat as a classic Dutch pancake but there are thousands of kilometres of bike lanes and paths linking virtually every part of the country. See polders (areas surrounded by dykes where water can be artificially controlled) and creaking traditional windmills (as well as tulips blooming in springtime), and hear cows lowing in expansive green fields before arriving at the next enchanting village.

Gezelligheid has no English translation but is better experienced than defined. It refers to the uniquely Dutch state of conviviality, cosiness, warmth, good humour and sense of togetherness that is a hallmark of the country's famous brown cafes (bruin cafés). Named for their aged, tobacco-stained walls from centuries past, these small, snug, history-steeped pubs are filled with good cheer. There are around a thousand in Amsterdam alone, and countless others throughout the country. It takes little time, on even your first visit, to be drawn into their welcoming atmosphere.

A vast swath of beautiful land that was once private hunting grounds, Hoge Veluwe National Park combines forests, sand dunes, marshes and ponds. It's a bucolic escape from the densely packed cities and you can easily spend a day here just soaking up the natural environment. But the real treat lies at the park's centre. The Kröller-Müller Museum is one of the nation's best, with a Van Gogh collection that rivals the namesake museum in Amsterdam. Outside there is a stunning sculpture garden.

Names like Gouda and Edam inspire notions of Dutch cheese more immediately than the municipalities that spawned them. Seasonal cheese markets have taken place on main squares of cheese towns for centuries and a mooch around the Kaasmarkt in Alkmaar or Edam in North Holland is a tantalising foodie essential. Cheeses come in a vast range of styles and flavours: some are aged like a fine Parmesan, others are laced with aromatic caraway seeds or mustard. Shops stocking huge waxy wheels of cheese span the country.

The city where Europe's common currency began has been a meeting place for centuries. The Romans built underground forts here that you can still explore, and every generation since has left its mark. But 2000 years of history, magnificent monuments, mighty ruins, soaring churches and sublime museums aside, where Maastricht really shines is in how it embraces the moment. Few places in the Netherlands have such a dense concentration of cafés and restaurants, filled with people coming together to enjoy every minute of life.

The vast Waddenzee is recognised by Unesco as a World Heritage site. Its hypnotic tidal mudflats are punctuated by a string of offshore islands, including the largest, Texel. An easy ferry ride from the mainland, Texel offers glorious walks along broad, sandy beaches, near-limitless activities and a stark beauty you can appreciate on land or on a wildlife-spotting boat trip. It has superb places to sleep, eat and drink, including a slew of island producers of fruit, cheese, chocolate, ice cream, beer and rare-for-the-Netherlands wine.

The Netherlands has no shortage of evocative old towns that bring the beauty of the Golden Age into the present day. Haarlem, Leiden and Utrecht are some of the more well known; other historic gems include Enkhuizen and Hoorn. One of the most exquisite (and accessible) of them all is Vermeer's home town, Delft. It’s essential to spend an afternoon enjoying the canals, churches and museums, and sitting in a café soaking it all in. But Delft is at its most romantic in the evening after the day trippers have left.