Where: Amsterdam is best viewed from its network of canals, which thread through the tree-lined streets and under dozens of bridges.
When: this is obviously a year-round destination, although finding accommodation can be a problem at weekends. Try encouraging your customers to travel mid-week.
Who: Travelscene offers a range of canal trips, including a Candlelight Cruise at £11, Daytime Cruise at £4 and Dinner Cruise aboard a glass-topped boat with four-course dinner for £40. City breaks start at £148 for two nights in the two-star Sipermann hotel, based on two people sharing a twin room. The price includes breakfast, transfers and return flights.
Where: Amsterdam is best viewed from its network of canals, which thread through the tree-lined streets and under dozens of bridges.
When: this is obviously a year-round destination, although finding accommodation can be a problem at weekends. Try encouraging your customers to travel mid-week.
Who: Travelscene offers a range of canal trips, including a Candlelight Cruise at £11, Daytime Cruise at £4 and Dinner Cruise aboard a glass-topped boat with four-course dinner for £40. City breaks start at £148 for two nights in the two-star Sipermann hotel, based on two people sharing a twin room. The price includes breakfast, transfers and return flights.
Where: the 70-acre Keukenhof Park is Holland’s largest bulb garden, with beautifully landscaped and themed gardens and extensive glass houses.
When: instead of going for tulips in spring time visit during Zomerhof, the park’s summer exhibition, when the focus shifts towards summer blooms such as roses, dahlias, lilies and chrysanthemums. Zomerhof runs from August 17 to September 17.
Who: Thomas Cook Holidays operates a Keukenhof Special day trip, visiting the summer exhibition and also taking in the 13th-century city of Haarlem and the Flower Bulb Museum at Lisse. The tour leaves Amsterdam daily and costs £16 per person. A two-night package, including return flights and based on two people sharing a room at the two-star AMS Hotel Holland, starts at £209 per person during the month of the show.
Where: there are numerous sites commemorating World War II action in Holland. They include the Resistance Museum at Overloon, the US memorial at Nijmegen and the German cemetery at Ysselsteyn.
When: from spring to autumn.
Who: Leger Holidays is offering a short-break itinerary called Operation Market Garden – The World War II Campaign in Holland. Available between April and October, the package leads in at £159 per person. This price, which is based on two sharing, includes return coach travel, three nights’ hotel accommodation and the services of a specialist battlefields guide.
Where: the best-known park is Efteling with a mix of traditional fairy grottos and modern white-knuckle rides. Operators also recommend Duinrell, Europe’s largest indoor water park, with fully equipped self-catering accommodation and a range of activities. The Hague, Amsterdam and sandy beaches are all within easy reach.
When: travelling in the school summer holidays means families can make the most of the park and its proximity to the coast.
Who: with Eurosites, seven nights in a tent sleeping six start at £229 per tent. The price includes a Folkestone-Boulogne crossing with Hoverspeed and entry to the park’s attractions.
Where: Amsterdam has the world’s largest concentration of museums and art galleries, including the Van Gogh Museum, which houses over 800 works by the great painter. Also not to be missed are the Anne Frank House where for two years, the young Jewish girl wrote her now famous diary, and Rembrandthuis, home to Holland’s greatest painter in the 17th century.
When: The Glory of the Golden Age at the Rijksmuseum is an exhibition of major works of 17th-century art, including paintings by Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Vermeer. The show runs from April 15 to September 16.
Who: Cresta is operating a Golden Age Tour comprising city tour and entry to the exhibition costing £21 per person. Clients stay in the four-star Golden Tulip Doelen, one of the oldest hotels in the city, and the original home of Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Night Watch before it was moved to a museum. Two-night packages cost from £234 per person.
Where: the historic IJssel Lake region, where picturesque ports such as Hoorn and Enkhuizen come complete with traditional gabled merchants’ houses, terraced cafes and a charming maritime atmosphere.
When: there’s a bicycle for every person in Holland so you’ll never be short of company on the roads. National Cycling Day falls on May 13 when you will see the whole country take to the saddle, with over 200 specially plotted tours and departures from 365 places.
Who: Amsterdam Travel Service operates an eight-day itinerary around the IJssel Lake staying in two and three-star hotels and cycling 30 miles a day. Breakfast and dinner is included and your luggage will be magically transported from hotel to hotel every day. The package costs from £479, including return flights to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and rail transfer to Hoorn.