Source: Edition: Country: Date: Page: Area: Circulation: Ad data: Phone:
Independent i {Main}
Keyword:
's-Hertogenbosch
UK Saturday 27, February 2016 49 354 sq. cm ABC 271859 Daily page rate £10,472.00, scc rate £44.00 020 7005 2000
= EUROPE =
Dutch cities Spring tulips aren’t the only national highlight – urban areas offer much in the way of history, art and architecture, says Stuart Forster
S
pring is the season when the Netherlands comes into its own. The tulips of Flevoland’s multicoloured bulb fields and the Keukenhof Gardens are in full bloom. But it’s not just flowers that show the country at its vibrant best – for a taste of the Netherlands at its most lively, head to its cities. Of course, Amsterdam dominates tourism, providing many travellers with their only impressions of the country. For some, that means hazy memories of a boozy weekend hopping between bars and “experimenting” in coffee shops. To others, it’s learning about the cultural legacy of the 17thcentury Dutch Golden Age, viewing the masterful brushstrokes and etchings of Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum (00 31 20 674 7000; rijksmuseum.nl; €17.50/£14). During the first 10 months of 2014, Brits accounted for 860,000 overnight stays in Amsterdam. Rotterdam, the next most visited city by British travellers, totted up just 63,000, despite being less than half an hour by train from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. Travelling further afield – to cities including Arnhem, Eindhoven and Nijmegen – remains a bridge too far for most Brits. Visitors from the UK are likely to be impressed by the Netherlands’ integrated transport system. It’s easy to move between urban centres by train; even the relatively long journey between Amsterdam and Groningen, in the country’s north-east, takes just a little over two hours. For those who prefer direct
flights to riding the rails, getting to the Netherlands is becoming easier for travellers from the north of England. This month Flybe (0371 700 2000; flybe.com) started flying from Manchester to Rotterdam/The Hague, and on 24 March it will introduce a service from Doncaster/Sheffield to Amsterdam. And what to do once you get there? This summer, Amsterdam will host the European Athletics Championships. Most events will take place in the Olympic Stadium, but from 6 to 10 July, the Museumplein, the grassy square behind the Rijksmuseum, will be the site of the qualification rounds of the discus and javelin. In ’s-Hertogenbosch (or, as most Dutch call it, Den Bosch) you’ll find one of this year’s most talkedabout European art exhibitions. Hieronymus Bosch – Visions of Genius is one of a series of events commemorating 500 years since the death of the Dutch painter. Until 8 May, works loaned from galleries around Europe will be on display in Het Noordbrabants Museum (00 31 73 687 7844; hnbm.nl; €22). And throughout the year a free light show will be projected onto buildings on the market square, where Bosch had his studio. In Rotterdam, two events in 2014 were seen as pivotal moments in the city’s evolution from an ugly duckling into a destination with genuine tourism potential. The first was the opening of Markthal – where the country’s largest artwork arches above the gourmet stalls within the busy market hall.
The second was the award of Unesco World Heritage Site status to the Van Nelle Factory. Striking contemporary buildings, such as De Rotterdam and the Timmerhuis, both designed by Rem Koolhaas, make the city an ideal location for architecture lovers, while fans of water sports can look forward to the autumn opening of an urban surf hub on the Steigersgracht Canal. Railbookers (020 3780 2222; railbookers.com) offers a sixnight tour of The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with two nights in each city, priced from £639pp, including Eurostar from London St Pancras, plus connecting rail travel. Leger Holidays (0844 324 5557; leger.co.uk) offers a five-day tour of the Dutch bulb fields and Amsterdam, with an excursion to The Hague, Scheveningen and Delft. From £309pp, including coach transport from the UK, plus accommodation with breakfast.
In Den Bosch, you’ll find one of this year’s most talkedabout European art exhibitions
Reproduced by Gorkana under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright owner. No further copying (including printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 1 of 2
350108693 - JOHBRO - A24182-4 - 109902167
Source: Edition: Country: Date: Page: Area: Circulation: Ad data: Phone:
Independent i {Main}
Keyword:
's-Hertogenbosch
UK Saturday 27, February 2016 49 354 sq. cm ABC 271859 Daily page rate £10,472.00, scc rate £44.00 020 7005 2000
‘s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) offers bars, restaurants and an art exhibition celebrating painter Hieronymus Bosch, who died 500 years ago NBTC
Reproduced by Gorkana under licence from the NLA (newspapers), CLA (magazines), FT (Financial Times/ft.com) or other copyright owner. No further copying (including printing of digital cuttings), digital reproduction/forwarding of the cutting is permitted except under licence from the copyright owner. All FT content is copyright The Financial Times Ltd.
Article Page 2 of 2
350108693 - JOHBRO - A24182-4 - 109902167