First-Timer's Guide to the Netherlands: Essential Travel Tips

A first trip to the Netherlands is refreshingly easy: almost everyone speaks English, transport runs like clockwork and the country is compact. Still, a handful of local habits catch newcomers out, and these tips will help you feel at home from day one.

Money and cards

The Netherlands uses the euro and is one of the most card-friendly countries in Europe.

• Contactless cards and phone wallets are accepted almost everywhere, from museums to market stalls.
• Some shops, cafés and even attractions are card-only, so you can easily go days without touching cash.
• A few smaller businesses, including some supermarkets, still prefer debit cards to credit cards. Bring one of each if you can.
• If you want cash, use a bank ATM (geldautomaat) and choose to be charged in euros if the machine offers to convert the amount.

Plugs, power and practical bits

• The Netherlands uses Type C and Type F plugs, the round two-pin European style, at 230 volts.
• Most phone and laptop chargers handle this voltage, but check older hair tools before plugging them in.
• Tap water is excellent, so bring a refillable bottle.
• Public toilets often charge a small fee, frequently by card.
• Some shops open later on Monday mornings and close earlier on Sundays, though big-city centres are increasingly open seven days a week.

Tipping and everyday etiquette

• Service is included in restaurant and café bills. Rounding up or adding a small amount for good service is a nice gesture, not an obligation.
• Taxi drivers and hotel staff don't expect tips, though small amounts are welcome.
• When walking, stay off the cycle paths; when cycling, keep right and let faster riders pass.
• On trains, keep your voice down in carriages marked "stilte" and offer priority seats to those who need them.
• At bakery and deli counters, look for a ticket machine and take a number before you queue.

Useful apps

• NS app or 9292: journey planning for trains, trams and buses, with live delays and platforms.
• A maps app: for walking and cycling routes, ideally with offline maps saved.
• Buienradar: a Dutch rain radar app that shows when the next shower will arrive, invaluable on a bike.
• Uber or Bolt: ride apps for late-night journeys in the cities.
• Museum apps and audio guides: many museums have their own, so download them before your visit.
• A translation app: handy for menus, signs and supermarket labels.

Your first hours after landing

1. 1Before leaving home, install your eSIM over Wi-Fi so it's ready to switch on.
2. 2On landing, turn on the eSIM line, set it as your line for mobile data and switch on data roaming for that line only; keep data roaming off on your home line.
3. 3Head to the railway station beneath the airport and tap in with your contactless card or phone.
4. 4Tap out at your destination station, then walk, take a tram or grab a bike to your accommodation.
5. 5If you arrive late, night trains run on some main routes, and taxis wait at the official rank.

Stay connected in the Netherlands

From tapping through ticket gates with your phone wallet to checking Buienradar before a bike ride, so much of Dutch daily life runs through your phone. A HelloSIM eSIM gives you data without hunting for a SIM shop: buy and install it before you travel and it connects once you land. As it's data-only, your WhatsApp and home number stay exactly as they are. Visiting Belgium or Germany too? Have a look at the regional Europe plan.