What better way to explore the Netherlands then by bike, after all with its flat picturesque landscapes this compact country is perfect for cyclists! It is very easy to rent a bike when in the Netherlands many tourist locations offer bike rentals or bike tours as it is such a big part of being in Holland. For example Mac Bike is one I see a lot around Amsterdam. Hostels such as the Stay Okay usually have biked for guests and typically it is quite cheap or free. If you are thinking of renting a bike for a few days then I recommend the OV Fiets (bike) scheme. OV means Openbaar Veroer in Dutch which translates as public transport. This is very handy as the OV bikes are typically in or near the train stations. Either in the bike parking area (fietsenstalling) or at a self-service centre. Many cities have a bike scheme like this but in Holland with so many cycle paths in the city and dedicated cycle routes through the countryside to follow, it is an excellent option for a day trip!

The bigger stations like Amsterdam Centraal and Utrecht Centraal will have the facilities mentioned below. Remember not all stations will have exactly these facilities but you can see a list of train stations facilities per station here.  1. Toilets: WC or Toiletten . You will typically have to pay 70 cents. In many stations there is a bathroom attendant who can give you change but many of the newer stations have a coin operated entry - correct change only! You may also find a 2theloo  near the station too. But in general there are not many public bathrooms around the Netherlands 2. Lockers: I wrote a full post on prices and availability here. Usually self-service.   3. Banking. You can usually find at the least an ATM (Geldautomaat in Dutch) in or near the station. Bigger stations will have a GWK Travelex which offers currency  exchange, money withdrawal (using credit card, cheque or debit card) and in some cases advance ticket sales for big events.

There is nothing better than chilling with a coffee when on the train. If I have to go to work then it is my little reward for being up so early in winter keeps me nice and warm on the platform and if I am going on a long trip it’s purely to keep me alert and my usual happy self! Most main train stations in Holland have these 6 main coffee shops...... So here are the results of the ULTIMATE station coffee taste test: Kiosk €2.00 The price is quite high for what I find is a bitter and scorching hot coffee. The plus side is it is quite a large coffee so you get a lot of coffee for your €2.00. Better as a hand warmer in the colder days by the platform! You can get an extra strong version for €2.70. Result:4/10 Burger King €1.75 My god how does Burger King still survive? It takes so long to get served there. Can't they just use the McDonalds system? Anyway I eventually got my coffee and it was not as bad as I expected. It came from a machine but I didn't ta

There are over 400 train stations in the Netherlands thats quite a lot for a small country. The main train operator (NS) operate about 381 of these. You can see a nice overview of these here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_stations_in_the_Netherlands . Typically you will find the same shops at the stations. In particular the main stations ( Utrecht Central , Amsterdam Central , Rotterdam Central , The Hague Central , Schiphol Airport , Eindhoven , Leiden Centraal and   's-Hertogenbosch ) will have the most of these shops/facilities: Bruna sells books, newspapers, magazines, stationery and greeting cards. AKO which stands for Amsterdamsche Kiosk Onderneming is a chain of over 100 bookstores and news stands in the Netherlands. Kiosk Located at most stations. In smaller stations the Kiosk also sells the train tickets. They sell drinks cold and warm and snacks.  DeBROODZAK  sandwiches/bakery/coffee  SMULLERS Fast food - perfect for chips and

Zandvoort a beach town on the north coast of Holland may not be on your day trip/weekend away radar. It is not the prettiest town with its mish mash of hostels, holiday rentals, a giant casino , 1970's high rise flat complexes and take out shops', however there are many advantages to heading to Zandvoort for your weekend and today as I sit looking out over the perfect golden beach with the calm waters lapping the shore from a very cheap holiday rental overlooking the coast I am going to tell you why you must have a day trip to Zandvort. 1. Beach town dedicated to tourism. Everything you need for your holiday by the sea can be found in Zandvoort. Cheap accommodation nearly every house in the suburbs is a holiday rental or has a room to rent, hundreds of places to eat. Plenty of beach cafes and wine bars which offer a cuppa coffee by the sea in the morning and tapas and wine by night!  What better way to start the day then a walk by the beach (off season it is pretty quiet on t

So far I have talked a lot about the major train operator in Holland NS- the Dutch Railways however there are other train operators out there that you may wish to travel with these include: Arriva Netherlands   Breng   Syntus  Veolia Transport   Connexxion   NS International   DB Regio   NMBS/SNCB The Arriva trains operate northern secondary lines, the eastern lines and a central line. You can use the OV chip card on these trains. Loose tickets and webtickets can also be purchased if you dont have a travel card   Breng services the easterly part of the country, you can use your OV chipcard or buy tickets from the machine at the station/platform or online from NS(https://www.ns.nl/producten). Syntus - one eastern secondary line Veolia Transport - southern secondary lines . Connexxion - two secondary lines NS International in international trains, and domestic high speed service Intercity Direct A few Dutch railway stations are serviced, even for journeys within

My recommendation is always to travel light, but if you find your self laden down with luggage then there are a few ways to store your gear while you get out to explore.  The first and most convenient are the luggage lockers (bagagekluizen in Dutch) at the train station. These are at all the large train stations (Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, etc.). Signage tends to be in English at the bigger stations or you can follow the pictogram. To check in advance if a station has a locker check the NS website here.  Luggage lockers are easy to use and are apparently secure. I say apparently because if anyone tries to break into them they do emit a very loud siren. How do I know this - well one day while trying to force my stuck locker open I managed to set it off - although many onlookers gave me the evil eye and it was quiet embarrassing- no security came and I had to jimmy the door open to retrieve my bag. So ‘secure’ but I guess nothing is 100% secure. Although the prices