Netherlands things to see and do

Holland's emblematic capital (www.iamsterdam.com) brims with romance, culture and kicks. Take a candlelit cruise along the canals, lined with narrow-fronted buildings dating from the city's heyday as a trading centre, browse the paintings of the Dutch masters at the Rijksmuseum or join the punters prowling the alleyways of the Red Light District.

The historic house (www.annefrank.org/en) where teenager Anne Frank, her family and four other Jews hid from the Nazis during World War II is today a permanent exhibition dedicated to her memory. In August 1944, they were betrayed to the Germans. Anne died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp; however her father survived and published her diary, which is on display here.

Get up early to witness trading at Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer (the Aalsmeer Flower Auction) (www.royalfloraholland.com). Close to Schipol airport, the auctions take place in five halls at what is the world's largest commercial building at 999,000 sq m (10.7million sq ft). It's best to arrive by 7 am; Thursdays are busiest.

Enjoy the spectacle of one of Holland's cheese markets. The best are Waagplein, in Alkmaar (www.alkmaar.nl), where every Friday from mid-April to mid-September, thousands of wheels of cheese are lined up in rows by the central weighing house, taste-tested and carted away by guildsmen in traditional costume. The town of Edam holds a similar market on Wednesdays in summer.

Watch the skills of the porcelain makers at the Royal Delft pottery (www.royaldelft.com), in the town of Delft. Also home town of Johannes Vermeer, it now features a centre (www.vermeerdelft.nl) dedicated to the painter of The Milkmaid and other masterworks of light.

Relive history at the Het Spoorwegmuseum (Dutch National Railway Museum) (www.spoorwegmuseum.nl), at Maliebaanstation in Utrecht, with its extensive collection of historic rolling stock and memorabilia. A regular train link connects the museum with Utrecht Central.

A brief train ride from Amsterdam, Haarlem makes a serene alternative to the capital. Its beautifully preserved historic core centres on the Grote Kerk, a magnificent Gothic church. Admire the paintings of 17th-century master Frans Hals, then zip over to Zandvoort, a major beach resort.

A longtime intellectual centre, Leiden (www.visitleiden.nl/nl/landingpage) is the site of the country's first university, dating from 1575. Among the dozen museums dispersed along its canalways is De Lakenhal, with masterworks by native son Rembrandt van Rijn, and the Boerhaave natural sciences museum, which holds the microscopes used by van Leeuwenhoek.

Enjoy a miniaturised flavour of the whole of The Netherlands at Madurodam (madurodam.nl), which replicates many aspects of the country in 1:25 scale, incorporating windmills, a cheese market and what is claimed as the world's most extensive miniature railway.

Cycle or hike through the Kennemerland national park (www.np-zuidkennemerland.nl/299/en), a unique ecosystem skirting the coast west of Haarlem. Paths weave through woods, by lagoons, and up along massive dunes, which stretch 20km up the coast. Bright blooms enhance the golden sands in spring.

Standing at the mouth of the Rhine river, the port of Rotterdam (www.rotterdam.nl) is a showcase for innovative architecture. Ride the high-speed lift up Euromast in Rotterdam (www.euromast.nl), and dine at a height of 100m (328ft) overlooking the world's biggest harbour. Then, if you're brave, ascend even higher to 185m (605ft) with the Euroscoop experience. Step back into history at De Zaanse Schans village (www.dezaanseschans.nl), a short distance from Amsterdam, with its traditional houses, working windmills, clog factory, cheese farm, boat builder's and several museums.

Seat of Dutch government and royalty, as well as of the International Court of Justice, Den Haag (denhaag.com/en) thrills architecture fans with its rich catalogue of palaces and government buildings. As an added attraction, the adjacent seaside resort of Scheveningen features a vast sandy beach.

With some 4.5 million tulips and 15 kilometers of footpaths, Keukenhof gardens (keukenhof.nl), south of Haarlem, makes the ultimate outing for ogling Holland's famed flower. The bulb fields in and around Keukenhof burst into colour from the end of March to mid May.