When looking for travel tips, there’s nothing like a good old bit of advice from locals. After all, they know best where to go, what to do and where to stay away from. They spend a lot of time living where they do and usually don’t fall for tourist traps, like all of us have done at least once in our lives when on a holiday abroad. It’s just too hard not to make a mistake every now and then when you’re in a place you don’t know and where you maybe don’t even speak the language, isn’t it?
Therefore, looking at where the locals go to is just the best way to get to know a new destination. Travel magazine Columbus Travel is well aware of that too and so they decided to organize a little poll amongst their readers. And as they’re a Dutch magazine, they asked them which cities THEY would go to for a city trip within their own country. A questionnaire that clearly led to some interesting results, pushing international favourites like Amsterdam out of the top 10.
“The Dutch have become more curious because of the pandemic and are more ready to look for alternatives to the basic tourist favourites”, editor in chief of Columbus Travel Mark Mackintosh said about the results.
As you might be able to see for yourself when looking at the top 10, some of the Netherlands’ most famous cities (i.e. Amsterdam and Rotterdam) aren’t even being mentioned. This has without a doubt much to do with the tourist crowds that can usually be found in those cities, making it more difficult to enjoy an authentic experience.
Smaller cities like those on the list, on the contrary, are easier for locals and almost-locals to enjoy. Prices tend to be lower, museums are less busy and you don’t get confronted with groups and guides with umbrellas leading those crowds to who knows where. If you always thought you had seen everything in the Netherlands as you’d been to Amsterdam and Rotterdam already, it’s time to think again. From culturally-rich Maastricht to naturally beautiful Ede: there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
