My first time in Europe! Hellooo, NL!!
Sharing some of the highlights of my Netherlands trip!

What to prepare before the trip?
I know you are excited but before anything else, make sure to take note of some travel essentials below:
Visa. First, if you are a Filipino like me, you need a Schengen visa to enter The Netherlands. Learn how I got my visa by clicking -> here.
Flight ticket. If you want a straight flight, KLM offers a straight 16-hour trip from Manila to Amsterdam. It may be a bit pricey but it's less hassle, no layovers. As for me, since I am  a budget traveler, I purchased my flight ticket from Etihad. The round-trip ticket I got costs around PHP40,000. Tip: Check out http://skyscanner.com.ph/ to easily compare flight dates and prices.
Pocket Money (EUR). I wanted to have my PHP exchanged to EUR before my flight so I looked for the best deals here in Manila. Of course, you can exchange your money at banks like BPI and BDO. However, I found the exchange rate from Czarina better. Tip: Make sure to call them or go to their website to reserve your desired currency especially if you will be exchanging a big amount.
Copy of travel documents. Always keep a photocopy of your important documents like passport, visa, accommodation reservation, etc. Better prepared than sorry.


Where to go in The Netherlands?
Now that you are ready to go, let me share some of the places I have visited around NL that you can consider visiting as well!
Zaanse Schans in Zaandam. The neighborhood has a collection of windmills, houses and museums that dates back from the early 18th century. There are a lot of touristic activities in Zaanse Schans. You can go on a cycling or sailing trip around the area. You can enter the museums and the mills to learn more about the neighborhood's history. Or you can even just sit down and just admire the beauty of the surroundings.

Volendam is an old fishing village in North Holland. It is also a famous tourist attraction because of its proximity from the harbor. There are a lot of food stalls and restaurants around Volendam so it is the best place where you can try Dutch snacks and delicacies like the stroopwafels, haring, gerookte paling (smoked eel), kibbeling and frikandel.

Van Gogh Village in Nuenen. Aside from the museum in Amsterdam, there is also a Van Gogh museum in the small town of Nuenen. Van Gogh lived in some places around Europe during his lifetime but it is in this town where he practiced his landscape and still life paintings. Aside from the Vicentre, you can also walk around the town and see the mills, the houses and the old church that were in some of his paintings.
The admission prices for visiting the Vincentre are:
Adults: € 7.50
Children 6-17 years: € 4.25
Children up to 5: free entry
The use of the Audio Tour during your visit to the Vincentre: € 2.00.

Fort St. Pieter and North Caves in Maastricht. Learn the history behind the fortress which was built in the early 1700s. After that, you can get a tour to explore the caves below the St. Pietersberg hill.
Admission prices for a combination: Fort St. Pieter and North Caves
Adults: €10.20
Children aged 4-12 years: €7.90.
After the fortress and the cave, don't forget to tour around the beautiful city of Maastricht. Personally, this is my favorite city in NL!

Drielandenpunt (Three-country point) in Vaals. Be in three countries at once! Drielandenpunt is a tripoint where the borders of Netherlands, Belgium and Germany meet. It is also the highest point in the Netherlands with a height of 323 meters. Aside from the view, you can also enjoy fun activities around the area.

The windmills of Kinderdijk. My favorite tourist attraction in Netherlands is the UNESCO World Heritage site in Kinderdijk. There are 19 windmills and 3 pumping stations in the neighborhood which were built as part of the water-management network in the town. You can watch the film show, take the boat tour and enter one of the mills to explore the history and stories behind the area.

Amsterdam. Last but not the least is the most famous city in the Netherlands. There are a lot of tourist attractions around the area like the Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank House and Rijkmuseum. You can also engage in fun activities like the walking tours, canal cruise and the Heineken experience. I found it also enjoying to walk around and explore the streets of Amsterdam.

That's it! This is just a brief and quick entry but I hope it will be helpful if you will plan to go there. Netherlands is a beautiful country!
And aside from the destination, I loved Netherlands because of the nice and beautiful people I met during my trip. Shout out to all my Dutch friends!! Until next time! :))