The Netherlands vs Holland:
The correct term for this country is the Netherlands [Nederland in the Dutch language means low lands], or more formally ‘The Kingdom of the Netherlands’ [which includes Aruba and the Dutch Antilles].
The reason for the Netherlands/Holland confusion is that the two most important of the country’s twelve provinces – historically the most powerful and still hosting the most important Dutch cities of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam – are called North and South Holland; those were the places that made the country great and those were the places everyone talked about.
Even the Dutch people [aka Nederlanders] call their country Holland from time to time, including at international soccer games.
The origin of the Dutch name/language is a combination of German deutsch and Dutch dietsch meaning language of the common people – as opposed to the Latin language that the posh folk spoke in medieval times.

The Netherlands:
Flat packed is one way to describe this low lying snooker table of a country at the centre-west of Europe, with the North Sea on one side, Belgium and Germany on the others.
Half of the Netherlands lies below sea level and is saved from inundation and infertility only by dykes [huge, sloping grassy walls]. Survival of so many large people in such a small, endangered location is thanks to the creativity, stamina, organisation and efficiency of the Dutch people.
Visitors to Holland tend to enjoy the stimulating urban life rather than trying to find wild things on Netherlands nature walks, though the 300 km [200 mile] long coast offers several scenic trails through sand dunes and nature reserves. However, biking from town to town through damp and sunken fields is as close to a Dutch wilderness as most tourists experience.

A traditional grassy sea wall, also known as a dyke, protecting low-lying Dutch land.
Travel Safety:
Theft is not common in Holland and generally confined to bike ‘borrowing’, bag snatching or pickpocketing perpetrated by non-Dutch nationals. Be especially careful with bags on commonly travelled tourist trains such as those to and from Schipol Airport.
Another Netherlands scam involves two or three men of probable east European extraction pretending to be ‘undercover’ police, showing fake IDs and searching tourists in remote locations. In the process valuables magically disappear. The best response to this harassment is either refuse point blank to be searched or if the men are are pushy demand to be taken to the police station for the search.
Real police are concerned, reliable and mostly speak good English.
Biking or inline skating:
Holland is one of the most cycle friendly countries on the planet as the land is almost flat, about 85 % of Dutch people travel regularly by bikes and most of the time bikes have priority over other vehicles.
There are said to be more bikes than inhabitants [16 million] in the Netherlands. It has about 17,000 km [including 20 long distance routes totalling 6,000km] of well-marked cycling paths/lanes and every local VVV will provide appropriate information.
Commercial cycling packages/tours are frequently on offer, too. Detailed cycle maps are available at book stores. Netherlands Railways are cycle friendly as bikes can be carried on trains or rented/ parked/ repaired or even bought at more than 100 stations throughout the country. Check out bike-rental vouchers at the station.
Try the windmill trail, the flower bulb trail, North Sea and Wadden Sea, long coastal routes or riding white bikes in Hoge Veluwe National Park.
Destination information:
Some of the Nederland’s biggest tourist attractions are Amsterdam, Leiden, Haarlem, Delft, The Hague, Rotterdam and Maastricht.
When to go to the Netherlands:
Best: May-September.
n.b. weather conditions can change rapidly and dramatically in the Netherlands so always carry warm/cool and wet gear with you on your Dutch trip.
Worst: Winters are cool, December-February, but when winds start to whistle across the flatlands, the chill factor freezes your blood and bicycles are not on the menu du jour – a warm, dry taxi will do nicely. However, if you’re visiting for purely urban life and wrap up well then winter can be interesting and is naturally less touristy.
Spring and Autumn involve a lot of rain so grey skies sometimes seem to be Holland’s default setting.