Welcome to
Netherlands
Culture & leisure
Dutch culture has its own character. We try to give you some guidance here. We have listed the official Dutch holidays. And an overview of useful websites will help you get ahead online.
The Dutch
culture
The Netherlands has its own customs, habits and traditions. As an international, you will undoubtedly encounter typical Dutch things. You may not always understand them immediately. Or you might just be used to something completely different.
Because we speak to many expats, we have experience with cultural differences. As a brief introduction to Dutch culture, we have listed some primal Dutch things.
The Dutch are a down-to-earth people, straightforward and we love bikes! Furthermore, we are frugal and have everything well insured. Because we are a small country, we have always sought connections with other countries. Thus, we speak several languages and are a trading country.
Very Hollandish
Typically Dutch
- Directness (honest or blunt)
- Punctual (arriving on time and a deal is a deal)
- Consultation (‘poldering‘ to consensus).
- Complaining (about prices and the weather)
- Clean (from streets to window sills)
- Ordinary (is crazy enough)
- Economical (not a penny too much)
- Task-oriented (not who but what)
- Individualistic (independent instead of together)
- Open & friendly,
but also agenda & plans
Dutch food
- Herring (raw fish with onion)
- Stroopwafels (like sweet cake)
- Peppernuts (with St. Nicholas)
- Hutspot (with bacon and gravy)
- Mashed potatoes (potatoes, vegetables and mash them up)
- Febo (croquette from the wall)
- Chocolate sprinkles (nice and messy)
- Licorice (you either love it or hate it)
Dutch customs and traditions
- Oliebollen with New Year’s Eve
- Bread at lunch
- Setting off fireworks on New Year’s Eve
- Rusks with mice at births
- Sinterklaas and Packers’ Eve
- Saving stamps
- Elfstedentocht
- (Nijmegen) Four-Day Walk
- Doing everything by bike
- Swimming diploma
- Congratulations to the birthday person (Congratulating everyone on birthdays, not just the birthday person)
Public holidays 2025 🎉
- 🍾 New Year’s Day (New Year’s Day): Wednesday, January 1, 2025
- ✝ Good Friday (Good Friday): Friday, April 18, 2025
- 🐣 Easter Sunday and Easter Monday: Sunday 20 April and Monday 21 April 2025
- 👑 Kings Day (King’s Day): Saturday April 26, 2025
(In 2025, King’s Day will be celebrated a day earlier on April 26, because April 27 falls on a Sunday). - 🎈 Liberation Day: Monday, May 5, 2025
- ☁ Ascension Day (Ascension Day): Thursday, May 29, 2025
- 🌼 Whit Sunday and Whit Monday: Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9, 2025
- 🎄 Christmas Day and Boxing Day: Thursday 25 and Friday 26 December 2025
ℹ More information : Which days are official public holidays in the Netherlands? | Government.nl
Websites that might be useful to you
IND (Immigration and Naturalization Service).
Municipalities
Food Valley
Expat info
Museums
National parks
Local news media
Internet
- Compare internet broadband providers (pricevergelijken.nl)
- Internet provider in the Netherlands for expats (broadbandwinkel.nl)
Health Insurance
Emergency Services
Government
Water & energy
- GBLT municipal and water board taxes
- Vitens (water)
- Compare energy providers (energyvergelijk.nl)
- Expats utilities service – Easy Nuts
- Expats Service – Utility Direct
Housing
Tax
Childcare
Transportation
Roadside assistance
International schools
- Amersfoort International School | Learning for all
- Rivers International School Arnhem (riversarnhem.org)
- ISU Homepage (isutrecht.nl)
Official holidays
Partners
- ABN AMRO Bank
- AHL immigration lawyers
- AON Insurance company
- Holiday resort De Thijmse Berg
- Dutchtaxadvice B.V.
- Expat Mortgages
- in’to Languages
- Ravecruitment
- Short Stay Wageningen
- SNS Bank
- Stay4Pro
- The TaxSavers
- Wageningen University & Research
ID / BSN / DigiD
- Citizen service number (BSN) in the Netherlands | Business.gov.nl
- DigiD (Digital Identification).
- What is a Citizen Service number (belastingdienst.nl)
Note: These links are purely informational; we have no affiliation with them other than with our official partners.
Testimonials
Welcome to the Food Valley Region
Innovation rooted in nature
The Food Valley Region is a unique area in the Netherlands where international food companies, top research institutes, and leading educational institutions like Wageningen University & Research come together. It’s a dynamic region where science, business, and sustainability meet, with the city of Wageningen at its core.
More than 15,000 professionals in this region work in food-related science and innovation, and many more are active in food production, logistics, and technology. Global players like FrieslandCampina, Unilever, and a growing number of startups call this region home.
And so do we
At Welcome Center Food Valley, we’re proud to be located in this region, it’s even part of our name. We support internationals who live and work here, helping them feel at home in one of the Netherlands’ most innovative and international regions.
Quick facts about the Food Valley Region:
- 8 municipalities: including Wageningen, Ede, Barneveld, Nijkerk & Veenendaal
- ~350,000 residents from 150+ nationalities
- Covers 885 km² of cities, villages, and green spaces
- Excellent accessibility by road and rail, close to Schiphol and Düsseldorf
- Surrounded by national parks, museums, and nature
Whether you come here to work, study, innovate or settle, Food Valley offers the space, knowledge, and quality of life to grow – personally and professionally.
Want to learn more about living or working here? We’d love to connect!
The region includes eight municipalities
Barneveld, Ede, Nijkerk, Renswoude, Rhenen, Scherpenzeel, Veenendaal, Wageningen. Together, they cover an area of approximately 885 km².
