Aug 31, 2026
|
Orange Fever: Netherlands’ King’s Day
Discover why an entire nation turns orange each April for Europe’s most chaotic, joyful street party.
|
|
Love Netherlands
|
|
Dear Netherlands,
There are two kinds of mornings in the Dutch spring. The kind where you cycle to the market and come home with warm cheese and rye bread and a handful of wild tulips. And the kind where it rains sideways for an hour, then the sun comes out and everything looks like a Vermeer. Today, if you’re lucky, is one of those mornings.
|
|
Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe free and never miss an edition →
|
|
If the daily newsletter brings you closer to the Netherlands, our Sunday Premium Edition takes you deeper into it. Every Sunday you’ll receive travel deep dives, curated itineraries, regional stories, and hidden gems you won’t find anywhere else.
Upgrade for less than the price of a pint and see the Netherlands in a completely new way.
|
Michielverbeek via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
|
In today’s email:
- The Love Netherlands Guide № 002: King’s Day (Koningsdag)
- At The Café — Café De Sluyswacht — The Leaning House Bar by the Lock
- Around The Web — Discover Your North Brabant Roots: Heritage, Diaspora, and Family History, Discover Your North Brabant Roots: Heritage, Diaspora, and Family History, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam: Complete Visitor’s Guide (2026) + more
- From Love Netherlands — 3 Days in Amsterdam: The Perfect Itinerary for First-Time Visitors (2026)
- Dutch Food You Will Love — Erwtensoep — The Dutch Winter Soup That Made the Country
|
The Love Netherlands Guide № 002: King’s Day (Koningsdag)
👉 Read the full story
On one day each April, the entire country turns orange and the normal rules of commerce briefly dissolve: anyone can lay a blanket on the pavement and sell their old records, bicycle parts, and children’s toys without a permit or tax. This is the vrijmarkt , the free market that anchors the Netherlands’ biggest national party — a celebration of the reigning monarch’s birthday. Welcome to Guide № 002 in The Love Netherlands Guide series. Get the Full Collectible Guide (Free PDF) King’s Day (Koningsdag) — in a beautifully designed, printable booklet. The Love Netherlands Guide № 002. Download The Love Netherlands Guide № 002 (Free PDF) What King’s Day Actually Celebrates Koningsdag marks the birthday of King Willem-Alexander, who was born on 27 April 1967 and became the first Dutch king in over a century when his mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated on 30 April 2013. The holiday is fixed to…
👉 Read the full story
Have you been there? Do you have a memory of this corner of the Netherlands? Hit reply and tell us — we’d love to hear your story.
|
|
“Want deep dives into the Netherlands every Sunday? Our Premium readers already have their next edition waiting.”
|
At The Café
Café De Sluyswacht — The Leaning House Bar by the Lock
De Sluyswacht is a tiny lock-keeper’s house from 1695 that visibly tilts to one side, sitting at the edge of the Oudeschans canal. Inside the floors slope, the beams creak, and there’s a small terrace right at the water with one of the most photographed views in Amsterdam — straight down the canal towards the Montelbaanstoren. It’s been a café since the 1990s, but the building itself is one of the oldest wooden houses in the city. Order a Belgian beer, get one of the four outdoor tables, and watch boats negotiate the lock below.
👉 Visit the café
|
Around The Web
|
From Love Netherlands
Three days in Amsterdam gives you enough time to walk the canal ring, stand in front of a Rembrandt, eat raw herring from a street stall, and still catch the golden light on the Jordaan at dusk. This itinerary covers the essential experiences while leaving room to follow your curiosity down a side canal or linger over a second coffee. It works for first-time visitors and works equally well if it’s your second visit and you want more structure…
👉 Read the full story
|
Photo via Love Netherlands
|
Dutch Food You Will Love
Erwtensoep — The Dutch Winter Soup That Made the Country
Erwtensoep is a thick, green, nearly-a-stew soup made from split peas, smoked sausage, pork, celery, leek, and patience. The Dutch have a test for whether it’s ready — if your spoon can stand up in the pot, it’s done. It was the food of the canal skaters in winter, the men repairing dikes, the families waiting out a long January. It’s still served in every good café on cold days, with thick rye bread and butter. Order it once on a rainy afternoon and you’ll understand why the Dutch love their winters more than most countries love their summers.
👉 Read the full story
|
|
Know Someone Who Loves the Netherlands?
If you’re enjoying this letter, the best thing you could do is forward it to one friend who’d love the Netherlands too. This newsletter grows by word of mouth alone — every single subscriber came from someone sending it to someone else. Thank you for being one of the first.
|
|
Our daily newsletter is free and always will be. But for less than the price of a pint, you can upgrade to our Sunday Premium Edition, which gives you access to our travel deep dives, curated itineraries, and regional stories. Consider buying us a stroopwafel — it’s the Dutch way to say thank you.
|
Also From Our Family
Love Ireland too? Over 64,000 readers wake up each morning to the Love Ireland newsletter — loveireland.substack.com
Or Scotland? Join 43,000 Scotland lovers — lovescotland.substack.com
|
|
You’re reading Love Netherlands — a free letter about canal towns, hidden villages, and Dutch stories, delivered Monday to Friday.
inlovewithnetherlands.com ·
Unsubscribe
© 2026 Love Netherlands · Part of the Love To Visit LLC family
|
|
