The home of Johan Cruyff, Denis Bergkamp and Co is a real footballing nation. The Netherlands are consistent powerhouses on the world stage and their domestic league is one of the strongest in Europe. Want to check it out?
The magic of The Netherlands is that this part of the world is compact and there’s an excellent rail network criss-crossing the nation, allowing you to see different games.
Nickes.Com has arranged scores of successful trips to watch Dutch football. Why not fit in a weekend before the end of the season?
See here Dutch fixtures
See Ajax in Amsterdam!
The capital, Amsterdam, is a remarkable city. It all began as a tiny fishing village on the mouth of the River Amstel back in the 12th Century, but by the 1600s it was Europe’s greatest shipping port.
Cruising under the many bridges is a relatively peaceful way of seeing this city. But for football, you need to see a match at the Johann Cruyff Arena, a simple journey of 20 minutes by metro to Station Bijlmer ArenA. You see the stadium on the right hand side as you pull into the station.
The stadium dates back 30 years – one of Europe’s first great modern arenas – and since then it’s been updated further, most notably with a new façade that also allowed the widening of walkway rings around the stadium.
Ajax are one of Europe’s most successful clubs with three successive European Cups in the early 1970s, and a fourth in 1995. That early seventies side, starring Cruyff, was renowned for playing an exciting brand of modern football.
Book an Ajax ticket and hotel package now!
See football in Utrecht
Utrecht is wonderfully located in the heart of the country and has numerous rail connections between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Eindhoven. It’s also one of the country’s most beautiful cities. It’s like a mini Amsterdam, popular with tourists yet somehow far less crowded. The old canal winds its way through the middle of Utrecht. The main streets are raised 12 foot above the water level, but there’s also a lower level that is given over to cafes and restaurants. Utrecht is the country’s long time religious home and the Dom Tower reaches 112m into the sky.
FC Utrecht were formed through a merger in 1970 and are the only side outside of the big three never to have been relegated. They have won a couple of cups and been regulars in the UEFA Cup/ Europa League, reaching the group stages twice.
FC Utrecht play at Stadion Galgenwaard, reached by tram. Inside, the stadium is really impressive. Extensively refurbished in 1982 and then again in 2002, it now holds 23,750. The atmosphere is excellent with ultras at one end leading the chanting.
Book a Utrecht ticket and hotel package now!
Getting to the Netherlands
The Netherlands is a country that’s very easy to reach. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is one of the busiest on the continent with a huge number of connections.
But if you’d rather travel by train, Eurostar now has a handful of direct services from London each day, taking a little over four hours to reach Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam.
Another option from the UK is to take the ferry. There are daytime and overnight sailings from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, from where you can catch the commuter train right by the ferry terminal into Rotterdam. There’s an overnight service from Hull to Europoort, close to the Hook of Holland, and there are also sailings from Newcastle to IJmuiden, a 15 hour journey, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Breda and Alkmaar are all great places to stay. Why not hop across the Channel for some Dutch football? You can email your requests to us at sales@nickes.com – we’ll be happy to provide a no-obligation quote.
See Dutch fixtures at Nickes.Com