Dancing fairy lights, the scent of sweet treats, and children laughing as they learn to skate—these are the hallmarks of the winter season in the …

READ: 8 Best Amsterdam Christmas Markets

Markets don’t get more unique than Valkenburg Christmas market in the Netherlands. Primarily set within two historic caves, this popular holiday attraction draws visitors from all over.

READ: Valkenburg Christmas Market Guide

STRAAT Museum: The Hip Amsterdam Street Art Museum

READ: The STRAAT Museum: The Hip Amsterdam Street Art Museum

At the holidays, this grand city takes it to another level with seasonal performances, lively Christmas markets, and lights everywhere you look.

READ: 14 Fun Things to Do in Amsterdam in December

With magnificent gardens, world-class museums, and a lively culinary scene, The Hague is a gorgeous and culturally rich destination.

READ: 20 Top Things to Do in The Hague, Netherlands

From the moment we stepped through the gates at Keukenhof gardens, it was clear we were in a happy place.

READ: Tips for Visiting Keukenhof Gardens and the Tulip Fields in the Netherlands

Rotterdam is full of surprises. It's a modern, vibrant city full of architecture, art, culture, and lots of great food.

READ: 14 Fun Things to Do in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Haarlem is a dream. It has grand architecture, outdoor cafes, canals, and great museums all without the crowds of some of the larger cities in the Netherlands.

READ: 14 Things to Do on a Haarlem Day Trip

Take a cruise. Take a stroll. Take a shot. Take a photo. There are so many fun things to do in Amsterdam.

READ: 31 Fun Things to do in Amsterdam

The first thing you see in Gouda isn’t a surprise—it’s cheese. It hangs above the streets and floats in the canals. And, Thursday mornings, it’s neatly stacked in the middle of the town square for the Gouda Cheese Market.

READ: The Goodness of Gouda: Exploring the Famous Cheese Market and More

One of the best ways to get to know a country is through its food. And there's a lot of delicious stuff to know in the Netherlands.

READ: 18 Traditional Dutch Foods to Try

There’s just something about windmills. Graceful, serene, evoking thoughts of another time, watching the sails spin is like watching the waves in the ocean. You can’t go to the Netherlands without glimpsing just a few.

READ: A Picture Perfect Day Trip to the Zaanse Schans Windmills

There is so much to see in the Netherlands beyond Amsterdam.

READ: 13 Day Trips From Amsterdam

It’s five minutes until 3:00 in the afternoon and already there’s a line of 20 people snaking outside the dark green door. You would think someone was giving away money. But it’s just a normal Sunday in Amsterdam outside a bar that’s been here for over 300 years.

READ: Drinking Genever in Amsterdam

From the outside, it looks just like any other canal house in Amsterdam. But inside, there’s a different story altogether.

READ: Amsterdam’s Intriguing Attic Church

From the unusual to the historic, the handbag has quite a story.

READ: Exploring the Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam

In Rotterdam, there’s something unusual to look at almost everywhere you turn.

READ: The Eclectic, Enthralling Architecture of Rotterdam

At the beginning of our tour, the sum total of our group’s knowledge about Dutch food was beer and cheese. We had a long way to go. Luckily, we had eight stops and four hours ahead of us.

READ: Taking an Amsterdam Food Tour: Six Things I Learned