The famously laid-back nation of the Netherlands is the perfect place to relax and embrace cutting-edge culture on the same trip. The capital, Amsterdam, is filled with art galleries and world-class museums, from the endless halls of the Rijksmuseum to the Van Gogh Museum. Do as the Dutch do and explore the city by bike, pedalling alongside towering 18th-century townhouses, where the only hills you have to climb are the humpback bridges over the maze of canals. Quaint Dutch towns scattered across the flat countryside still host weekly farmers markets and you shouldn’t miss a taste of traditional cheese in Gouda. Delft isn’t just famous for pottery and Vermeer – it’s like a miniature Amsterdam with a historic heart and warren of canals. Out in the countryside in spring, tulip fields stretch all the way to the horizon, and the coast is home to some of Europe’s quietest beaches despite caster-sugar-soft sand for miles and miles.