By Robert Selwitz

For North American travelers, Holland could well be Europe's most comfortable country. Intriguing cities, fabulous art, a laid-back citizenry with virtually everyone speaking English, reasonable prices and terrific food make including Holland in one's European itinerary a wise move.

Visual arts are its prime draw. Amsterdam, the nation's most important city, is a perfect case in point. It boasts a core of world-class museums, most notably the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. Even though the Rijksmuseum is now — and for the next four years of renovation — a fraction of its normal size, the heart of the collection is alive and well in several masterpiece-packed galleries.

Johannes Vermeer's "The Milkmaid," and Rembrandt's "Night Watch," are just steps from one another. Other works by those artists, plus pieces by Frans Hals, Jan Steen and Jacob van Ruisdael form a grouping whose quality would be hard to top.

Less than a 10-minute walk away is the Van Gogh Museum, replete with his masterpieces and with the works displayed chronologically. That's invaluable to understanding a genius who never sold a painting and committed suicide at age 32, convinced he was a failure.

Here you can trace the works from his last decade — essentially the 1880s — ranging from the dark and morose Paris paintings through the brilliant and disturbing colors in signature works produced in Provence.

Spending an hour or more here is a wrenching and fascinating experience, best done during evenings, dinnertime or other "off" hours when crowds tend to be smaller. By purchasing an "I amsterdam" card that comes with a citywide transportation pass you avoid the individual museum admission prices (here, at the Rijksmuseum and dozens of other spots) and wait for entrance on a much shorter line.

For a complete change of pace, ride bus No. 172 out to suburban Amstelveen to experience the COBRA museum. This repository of post-World War II paintings and sculpture — much of which is quite whimsical — is named for a group of artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam. Works on display include those by Karel Appel, Dolf Breetvelt and Constant Nieuwenhuys.

For a fascinating overview of Amsterdam and how its geography shaped its 1,000-year-old heritage, several hours at the Amsterdam Historical Museum is time well spent. Covering everything from the original damming of the Amstel River and the creation of canals divided by land made from landfill, through wars of liberation from Spain and its days of early modern-age commercial glory, this museum overflows with fascinating artifacts and great tales.

Another major draw is the recently renovated Hermitage, a branch of the St. Petersburg Russia Hermitage. Revolving exhibits display treasures from that extraordinary site.

For a mind-wrenching change of pace, most visitors also want to experience the Anne Frank house. Though entry often requires waiting on very long lines, visiting the garret where one of World War II's most famous victims hid for several years is genuinely moving and thought- proving.

Of course, perusing canal-laced Amsterdam itself is a major reason to visit. Wandering in and out of canal-side streets or navigating narrow byways that wend between them can keep you enthralled for days.

When it's time to dine, Amsterdam also offers an extraordinary menu of enticing options. Perhaps the most intriguing choice is Indonesian cuisine, the peanut-based offerings from the region that, for centuries, was at the heart of Dutch overseas commerce.

Among many Indonesian restaurants, one fine choice is Kantjil & de Tijger. Here you can order an entire Rijstaffel (multicourse set menus with up to two dozen meat and vegetable dishes) or select from among sates, rendangs, nasi and bami goring (rice and noodles). Even with several beers, two can indulge lavishly for around $80.

For more elegant dining there's Five Flies, an eatery cobbled together from an adjoining series of 17th century structures filled with antiques and even a Rembrandt etching. The prix fixe menu, with accompanying wines, blends tasty treats with comfortable, elegant service. Five Flies is a great choice for a special night out.

Another Holland plus is how close everything seems to be. The lovely town of Haarlem — Frans Hals' hometown — is just a 15-minute train ride from Amsterdam. Beyond the town itself — also crisscrossed with multiple canals — the Hals musem is the No. 1 draw. It is filled with works by Hals, plus those by Steen, van Ruisdael and other masters. Other Haarlem highlights include St. Bavo Church — where concerts on an organ once played by Mozart and Handel frequently occur — the Teylers modern art museum, and the Corrie Ten Boom house, where hundreds of Jews were hidden from the Nazis during World War II.

Another must-see is The Hague, capital of the Netherlands, just 45 minutes by train from Amsterdam. The Mauritshuis — once the home of a 17th century governor of Brazil — is filled with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer (including "Girl With the Pearl Earring") Hans Holbein and Steen.

Other fascinating stops include the Peace Palace, now under the auspices of the United Nations, where international political and commercial disputes are arbitrated (advanced reservations for an English-speaking tours is a must); Holland's parliament; and fascinating Madurodam, a miniature city that features scaled-down but accurate renditions of some of the country's most famous sites and structures.

The Hague also offers Denneweg Street, filled with upscale boutiques and antique shops and home to one truly extraordinary dining choice, Restaurant Maxime. Here elegant, stylish prix fixe meat and fish menus are served with aplomb and caring, along with matching wines. Considering its level of offerings its basic full menu price (before wine) of $45 is one of Europe's great bargains.

Just a half-hour's tram ride from The Hague lies Delft, Johannes Vermeer's hometown. His paintings aren't here, but there's a fascinating Vermeer Center that details his career, describes and depicts his 36 paintings, and details the painting process, including how pigments are ground to create paints. The town itself is also lovely, full of canals and highlighted by the imposing Nieuwe Kerk that overlooks Delft's marketplace. This is the burial place of William of Orange, regarded as the father of his country. The convent where William was assassinated in 1584 is also open to visitors.

Farther south lies Utrecht, another beautifully preserved town where ancient streets abut canals. A lively university town, Utrecht boasts fine dining experiences in its canal-side restaurants, one of which is Los Argentinos. The best place to stay is Karel V, a perfectly located, elegant upscale hotel that boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Utrecht is a viable jumping-off point for the Kroller-Muller Museum, located in challenging-to-reach Hoge Veluwe National Park. Boasting one of Europe's most impressive collections of post-Impressionist paintings (including numerous Van Goghs) and a fabulous outdoor sculpture garden, it's worth the train plus two bus trips to visit. We trained from Utrecht to Arnhem, then switched to a bus that brought us near the park's entrance. A second bus dropped us within a short walk of the museum.

For something entirely different, sojourn to Holland's southernmost tip to experience Maastricht, one of Europe's most stylish and historic towns. Inhabited since Roman times, the town blends upscale shopping and dining, superior shopping, and plenty of historic structures, including remnants of Roman and medieval walls.

Maastricht is also a short ride from two other fascinating destinations: Aachen, Germany, where Charlemagne ruled and is buried, and the intriguing historic Belgian city of Liege.

IF YOU GO:

Netherlands Tourist Board: www.holland.com

Crowne Plaza Amsterdam City Center — www.amsterdam-citycentre.crowneplaza.com

Five Flies Restaurant: www.thefiveflies.com

Kantjil & de Tijger restaurant: www.kantjil.nl/

Restaurant Maxime: www.restaurantmaxime.nl

Karel V Hotel, Utrecht: www.karelv.nl/

Eden Design Hotel, Maastricht: www.edencityhotels.com

Robert Selwitz is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.