Before you go
Half an hour at the kitchen table saves a whole evening on the road. Look up which places exist per city or province, pick two or three, and call them.
- Search the city you are heading to and see what is known about the places there.
- Pick one place per day where you can definitely eat, and leave the rest open. One fixed point a day is enough to take the pressure off.
- Call those places outside service and ask the questions about preparation.
- Arrange breakfast at your accommodation separately — that is a different conversation from a dinner booking.
Breakfast is the hardest moment
A breakfast buffet is the least favourable situation there is: a shared toaster, crumbs on every surface, one knife in every pot and a lot of guests grabbing something quickly. It is also the easiest to arrange, because it only takes small adjustments.
- Ask when booking whether they stock gluten-free bread — and whether it is stored and toasted separately.
- Ask for sealed portions rather than something out of a pot or a bowl on the buffet.
- Bring your own bread if that fails, and ask them to warm it in a clean pan rather than the toaster.
- Yoghurt, fruit, eggs and cheese are often the safest corner of the buffet — as long as they are not standing next to the bread basket.
On the road and in between
Between the planned moments sits the rest of the day, and that is where the options are thinnest: stations, motorways, squares full of terraces that fry everything in the same oil.
Treat the supermarket as your safety net. The big chains have a gluten-free shelf, and a sealed packet is at worst still a controlled product. Something edible in your bag prevents the decision you make while hungry.
Where coverage is densest
The big cities have the most options and the most visitor experiences, so the most is known in advance there. In smaller places there is a better chance you are the first to work it out — and then your review is where coverage there begins.
Frequently asked questions
The questions people ask most about this.
Are there gluten-free restaurants across the Netherlands?
There are places in every province, but the density differs sharply. In the big cities you can choose; in smaller places it is often one or two addresses, and calling ahead is the difference between eating and not eating.
Can I find something on the road?
Stations and motorway restaurants rarely have anything that comes with separate preparation. Do not count on it: bring something, and use a supermarket as a stop.
What about a holiday park or an apartment?
Your own kitchen is usually the calmest answer to a week away. Bring your own pan, colander and cutting board if you can — shared kitchen equipment is exactly the situation these guides describe.