Should I go to Holland or France for my student exchange?

Question

I can't decide which country is better for me. Let me start and give you some details and maybe you can help me. Ever since I was a little boy I've always had this fascination with Paris and the French but the more I learn about Holland + the Dutch the more I fall in love.

1. I love French and Dutch both and can not decide between these two beautiful languages.

2. I know that in France you can hop on a train and within a few hours be in another French city or maybe even another European city. Can you do this in Holland also? Also do Dutch cities have metro's or subways?

3. There is something special about sitting at a French café, sipping coffee and people watching. I was wondering if one could experience this in Holland also.

4. There is definitely something magical about those old French villages. With the cobble-stoned streets, the specific shops for every trade, and the annual festivals with parties until mid-morning. Do you find these old, charmed, medieval places in Holland also?

Answer 1

1. French is more beautiful and elegant.

2. Of course

3. Of course

4. Of course

So only for the prettier sounding language reason, I would say: go to France, but the Netherlands (Holland is not a country, but just a province of The Netherlands) is juts as beautiful, cosy, rich in culture, old, charming and practical as France is.

Answer 2

i went to both countrys and i like france a lot better!

Answer 3

I'm spanish myself but I'm currently studying in Delft in the Netherlands. I love it in here. The only problem is the gastronomy (the French and the Spanish gastronomy are far much better) and the weather (Winter is much tougher here than in Spain, but maybe similar to the weather in the North of France). Everybody speaks perfect English here but if you learn Dutch, they will appreciate it. About tourism, the Netherlands has a very good transport system. Trains are very efficient (maybe a little bit expensive) but you can reach any part of the country by train. Belgium, Paris, and Western Germany are just around the corner.In the NL most part of the cities have a center which you can reach easily walking. Bigger cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam have a metro network although they are still smaller than French cities like Paris, Lyon or Marseille. You'll have to buy a second hand bike for sure. It's very practical to have one bc you will end up using it even that you are going just around the corner. Most historical centers are car free so you can ride your bike without the problem. outside the center there are bicycle paths everywhere. All the cities look like the same with their cannals, cathedrals, bridges on the canals, etc but each has its particularity. Maybe once you've been in one you won't want to see any other bc they're quite similar to you. Dutch are open minded and nice pple. About festivals, here they have Queen's day, which  is an amazing festivity. Each city has party stuff, but in Amsterdam is just incredible! They set several stages around the city so all the city is show that day!

I think that's pretty much I can say about the NL. I think it's also cheaper than France, at least if you compare it to Paris. I'd go for Holland.

Answer 4

I live in the Netherlands and I think my country is even easier to travel than France.

From Paris you have to travel for a while before you find the next town, from Amsterdam there are 6 towns within half an hour by normal train each, cheaper travel too.

Within most Dutch cities there are buses and trams, Amsterdam and Rotterdam have a metro system too.

Amsterdam has as much an international athmosphere as Paris, more than the smaller cities in France where you can also end up when you go to study in that country.

Yes we also have festivals where you can party all day and night, Kermis (the yearly fair) is often one and Carneval (madri gras in some French infuenced areas) an other.

Some of my collegues go people watching in Amsterdam often, it is well possible and as our terrases are not as expensive as the French ones you can even sit outside with a beer or coffee while doing so on a nice day.

Our Dutch villages are different but nice. And you can visit each one from Amsterdam within one day and come home the same night if you really want to do that.

And with the relative small distances in Europe you can live in the Netherlands and take holidays in France. When you fly almost for the same price as if you were living in Paris (which is much more expensive in the first place.)

If I were you I would spend a couple of weeks comparing the possibilities, visit the Universities, talk with the students about what can be done and what life is like and how hard it will be for you to get a room and pay for your studies, what food costs and so on.

Added:

You e-mailed me that it is a high school exchange.

If it is for a limited time, just choose the one that attracts you most, if it is for a year or more, spend time comparing what you can do with the diploma you will get.

That is much more important than where you can party all night with the locals.

The Dutch villages are completely different from the French ones, but not better or lesser.

You can even do both, study in one country for a year and go for a University course in the other later.

Answer 5

Well I would suggest Holland, why? Well it's cheaper then France, you would learned the Dutch Language easier then French(French language takes you about 5-7 years to learn it good).

Holland  is also very old and has many Medieval places like Middelburg, has also nice cities like Amsterdam(Arts), Rotterdam(shopping) and Utrecht (Arts-shopping AND university).Also easy reach to the other countries like Belgium, France and Germany from there.

People from Holland are nice too and friendly to help.

Answer 6

id say france

Answer 7

i think for your first trip to europe i would start in France, it is a wonderful place, and French is a much easier language to learn if you havnt learned any languages before. it is a lot like both spanish and english while dutch is not like either. so start in france, and then when you already have a language background take another trip to france where it will be easier to learn another language.

i would go with france

good luck and have fun!

Answer 8

They are both great and the answer is that you can find,do and experience all those things in both places although France is certainly a bigger world to explore. Netherlands is more more fun if you like to party. I think the people are more open, multilingual and cosmopolitan. But France is great too!    

An important question for a student exchange: do you want to do your course work in French or in English because i would say that the latter is more possible in Holland.  Whereas if you speak any French or want the opportunity to improve, you can best accomplish that in France.

Choosing where to study is a very big decision. But keep in mind you can have the European study experience anywhere in Europe and always you can travel but I recommend taking other factors into consideration when deciding because you should be comparing academic programs and what the cities themselves where you might live have to offer not the countries as a whole because you wont be able to see and do everything outside of the city you live.

Answer 9

is there a possibility of going to both places for a vacation first, to see how you like the people, the language and everything around??

because both countries are special in their own way!