Hertz in Hoofddorp
Hoofddorp is a town in the west of the Netherlands between Amsterdam and the North Sea. Each are only around five miles away. If you rent a car in Hoofddorp you'll find it's been arranged on an organised grid pattern. That's because it was built from scratch in the 19th century after a lake had been drained. But the road layout makes it easy to get around. There's an outer square of trunk roads and most of the important parts of Hoofddorp are within that area. It's easy to reach destinations further afield as the A4, A5 and A9 motorways are all very close to the town.
If you have a rental car in Hoofddorp you'll find the city is built on low-lying reclaimed land around the Haarlemmermeer Canal. There are many visitor attractions to look out for here, including the remains of the 19th century defensive forts and gun emplacements originally designed to protect Amsterdam from attack. Nearby is a 150-year-old windmill that is open to the public. The Haarlemmermeer Museum tells the story of the draining of the lake to build the town. The museum stands 4.5m below sea level. A completely different attraction is the modern shopping mall, which features a cinema, theatre and fast food restaurants too. Look out for the enormous markets here on Fridays.
