We are going on a tulip river boat cruise in April. Paris first then train to Amsterdam. Any ideas for a stopover between those cities? Or short distance from either?
Posted by
Green Bay
22579 posts
Brussels is the obvious answer, or perhaps Antwerp.
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
776 posts
Bruges, Belgium
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
6529 posts
How long a "stopover"? An afternoon? A day? More? The direct train is only 3 1/2 hours.
Brussels is the most direct, and likely fastest. Bruges or Ghent will likely require changing trains in Brussels.
Posted by
OP
34 posts
I should have said our river boat covers Bruge and Brussels. Something outside of Amsterdam? We have plenty of time in Amsterdam and looking for some other spot for a few days.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
1315 posts
Where else does the cruise go? How long do you have? Where have you been before? What are your interests?
Without knowing the answers to any of these questions, one option is London, which is accessible via Eurostar from Paris and onward to Amsterdam.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8471 posts
You did not clearly give the exit city from the boat. Is it Paris? What is the embarkation city?
Are you aware that Amsterdam has at least ten possible daytrips by cheap, unreserved train? That covers a lot of places you might be proposing to sleep. However, Utrecht and Leiden cannot be seen fully in a daytrip from Amsterdam. Are you already planning Keukenhof? Sleeping in Den Haag allows a tram to Delft, and a short trip to Leiden or Kinderdijk/Rotterdam. I have not been to the Delta Works, but that is nearby, as is Gouda.
I happen to be a big fan of Antwerp, which is good for 3-5 days, and can have daytrips like Lier and Mechelen. Direct premium trains from Paris.
Posted by
OP
34 posts
We are going from Amsterdam to Amsterdam as far down as Brussels. We stop at many of the cities you mentioned so I'm thinking the day trips from Amsterdam will be our best bet.
Thank you all for thoughts!