This thought just occured to me and I thought I would ask you. If I have an extra non-planned day in Amsterdam, would it be feasable to do a day trip to either Belgium or somewhere over the border in Germany? I have 4 days there and because of the museum times, I think I can do the things I want to do in a few days, allowing one full day to Keukenhof. I thought if I had an extra day I might try and check out another place - just for a day trip. I've thought about Haarlem, but I'm not sure. I thought I'd throw it out there and see what you think.
Thoughts/suggestions?
Thanks!!
Bonne
Posted by
Powell River, Canada
359 posts
Hi Bonne: If 'twas me, I'd write off Belgium only because of time involved for a day trip -Antwerp/Brugge doable but a lot of travel/train hours. My choice would be Den Haag/Delft; IMO you're right to 'not be sure' about Haarlem -you can do that in an afternoon from A'Dam. For a full day; early train from Dam to DenHaag (you'll already have strippenkarts so hop the tram DHaag to Delft - 20 mins), spend a few hours in Delft (the pottery factory/lunch on the square). Back to DHaag, wander the downtown and environs (check your guidebook for DHaag sights, most walkable), tram to Scheveningen and walk the seawall/beach/pier/restaurants/shops, back to Centraal in DHaag and train back to Dam early evening. If you do the research, you'll have a full, enjoyable day away from the sometimes 'madhouse' that Dam can be. I'm biased because of 3yrs living/working in DHaag but a grand spot for one day 'touristing'.
Posted by
West Sacramento, California, USA
281 posts
Bonne:
70 minutes by train, and then a few minutes by bus and you can be in Arnhem at the Netherlands Open Air Museum. It is a great place to spend a day wandering through the villages and windmills that have been collected on this site to preserve typical Dutch life.
If museums are something you enjoy, then try the Kroller Muller Museum in the national park near Arnhem. This is a great place to spend a day bicycling.
Kevin
Posted by
Ridgefield, WA, USA
160 posts
I spent a couple days in A'dam in 2003, and I did a day trip to Haarlem. I had a lot of fun - the main square is nice (try the raw herring w/onions - not bad), there's a respectable cathedral, and Corrie Ten Boom's Hiding Place home (her family hid Jews during WWII) was interesting. There are plenty of nice shops and cafes as well. Plus, it's only about 20 minutes away from A'dam, so you won't be spending a lot of your day on a train or bus...
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Another worthwhile train trip from Amsterdam is Utrecht (about 45 minutes), one of the most underrated cities in the Netherlands, IMHO. Great little canals down below street level, with restaurants lining the lower level. All sorts of architecture, the Dom Church, and a great market that runs Wednesdays and Saturdays (Saturdays are best) that starts at the entrance to the old section of the city right outside the main railway station. There's a giant licorice stand there....the woman who runs it with her Dutch husband is from Wisconsin! If you do go to Den Haag, visit the Mauritshuis museum, supposedly a center for the Netherlands' South American explorations, but which also contains many fine paintings, including Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring." She will mesmerize you!
Posted by
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
331 posts
Haarlem is Lovely. Its a perfect day trip from Amsterdam and has all of the cafe's ,charm and character without the graffiti or tourists !
Posted by
Philly
1 posts
We are trying to plan similar day trips and are looking for a place on the German border - we're thinking of going as far as Trier - but are looking for something closer.
We already plan to do Brugge - as we did that before. It is a nice one-day trip. We got lots of chocolate while we were there. :) Gorgeous city.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Anthony...Trier is way too far away for a daytrip from Amsterdam...something like 250 miles. If you want to go to Germany, Cologne (Koln) would be a better bet, about 2:40 by ICE train..the first out of Amsterdam around 7:25 am would get you in by 9:45 am....the last out at 8:48 pm gets you back by 11:45 pm.
Posted by
Johns Island, SC
172 posts
How about Delft? Easy train ride, nice market square. If you are into Delftware you can go see it made. See picture at my personal blog http://gadtravel.blogspot.com/
Posted by
OP
Columbus, OH, USA
208 posts
Thanks for the replies everyone.
I ended up going to Delft via Den Haag for the day. A friend of mine flew in for the day so we opted to go there.
Thanks for the other suggestions...but my trip was at the end of April/beginning of May. I was there for the tulips and would recommend them to EVERYONE.
Posted by
Columbus, Ohio, USA
1 posts
Bonne
not sure if you will see this as your trip was a long time ago. My mother and her husband are planning a trip and may end up going to Amsterdam. I'm wondering how your day trip went and if you would recommend it to them.
We are also from Columbus. Thanks
Bob
Posted by
OP
Columbus, OH, USA
208 posts
Bob - I had a friend who works for Delta fly in to A'dam (but the crew stays in Den Haag) so we met at the Den Haag Centraal station and took a train to Delft. We took the tour of the Porcelain Factory and spent some time wandering around Den Haag. I also went to the Mauritshuis Museum - highly recommended.
I thought the train system was far easier to navigate than the tram system in A'dam. I found it fairly challenging and a bit confusing (keep in mind I was travelling alone). I did finally get a handle on it - as I was getting ready to leave! LOL!
When is your mother planning on visiting? It would help to see if she'll be there during the tulip season. If that is the case, a trip to Keukenhof is a must.
Feel free to PM me for any other info. Good Luck!! Let me know if you need any help!