10 days in The Netherlands- family of five

“ Is there a less expensive city in The Netherlands to stay that will still be convenient, entertaining and pleasant that is still convenient when using public transportation around the country?”

There are plenty of entertaining and pleasant cities in the Netherlands besides Amsterdam. Leiden, Haarlem, Utrecht, Delft, The Hague, ‘s Hertogenbosch or Zwolle for instance. But whether any of these cities are convenient, depends entirely on what you want to see and do while here.

“Does it make sense to stay on one place or should we move once or twice? If so where?”

The answer to this question also depends on what you want to see and do while here.

“If we stay in Amsterdam, what areas would you recommend?”

It’s easiest to stay in or near the Canal Zone. But areas just outside the Canal Zone are fine too.

“We would consider an open jaw trip - please chime in.”

Open jaw? If you want to fly to the Netherlands from the USA, you can only fly into Amsterdam. Or do you wish to visit another country as well?

My reply would be check out the other towns close to Amsterdam for hotels or vacation rentals that are large enough to house your family. Research for trips is part of the fun and helps visitors get an idea about the area and other towns nearby. A vacation rental might help for some meals, coffee and breakfast, gather snacks from markets to take along. Not every meal needs to be in a restaurant, there are many ways to travel on a budget. We have stayed during our visits to Amsterdam in the Jordan, which is probably considered the canal district. The train is very convenient for travel to other areas.

It might help to know your price range for lodging. People could then recommend specific hotels, apartments, neighborhoods, or cities other than Amsterdam.

If you want to spend multiple days sightseeing in Amsterdam, as most people would in a 10-day trip, you might as well spend at least several nights there. Otherwise you'll spend time and money each day just getting to and from the city from wherever you're sleeping. For me, a 10-day trip would allow me a few nights in another city, but which one would depend on my priorities and interests. My ancestors came from Wageningen and I'd like to spend more time there than the one day I had on my last trip. Haarlem has several attractions that would justify a couple of nights. The Hauge has a great art museum and historic buildings. Our Dutch friends could probably offer many ideas if you give them more to work with.

Hey Jill,

Sounds like a great time. I recently planned a trip for February and decided to spend a couple of nights in the Hague in addition to four in Amsterdam. Hotel in The Hague was considerably less expensive. I worked in and traveled to the Netherlands during my career and find it a facinating country.

As others have suggested, all five of you should decide what you want to see in the Netherlands and then build your plan (or plans) accordingly. For example, if understanding how the Dutch "make land" a trip north of Amsterdam would be warranted. Or, how they are fighting climate change with a movable dam guarding the Rotterdam harbor would be interesting. There is also alot of WWII history, especially to the east. You should plan at least one day on the coast, with The Hague being a great city from which to do that.

Additionally, you may want to discuss Amsterdam's coffee shops with your adult children. I have traveled with my adult children (now in mid-30's) to US states with recreational marijuana and we discussed who was going to do what and around whom.

• James

I've stayed at XO Hotels Park West, which is in the Molenwerf section of Amsterdam and has triple rooms in addition to doubles. To me, the location is fantastic because there is a tram stop literally in the parking lot of the hotel and it takes just about 15 - 20 minutes to get to Central Station in Amsterdam or 4 minutes to the Amsterdam Sloterdijk Station. I have made reservations to stay there again in May. They have a restaurant on-site but they don't serve alcohol.

I wonder if you have looked at this nearby discussion:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/netherlands-trip-planning-april-2023

You are asking a wide open question that calls for planning your entire trip. You may get the best results if you describe what you want to do, and how many hotel rooms are needed for the adults who will not share a bed to save money. You have not written the "AirBnb" word yet, but the city has tried to regulate short-term rentals in Amsterdam.

In fact, this newsboard is very big on Haarlem, although I agree that (as they say on Trip Advisor NYC), "to see New York City, stay in New York City." You seem to be suggesting that some visitors to the United States might save money to stay in Philadelphia instead of NYC. But I'm sure you wouldn't seriously tell friends to do that.

European welfare-states with major cities of the world are not bargain destinations. Since school vacations are not involved, one way to reduce Euro travel costs might be to go at other than peak vacation season. Have you looked at our host's general travel tips?
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips

I would stay in 2-3 different places. It's nicer to wake up in the location you will explore rather than have to head to the train station every morning and commute to your new destination. The Netherlands is relatively small, so moving every 3-or-so days wont be a big chunk of time. In Amsterdam I like to stay in the De Pijp neighborhood, which is slightly south of the canal rings. Many people seem to stay more central, which I find to be less appealing. I have also stayed west of Vondelpark, and in the Leidseplein area, though this is busier than I like but very easy to walk everywhere.

As Dutchtraveler says. there are many nice towns and cities to visit. Depends what you want to see/expereince

Use google maps to find hotels, I love putting in my dates and budget. Rick Steve's uses Haarlem as the base for his Amsterdam visits. The lodging in Amsterdam is very expensive since space is limited. I found the Dutch to be very helpful everyone speaks great English, I recommend 2 full days to explore Amsterdam itself. If you want to see Anne Frank's House you need to book tickets yesterday, they fill up quickly since its so small.

European welfare-states with major cities of the world are not bargain destinations.

Are American ones ? New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami....

(I guess I am having difficulty understanding what being a European welfare state has to do with being an expensive city in which to vacation)

Until quite recently, "European welfare states" was (coming from my mouth) ... a compliment. Now that there is a reluctance to fully staff and fund benefits that were long taken for granted, problems like homelessness and (soon in England, it seems ... ) inability to heat one's home are becoming likely.

I simply meant that funding desirable, often missing in the U.S. benefits requires high income taxes (which raise costs and prices) and Value Added taxes that fall particularly hard on tourists. If you thought I was criticizing Europeans for having better benefits, and being able to "work to live" instead of the opposite, you are mistaken. If you thought that I fancy myself an international currency trader, you'd also be wrong.

Amsterdam being an expensive city in terms of hotels has nothing to do with Amsterdam being a major city in a European welfare-state. Income tax rates and VAT rates are the same throughout the Netherlands.
Amsterdam is expensive because it’s hugely popular, but also relatively small. It only takes 30 minutes to walk from the Amsterdam central train station on northern side of the historical city center to the Rijksmuseum on the southern side. And every tourist wants to stay somewhere in between these two. On top of that the once in a lifetime Vermeer exhibit is still going on in June, which will increase demand even further.
As soon as you start to look for hotels outside the Canal Zone, or in cities like Leiden or Haarlem hotel rates will be lower. But due to their proximity to Amsterdam they still aren’t bargain destinations.

DutchTraveler,

You are spot on. I am visiting The Hague and Amsterdam in mid-February. As you know, they are just an hour apart by train. The Moxy in The Hague is one half the price of the Moxy in central Amsterdam. Same hotel; different city.

I already have my Vermeer tickets...can't wait!