Arnhem and beyond

No transport ideas because we had a car. I think the "bridge" is actually the third at that location, so it's not such a reverent pilgrimage site to me. We stumbled on the former SS headquarters building's memorial plaque (in Dutch) on a side street. Most of the city is banal post-war. There's a tiny old-town, a good small art museum. I believe the RR station is well located.

It has less to do with WW II, but we really liked Deventer, a Hanseatic League town.

Please do not overlook the many superb towns closer to Amsterdam, and with much more to see, like Haarlem, Alkmaar, Amersfoort, Leiden, and more. I know that many Americans have a strong interest in WW History, but I find local observance (like worker memorials in post offices and train stations) more poignant than a bare field or modern bridge. How many people have ever looked at the war memorial in the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia?

With about 9 days in Amsterdam, we took several daytrips and enjoyed seeing Haarlem, Utrecht, Delft and Leiden, among others. A favorite day excursion was the Waterland Pass bus pass....a great value for 10€ . You can travel where you like at your own pace, combining cities, small towns and countryside, all by local bus. I am not familiar with WW II sites, but we like Openair museums and the one in Arnhem did not disappoint. Close by too is the Kroller Muller museum with its free bikes set in a national park. A very nice day as well. We spent a day in each, staying overnight at the Boutique Hotel Sterrenberg in Otterlo. After training to Otterlo we used the convenient local bus for transportation between the KM in Otterlo and Arnhem. Have a great trip.

Keith,

If you have not read the book "A Bridge Too Far," be sure to read it before you go. It is a great book about the effort to capture the bridges leading up to the bridge at Arnhem from the Germans during WWII.

Arnhem is a pleasant place, an easy train ride from Amsterdam and a prosperous hustle-bustle in its centre. The Airborne museum is distinguished by a section devoted to the memories of civilians about the occupation, very touching. At the city-centre end of the rebuilt bridge itself, a small information centre "Slag om Arnhem", is worth a look.
http://en.infocentrum-slagomarnhem.nl/

I really liked the airborne museum, the basment experience is overwhelming. I would also consider the Kroller-Muller museum as well if you have any intrest in VanGogh - I thought that their works were better, plus waaay less people.

Hello Keith,
I also have an interest in Operation Market Garden, which was the joint US and British (and Polish also) airborn campaign in the Netherlands in the Fall of 1944. A few years ago I visited a museum that focused on that Op in Groesbeek Netherlands. Groesbeek is about 10 kilometers from Nijmegen and also just a short distance from Arnhem. We went to the museum, and also a Canadian Military cemetery, by public transit - a city bus from Nijmegen.

I would also second the Kröller-Müller Museum. Access via public transit is described here. Not only does it showcase the world's second-largest van Gogh collection without the crowds the museum in Amsterdam gets, it also boast an incredible sculpture garden - one of the largest in Europe. You can rent bikes for free to get around the park.