My husband & I will be in Amsterdam from 4/24-5/3. The vast majority of our trip will be daytrips. But during our stay we will be renting a car to drive to Uelsen, Germany where my husband has several cousins. It appears our route will take us nearby Utrecht. Just wondering if that’s a worthwhile stop along the way. My other questions is regarding Keukenhof. Is that a full day? I’m trying to decide whether it should be combined with another town visit or is it best enjoyed in a leisurely fashion.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Utrecht is a nice historical city, but getting to the centre and parking your car will be problematic. Better have Amersfoort or, along a more northerly route, Kampen or Zwolle as a stop. All three attractive historical cities and, being much smaller than Utrecht, easier with a car.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Thanks so much Ton! After reading this forum (obsessively) for some time now, I value your opinion greatly. I’ll check out both of your suggestions. Any thoughts on my Keukenhof query?
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
"My other questions is regarding Keukenhof. Is that a full day?"
Many would say yes (or at least that it was a large part of a day), but that depends on how much you like flowers and crowds.
I found it all a bit numbing after a while - beautiful flowerbed after beautiful flowerbed after beautiful flowerbed. On the plus side, great effort was clearly being made to make the displays distinctive, and I never dreamed there were so many different kinds of tulips.
As for the crowds, they were unpleasant but manageable for me when outside. However, in the indoor displays, they were so intense as to be a bit scary (and remember I live in New York).
Again, this is a "minority report" - most people love it.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Thanks Harold! Well I do really love flowers—crowds, not so much! But I guess that’s a given. What time of day did you go to Keukenhof? I’ve heard that getting there first thing or later in the day is sometimes helpful.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
Wouldn't half a day be enough for the Keukenhof? Combine it with Leiden. Easy to reach by taking the Keukenhof Express. It puts you in front of the railway station, from where it is less than 10 mins to the very city centre. You have 4 direct trains per hour back to Amsterdam Centraal, where you'll be within 35 mins.
Haarlem is also a good destination for a day trip, but as far as I know a little bit problematic to reach from the Keukenhof.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Ton, I think that’s what we’ll do. I just wasn’t quite sure of the scope of Keukenhof. I wanted to fit Leiden into our itinerary anyway but wasn’t sure we could devote an entire day to it. We’re already planning to go to Haarlem. Thanks again Ton!