We (2 adults + 1 teen) have 7 days and 2 half days planned. We are planning to visit Amsterdam, Giethoorn, Rotterdam, and The Hague. Are there any must-see places we are missing? How many days would be ideal for each location? BTW, we will fly in and out at AMS.
What are your interests, and when is this visit? How did you choose your cities outside of Amsterdam? Do you have the RS Guide book, which offers practical suggestions and routes? My "must see" could be a snooze for you all. Could you pls supply more details?
Thanks Pat.
We will be in the Netherlands in July and won't be traveling outside of the country. We enjoy city walks and plan to visit a few museums, such as the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum, among others. We will use public transportations.
Have you been to Amesterdam before? Do you usually change hotels this often when you travel? Amsterdam is ideal for a large number of daytrips, by unreserved, low cost train. Don't you feel that checking in and out of hotels, travel, and finding restaurants and bus stops takes a bit of time? One night in a city does not count as luxuriating in the delicious setting of a new place!
You are leaving little time for Amsterdam, which has a large number of time-consuming attractions. There are certainly 3 or 4 days of must dos, and it will be crowded (I mean, .... lines and crowds that actually slow you down on the sidewalk) at the height of vacation season. Don't forget to buy your Anne Frank House tickets EARLY. Otherwise you'll be standing in line for cancellations for hours, with no guarantee of entry.
While Rotterdam and The Hague would be legitimate sleepovers, it's odd that you didn't mention Leiden, Utrecht, Delft (right next to The Hague), Amersfoort, Alkmaar, Haarlem. I mean, you can't even see all of Leiden or Utrecht in one day, but you can take a big bite with a day.
have 7 days and 2 half days planned
I sort of like the idea of either:
1) basing yourself the whole time in Amsterdam and exploring a lot of the city - one "big" museum or event per day and the rest smaller "Dutch city living" exploration - walking tours, shopping, eating(!), and just feeling the energy of Amsterdam. It's super easy to explore beyond Amsterdam from the city by mass transit or, my favorite, by bike.
or
2) splitting 4 nights in Amsterdam and 3 nights in a smaller place like Leiden or Delft. Again, the one big museum/event per day, and then embracing, in this case, the big city living and then the smaller city life.
What would I do with my time? That really depends on you and your family. My wife and I are in our 50s, so we focus on active travel. In the Netherlands, that means cycling, walking, and being outdoors as much as possible. In summer, the days are long, so you can pack a LOT of fun into the daylight hours. You and your family may be totally different, so a little more "what we like to do" helps folks make suggestions.
You mentioned the normal Anne Frank House, Van Gogh, and the Rijksmuseum, and those are all very good item. I usually suggest matching the Anne Frank House with the Corrie Ten Boom house (Haarlem) and the Resistance Museum (Amsterdam) to get a well rounded perspective. I also always suggest re-reading Anne Frank's diaries before the visit to the AFH.
But...with a few more clues as to what would be interesting to you and your family would really help folks make some better suggestions - food, museums, activities, restaurants, budget, etc..
The Corrie ten Boom House ( Haarlem) books up several months out. If this is an interest, book it right after you book the airline tickets. Good luck!
When in Rotterdam, take the water taxi to Kinderdijk.
Recommend taking a day tour from Amsterdam to Windmill country. Tours start from the train station.