Considering August in Amsterdam 7 or 8 nights, family of 6 - 4 young adults/older teens....
Would like a mix of outdoor activities (castles/windmills) as well as the typical tourist destinations (Anne Frank, canal tour. art museums).
Plan would be public transit only. Does it make sense to base in Amsterdam the whole trip or split between Amsterdam and where? Thinking maybe three day trips? and 3/4 full city days?
I'll give you the Anne Frank directive that is a common topic. Needs it's own pull down category here! Please check the website now to familiarize yourself with it and to know exactly when tickets for your date go on sale. (About 6 weeks out, but a bit nuanced!) Set your alarm; don't wait until morning your time because they sell out quickly. You've spelled Anne correctly. Others have forgotten the "e" and end up on a nonofficial website and inauthentic tickets.
The windmills at Kinderdijk which are amazing in their original location. But much closer to Amsterdam is Zaanse Schans and their windmills.
It’s likely to be difficult to find reasonably-priced accommodations in Amsterdam to house your six family
Other alternative bases closer to Amsterdam include Haarlem—18 train minutes away— and Leiden, which is about 30 minutes away.
Actually stayed in Amsterdam for 5 nights in a house overlooking the Keizersgracht canal. After chatting with the proprietor for some time. he said it would be much less expensive to get an apartment outside of the city center. (Yes- but no apartment could beat the canal views or the views of the Rijksmuseum we could see from our window)!
Booking.com has apartment listings, along with hotels and other accommodations.
I think the availability of suitable accommodation will be a major consideration in where you stay and for how long. I wouldn't want to move more than once, but 7 or 8 nights is a long stay in an expensive city. Take a look at what day trips you want to do and figure out from there what second base makes sense. A lot of people will suggest that you base in Haarlem and day trip into Amsterdam, but I don't agree with that approach, especially with the ages of your "kids." They will LOVE staying in Amsterdam, where they can walk everywhere, safely, on their own and visit the bars and coffeeshops.
I favor the evening canal tour in one of the small boats like Those Dam Boat Guys. These tend not to be the most informative as far as landmarks and history, but that's not my jam. The canals are beautiful at night, and it's a great way to see the city.
Have a great time!
Yes - We've done trips where we have moved a lot. And, we can make it work but if there's an alternative I would prefer. With a group our size everywhere is expensive unfortunately. Amsterdam is proving to be one of the more favorable flight cost destinations and therefore is moving up the list.
Three night in Amsterdam "proper" too few? and four in Harlem too many? Flip this?
Haarlem is only an 15 minute train ride from Amsterdam and although it’s smaller than Amsterdam it’s still a busy city. If I would go thru all the hassle of packing, unpacking, checking out/in, it would have to be to go to someplace further away and/or more different.
Also while you apparently consider this a last minute trip, it’s still 4 months away. You have still time to pick up a guidebook and read up about the Netherlands and what’s there to see and do.
Even while depending on public transport, you can see more of our country than the immediate area around Amsterdam.
Leiden would be great for the first three nights. The Hague is just 10 minutes away and Delft is just 20 minutes away. Leiden is about 15-train-minutes from Schipol Airport. Leiden is historic and scenic with canals and the Netherlands oldest University from 1575. Leiden would be a great place to get over jet lag before staying in Amsterdam for the final 4 nights.
I am surprised that there are so many castles (of all sorts) in the Netherlands. I don't know how many are close to Amsterdam. They do have several train routes available from Amsterdam out to the more forested areas. Some are open to view by ticket and even some are B & Bs. You can easily preview them online. Wikipedia goes into the more prominent ones extensively. August is one of the busiest months for tourist in Amsterdam. If any of your peeps are college students, they may get some leads on Student Residence available to travelers in the Summer. I actually stayed in a Botel (a Barge) on one of the canals when I was on a tour. If anyone is a descendent of the Mayflower Pilgrims (several million people are) you should visit Leiden where several stayed after fleeing England and before booking the Mayflower. There are several canal tours, and you can rent bikes. You may have to prebook popular Museums; you can purchase timed tickets online. Bon Voyage!
