Just booked flights for May- into Amsterdam and home from Zurich. 11 nights total. As soon as flights were booked I purchased tickets for Keukenhof Gardens including bike rentals. We will be there just before the gardens close for the season. Looking for any additional thoughts on where to stay In Leiden, hoping to just stay in Leiden while we are in the Netherlands. We love to cycle so looking for any suggestions of routes, rentals and I prefer cycle paths and less busy roadways. Recommended day trips from Leiden? The balance of our trip will be in Switzerland, looking for recommendations on a train route, it looks like it will be 7/8hours at best or is it best to just fly to Zurich or Basel? TIA
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33882 posts
do you know where you want to go in Switzerland?
Posted by
OP
Ontario, Canada
119 posts
No idea for Switzerland-would welcome all suggestions. We will be taking the train from Paris (1 night to see friends) to either Geneva or Zurich. 5 nights in Switzerland. Thinking of staying in Lucerne the last night, we have an early afternoon flight but that's it.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33882 posts
would you prefer lakeside and vineyards and lowland cities (maybe biking?) or would you prefer to be in the mountains?
Posted by
11578 posts
On our second trip to The Netherlands we used Leiden as our base and it worked very well. Jump on the train and after a short ride jump off to explore The Hague and Delft. Back on train, get off in Rotterdam, take a tram to river, get on a river boat to Kinderdijk to see the 19 historic windmills in their original locations.
Take train back to Leiden. Next day take train to Amsterdam.
Posted by
OP
Ontario, Canada
119 posts
Suki, thank you- this is just the information I am looking for and looks like a great way to spend one of our days.
Posted by
The Netherlands
1596 posts
@Daisy; you mention you will be here right before the Keukenhof closes and I see you plan to rent bikes. When exactly will you be here?
The Keukenhof will likely have flowers in bloom until it closes for the season, but the flowers in the bulb fields are usually cut off sometime during the first week of May. If you’re here after that time, you can still bike of course, but you shouldn’t expect to see the the flower fields with endless rows of tulips.
Posted by
OP
Ontario, Canada
119 posts
@Dutch_traveler, thank you for the update, it will be near the very end of Keukenhof Gardens season so I will manage my expectations!! My partner and I love to cycle while on vacation (Peru and Vietnam in the last year) so would welcome any other tips or locations of great cycling routes.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33882 posts
because of your cycling is why I asked if you want lowland Switzerland or the mountains. It wasn't a throw away question.