Netherlands Trip Planning - April 2023

Would it be reasonable to squeeze a side trip in from Delft if we are feeling up to it, to The Hague to visit the Mauritshuis for the Girl with a Pearl Earring painting?

Yes. Easy to do by train. I did this recently.

Which would you consider to have more of a romantic atmosphere for the day of our anniversary - Delft or Haarlem?

Delft.

“Would it be reasonable to squeeze a side trip in from Delft if we are feeling up to it, to The Hague to visit the Mauritshuis for the Girl with a Pearl Earring painting?”

If you are a Vermeer fan, there is a huge exhibition of Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum from Feb thru June with all his paintings they can get people to lend them. The Girl will be displayed in that show for at least part of the time. Someone posted recently they’d read it will leave the big show before it ends but I don’t remember the date. I’ll try to find the post.

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/exhibitions/vermeer

In spite of possibly missing the Girl it is a very easy tram ride from Delft to Den Haag to the Mauritshuis stop.

It seems you’ve done your homework and have some good ideas already. A couple of remarks;
- It makes more sense geographically to switch your day trips to Kinderdijk and Haarlem. Visit Haarlem while you’re in Amsterdam and go to Kinderdijk from Leiden. That way you will also avoid the flower parade crowds in Haarlem on April 22.
- Despite planning to stay there, don’t have any time scheduled to visit Leiden itself.
- You write you’ll plan to stay 3 nights in Hoorn, but you’ve scheduled only 2 nights.
- Check out the website of the Dutch national railway company NS https://www.ns.nl/en for train schedules. Then you will see how easy it is to do day trips from your various bases to other places.
- For your day trip to Kinderdijk; the nicest way to get there is train to Rotterdam where you can take the Waterbus to Kinderdijk https://www.kinderdijk.com/plan/directions-address/waterbus/

You haven’t shared it yet, but a couple of general pointers for your Amsterdam itinerary;
- start with a canal cruise
- Don’t visit all the major museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum and Anne Frank house) in 1 day
- Make sure to buy your tickets for the Vermeer exhibit in the Rijksmuseum well in advance. You need to book a specific time slot for this special exhibit on top of your regular entry into the museum. Ticket sale for the exhibit has already started and some days in April are filling up fast.

Depending on the time you arrive at Schiphol, here is an alternative option for Keukenhof:

We don't have a problem with jet lag upon arrival in Europe.

In 2018, we flew into Amsterdam arriving around 10 am. We then immediately took the dedicated Keukenhof bus directly to Keukenhof. They had free, easy luggage storage, We spent about 5 hours there, took return bus to the airport and then public transportation into Amsterdam where we were staying. We felt this was an efficient use of time with not having to travel farther back and forth to the gardens on a different day. (f this interests you, be sure to check that the bus and luggage storage have remained the same since 2018.)

Would it be reasonable to squeeze a side trip in from Delft if we are
feeling up to it, to The Hague to visit the Mauritshuis for the Girl
with a Pearl Earring painting?

Yes, absolutely. I went a year ago and visited the Mauritshuis and Delft in one day trip.The Mauritshuis also has two other Vermeer paintings. Delft also was the home town of Vermeer, and there is a museum about him there—although they don't have any original paintings by him.

We have friends who are Dutch and live in Soest. We only had 3 days in Amsterdam earlier this year; loved every minute of it and are looking to return. Public transport in The Netherlands is wonderful, as is bicycle travel. As I previously stated, we had very limited time so we rented a car, and our friends took us on a tour outside of Amsterdam, including Hoorn—definitely worth spending more time there. We also enjoyed touring a cheese farm (our Gouda that we shipped bet us home). We stayed on a small “hotel” near Amstel station —Vergulden Eenhorn, which I would recommend. There were maybe 6 rooms that were very comfortable and it was an easy walk, with luggage, to Amstel station.

Thank you everyone for your replies! We just bought our plane tickets tonight so next up will be lodging reservations and tickets for attractions.

Pam, I had read that same thing so I was assuming that we would have to go The Hague to see the painting. It would be great if the painting is still on display at the Rijksmuseum while we are there.

Dutch_Traveler, I am now contemplating visiting Haarlem after we visit Keukenhof. While I know we could definitely use more time in Haarlem, our time restraints are real, unfortunately. And you are right - I really haven't allocated much time in Leiden except late afternoons and evenings. If we combine Keukenhof and Haarlem it should allow us to at least see the Corrie Ten Boom House and a little bit of the town, which would be great. Then we would have April 22 just for Leiden.

That was a typo; it should read 2 nights in Hoorn, not 3. The other possibility of wiggle room is our day in Gouda; I've read some posts saying that a half-day is plenty of time there. Though since we will have our luggage with us, we will still need to make our way to Leiden so I'm not sure if that really helps us much. Thank you for all the pointers for Amsterdam; I was looking at starting our Amsterdam time with a tour with the "Those Dam Boat Guys" group.

Lynn, thank you for the suggestion on visiting Keukenhof immediately upon arrival. I'll have to think this over. We don't really suffer from jet lag either but I think we may prefer to get settled into our lodging in Hoorn and get a shower. I don't know how much we would enjoy the gardens without having a little time to unwind and settle in - but I do 100% appreciate the efficiency of this method! It's definitely worth considering.

The Girl with a Pearl Earring will only be in Amsterdam until the end of March. The exhibit will still be there, but without that painting. My guess is it takes days/weeks to move a precious piece of art like that back to its home.

I'm just starting to plan my trip to Amsterdam in April 2023! I'll be curious to where you decide to stay while in Amsterdam!

And to the person who said the Girl with the Pearl Earring will be gone from the museum at the end of March, where will it go? I was really hoping to see it... I checked the museum website and didn't see anything.

Thanks!
Christine

And to the person who said the Girl with the Pearl Earring will be gone from the museum at the end of March, where will it go?

Back to the Mauritshuis at The Hague where it usually is.

Christine, I’ve been working on figuring that out. I’ve narrowed down to three spots right now. Would love to get feedback from those who have been as to which one they might pick out of these three.

1. Very small B&B in the Jordaan area. Best price, right off a canal, but more walking since it’s tucked back in there a bit.
2. The Highland House. Very central, but the most expensive.
3. Hotel Cornelisz. In the museum area, mid-range price, area is supposed to be really nice, good public transport connections.

Julie, I agree with the others that it's a quick train trip to The Hague and to Delft. And I loved Leiden - I was only there for the day but if I go back, I would definitely spend more time there. I also really enjoyed Hoorn - again, this was a day trip for me, but I think it would have been fun to spend the night there.

I was not that enamored of Haarlem, although I loved the Corrie Ten Boom museum. But I agree that Delft would be more romantic (for that matter, so would Leiden). And you shouldn't have any issues getting from Leiden to the airport - most of those towns scattered around Amsterdam have very good and reliable connections to Schiphol.

Julie, with regards to places to sleep in Amsterdam, keep in mind that even if it's farther out, the trams and bus system is very good and you can get just about anywhere fairly quickly. I stayed in the de Pijp neighborhood, which I loved, and it's a bit farther out but there was a tram stop a block away so I was able to get just about anywhere in a matter of 5-10 minutes.

Julie, we did a similar itinerary and went directly to Leiden from Amsterdam. We stayed at the Ibis Leiden Centre. It was a nice, clean hotel at the train and bus station, so very convenient and with a good breakfast. We usually would have chosen a more charming hotel, but we did feel we wanted to be close to transportation because of the number of places we went--the bus to Keukenhof is right there.

You should be able to see Leiden in your evenings staying there.

Alkmaar/Gouda: Both are charming and I simply wanted to see both because I am a cheese lover! It's much easier to get closer in Gouda to see what is going on---a bit harder in Alkmaar because it is much more crowded. So if you are simply going for the market, Gouda is fine and they have some great stands set up to get fresh stroopwafels.

If you want to send me a private message, I can send you our spreadsheet with the hotels we stayed at, day trips we took, etc. Your schedule is very similar, but we did not stay in Hoorn. We did add Arnheim for the open air museum and drove from Utrecht, the only day we rented a car. We also stayed in Dordrecht.

We had an extra day padded in for Keukenhof. The tickets are refundable, so we bought tickets for 2 separate days, because I've got to tell you I would have been so heartbroken to have had rain on the only day we had tickets. So once we checked the weather, a couple of days prior, we cancelled the extra tickets.

Keukenhof is one of the most beautiful places in the world imho. We stayed 6 hours.

Just a note (to previous post) to say that Leiden is a rich destination with some nice museums that can't be seen at night.

We spent a week in Leiden and loved staying there with it’s charm, flower decked canals and the energy from the university and it’s students. John Quincy Adams studied there. Are you aware of its history as the place the Pilgrims lived after fleeing England? They spent the next ten years in Leiden before heading to the New World. There is a small Pilgrim museum.
Leiden is an excellent base for day trips by train. Our favorite was a day trip to Rotterdam where we switched to a boat to Kinderdijk to see the nineteen windmills in their original locations.
Mauritshuis is home to several of Vermeer’s masterpieces including “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” This museum in The Hague is small and easy to navigate. We visited Delft the same day and especially enjoyed visiting the Old Church and the New Church, one right after the other. It was our second time in Delft.
We weren’t enamored with Harlem either. We loved staying in Leiden for a week.

Thank you all for your comments - it makes me even more excited for our trip when I hear how much you enjoyed places that we will be going!

Suki, I did read a little about the Pilgrim connection - very interesting history!

I’ve had time to further refine our plans and this is what I’ve come up with. I’ve dropped Haarlem as unfortunately I just don’t think we will have time for it. I also have dropped Alkmaar for the time being in favor of Gouda. If we end up having time/energy, we could possibly go to Zuiderzeemuseum the day that we arrive and then Alkmaar the next morning but we can play that by ear.

Thursday April 13: arrive Schiphol at 7:15am, train to Hoorn. Explore Hoorn, Westfries Museum, Stoomtram Museum.

Friday April 14: Zuiderzeemuseum and Enkhuizen.

Saturday April 15: Hoorn morning market, train to Amsterdam. Rick Steves Jordaan walk, Anne Frank Museum, Those Dam Boat Guys canal tour.

Sunday April 16: Rijksmuseum (going to book early morning Vermeer tickets), Dutch Resistance Museum, Brouwerij 't IJ (if we have time), Free Walking Tour Amsterdam at 4:00.

Monday April 17: Keukenhof + rent bicycles for afternoon timeframe to see some flower fields. Explore Amsterdam afterwards.

Tuesday April 18: Kinderdijk (train to Rotterdam and then pick up rental car to drive to Kinderdijk). Afterwards, drive to Schiedam for gin museum. Drop off rental car and train back to Amsterdam.

Wednesday April 19: Van Gogh Museum, Van Loon Museum, Kattenkabinet Museum, explore/shop Amsterdam.

Thursday April 20: Train to Gouda, see cheese market and visit other things like cheese Museum, Sint Janskerk, Red Lion Windmill, etc. Train to Leiden.

Friday April 21: Rick Steves Leiden walk, windmill museum, canal boat tour, de Burcht, Hortus Botanicus, Cafe de Vergulde Kruik, anniversary dinner.

Saturday April 22: train to Den Haag for quick visit to Mauritshuis for the Girl with the Pearl Earring painting. Train (or tram?) to Delft. Antiques market in Delft. Climb new church tower for views. Visit De Candelaer Delft workshop, shop for authentic Delft pottery. Explore Delft. Return to Leiden.

Sunday April 23: Fly home.

I have a few more general questions:

Is it essential to pre-book any of these train routes to secure a spot on the train or is there typically not any need to worry about finding an open seat? I have read about getting either the OV chipkaart or tripkey pass but it appears that the tripkey pass is not currently available.

I have also read that the De Kaag lakes near Leiden also have windmills. I was wondering if they might be a good option to see instead of Kinderdijk since Kinderdijk is a bit harder to get to. However, after realizing we could get a rental car from the Rotterdam train station, I think this day trip would be easier versus when I was trying to figure out the ferry situation (the direct one is currently out of service, plus getting to the gin museum in Schiedam).

Also, are any of these windmills better than others? We’ve got a lot on our list and am wondering if they start to “run together” if we visit too many.

Thank you again!

Visit Kinderdijk!

I would visit Kinderdijk too. You can take the waterbus from Rotterdam and calls also at Dordrecht, also a place worthwhile to visit if you have some time left. Schiedam is very easy to reach from Rotterdam with train or metro and think tram too. In Delfshaven you can visit the church of the Pilgrim Fathers, "Pelgrimvaderskerk". Delfshaven lies close to the Erasmusbrug and the stop of the waterbus in Rotterdam, it was there where the Pilgrims setted sail to Southampton in England for boarding the Mayflower to the New World. https://www.oudeofpelgrimvaderskerk.nl/en/open-kerk/

If you still want to rent a car you can do this also from Gouda and visit for instance Schoonhoven and well preserved Nieuwpoort on the way to Kinderdijk. You have to cross the river by ferry there.

I'll be there at the same time, arriving by ferry from England on 4/18 at Hoek van Holland then the train to Amsterdam Centraal ... 3.5 days in Amsterdam before we go to the flower parade and then on to other places in the Netherlands and Belgium ... I read also The Girl wouldn't be at the exhibition after March (which is a bummer) so will have to add a stop at Mauritshuis ... look into the Museumkaart (€65) since it includes places you want to see (Rijksmuseum (you'll still have to pay extra for the exhibition), Van Gogh House, Anne Frank House and Mauritshuis), it should save you a few euros ... we're also planning an early morning trip to the Aalsmeer Flower Market to see that action.

We had an extra day padded in for Keukenhof. The tickets are refundable, so we bought tickets for 2 separate days, because I've got to tell you I would have been so heartbroken to have had rain on the only day we had tickets.

@KathyW ... thanks for this tidbit ... wasn't aware tickets were refundable so will definitely do this ... planning a visit on 4/19 (our 37th anniversary) so would be more than bummed if it rained that day ... the gardens are one of our several must-see places so might get tickets for 3 days just in case.

This itinerary is jammed. As I remember, the Schouwburg deportation memorial (possibly closed for museum construction) is right by the Resistance Museum, and should not be missed, if open. Also walkable are the zoo (low priority), the Palm greenhouse, and the Tropenmuseum (formerly "Colonial Museum"!)

It's your choice, but I would not spend the time renting and returning a car to visit a Gin Museum. (I mean, distilling has lots of interesting history. But after seeing Speculoos flavored Gin for sale (in a tiny convenience store, or night-market), I lost interest in the idea!) Kinderdijk is easily accessible by city bus, without waiting for a purportedly glamorous ferry. It is easier to have a car for the Aalsmeer Flower Auction on a Keukenhof weekday, but I don't think you're going. Note that plenty of flower fields are visible from inside the perimeter fence around Keukenhof. But of course a bike ride is nice in good weather. Limited dining options AT Kinderdijk could mean a wait for a table.

In fact, Kinderdijk is on the National Bikeway paths, but a bit far from Rotterdam for me to bike! I wonder if flowers or bulbs are grown in the farms just north of Kinderdijk?

• Is it essential to pre-book any of these train routes to secure a spot on the train or is there typically not any need to worry about finding an open seat? *

You can’t book a seat on the regular trains. During rush hour it might be more difficult to find a seat but otherwise it is usually not a problem.

You can use your OV kaart for traveling by train or check the NS website for special deals at that moment (for instance https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/reizen-in-de-daluren/p/groepsticket-daluren).

I am looking at your itinerary as I am developing my own for a June visit. Are you staying only in Hoorn and Amsterdam or are you staying in a third location as well? Thank you.

The replys have been helpful as we are on a RS tour and trying to decide whether to take our free afternoon in Delft to go to the Mauritshuis specifically to see The Gril with the Pearl Earring or go to Kinderdijk. Can anyone weigh in on the best/quickest way to get to Kinderdijk from Delft and have time to see everything? Which would you choose, another Verneer (we will be seeing the Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum) or seeing a UNESCO World Heritage site?

You wrote: "Thursday April 13: arrive Schiphol at 7:15am, train to Hoorn. Explore Hoorn, Westfries Museum, Stoomtram Museum."
I believe the Westfries Museum is closed until "min-2023"... you may want to check on that.

Thank you everyone for the additional information. Sorry to be so late in responding; we've had a couple of deaths in our immediate family and trip planning was forgotten for a while.

Don, yes, I did see the Westfries museum is closed. So unfortunate! We may just end up going to Enkhuizen the day we arrive in Hoorn if we are feeling up to it instead. Then we'd have a more leisurely time in Alkmaar the next day. We will just play it by ear and see how we feel.

Jill5Bill, our third base for our trip is Leiden.

We just spent one week in Leiden as our base location, day trips by train using OV Chipkaart. So easy to get to Schiphol from Leiden Centraal. At end of trip you can redeem your unused money on chipkaart at a counter at Schipthol. Trains comfort and reliable.

Enjoyed walking to Leiden Central each day for trips to Amsterdam, Dan Haag and Rotterdam.
Nice to see Girl with a Pearl Earring in the smaller charming Maurithuis. Also enjoyed the Esher museum in a nearby small palace.
Tickets for Van Gogh Museum need to be purchased in advance.

We ate our last meal in Leiden at Artikel 461 casual atmosphere, friendly service and excellent food, Frenchish, near university.