Traveling between Cities

You'll be much happier using an efficient, modern public transportation system. We were there in 2023 and loved using the trains. No journey is very long, the trains run frequently, and at convenient times. Also, many areas are pedestrian only, so you'll be parking outside of the desired area, and walking in. Consider the costs of gas, ( much higher in Europe), parking, and perhaps tickets, (if you drive in a restricted area.)
The NL is a small country, but the traffic around cities can be bad. So relax and enjoy your travels!

I agree with Pat. Holland—the area of the Netherlands you’re going to— is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Using a car to get between locations doesn’t work like it does in the U.S. because the towns developed long before cars were invented and they were not designed to accommodate cars. As a result, there’s almost no parking available in the city centers where you’ll want to go and when you do find it, you’ll pay dearly for it and you’ll need to walk into the city centers.

In Amsterdam, a car is almost completely useless. The city centers of Delft, Haarlem and Amersfoort are all pedestrian-only zones which you can not drive in.

There are many reasons the Dutch take trains and trams and ride bicycles, but the main reason is convenience.

There’s no comparison between travelling by trains and trams/buses in the U.S. versus the Netherlands where there’s always another train, tram or bus coming along in a few minutes to get you where you want to go. The Dutch invested heavily in their public transportation systems and are not car-dependent as we are in the U.S.

Plus, you don't even need to buy tickets. Scan your credit card in and out to open the gates and you get charged the correct fare automatically.

Thank you. I guess it's no car. How much time should we allow for travel between Haarlem and Amsterdam? And, doe the buses/trains get overbooked. Might we be waiting for the next bus or train? We're going April 18 - April 28 which is a busy time. I'm concerned about spending a lot of my waiting.

I have been to the Netherlands many times and the trains are very frequent except between 11pm and 5am when most are at home sleeping.

Haarlem to Amsterdam is 17 minutes.
There are 150 trains on that route everyday
https://www.ns.nl/en/routes/haarlem-to-amsterdam
A ticket bought in advance is good all day.
Otherwise you can just tap a credit card to pay to get on.

Haarlem to Delft is 43 minutes.
There are 3 to 4 trains every hour. You can look up the schedule on the train website.

Delft to Ameersfort is about 1 hour 20 minutes and 3 to 4 trains and hour. Most you need to change trains in The Hague.

Not sure if you realized. King’s Day in 2026 is on April 27. Public transportation towards Amsterdam, as is the city, will be packed. There quite a few posts on this topic in the Netherlands Forum and you may want to search for King’s Day or Koningsdag. Frequent topics are whether to go to the Keukenhof that day or not and where to join the celebrations. Do bring something orange!

I know this is an American thing, and I apologize in advance for
asking.

Don't apologize, it's better to ask if you are unsure.

How much time should we allow for travel between Haarlem and
Amsterdam?

It takes 15-18 minutes and the trains are very frequent, they depart every 5-10 minutes.

And, doe the buses/trains get overbooked. Might we be waiting for the
next bus or train?

Domestic trains in the Netherlands do not require prebooking, it all operates as a large metro system. Arrive at the station, buy a ticket and board the train. They will be busy sometimes, and less busy other times.

Thank you Barney... I totally forgot about King's Day. That really puts a spin on things. We plan to fly out on Tuesday, so if we spent Monday in Utrecht travelled to Amsterdam airport the next morning for flight, is that doable? Or is it better to stay in Amsterdam Monday night before flight?

Traveling the day after King’s Day is no problem at all. Both Utrecht and especially Amsterdam will be busy on the day itself. If I had to opt between the two, I would go for Utrecht. Maybe others on the Forum can share their experiences between the two.

Best to the NS or 9292 apps or websites for travel options. What time is your flight? I believe it is recommended to be 3-2.5 hours at Schiphol before US flights due to security checks and passport control.

Again, maybe others can share their experience to be at Schiphol before your flight.

Trains from Utrecht appear to leave very early so whatever time you need to be at Schiphol should be okay.

Flight leaves at 10am. But now another wrinkle. We were planning on arriving Saturday 18, April and staying in Haarlem the first 3 nights. The parade is that day. Will that be an issue getting to Haarlem and the place to stay? Not sure where we're staying - looking at BoutiqueStaats or Malts, depending on what is available.

No wrinkle at all.! The parade only arrives late in the evening in Haarlem (10-11pm). I assume you fly in from the US and arrive in the morning. Just take the 300 bus (stop Verwulft for Malts or Station Haarlem for Staats). You can check actual departure times on the NS or 9292 apps/websites in advance when you get closer to your trip. They will also tell you when deviations will be in place.
Don’t be surprised to see the annual fun fair (going back over 150 years) on the Grote Markt.

By the way most museums in Haarlem are closed on Monday so you may want to squeeze them in on Sunday.

Oh that is great to know! Thank you. I've been looking at the 9292 --- wow, lots of travel options!

Amersfoort is a special case, in that it is a much longer walk from the train station than most high-traffic towns in the Netherlands. But while it is a very attractive place, it is not a rural hamlet that the boys from Private Ryan just left. It is a sophisticated modern small city surrounding a lovely historic market square, with some remaining city walls. It struck me a full of happy citizens of a prosperous European state.

You cannot justify renting a car by going to Amersfoort for a day. (I've been there two or three times.) Considering the press of tourists, and adjacent Den Haag by tram (!), I would never drive to Delft. Do you imagine driving to Amsterdam from Haarlem? That would be CRAZY. And a nightmare. I bitterly regret planning to drop off our luggage before returning a car in Amsterdam. Leiden and Utrecht are ever more, NOT "countryside places."

You didn't say if this is your first trip to Europe. If not, have you rented a car before? Does your hotel in Haarlem have a garage or lot? Is it "free"? Not likely.

It is a convenient shorthand to say "an American thing", but neither of my parents ever owned a car their entire lives. That's because we lived in Manhattan. You have to accept that possible late or omitted mass transit departures are comparable (I mean in the feeling of not being in control of your own destiny) to high-priced parking in very narrow stalls and curved ramps, or getting struck or towed in an (unlikely ... ) street space. BTW, visible luggage is an invitation to a smashed window, just like in the US.

You can see the floats parked all day Sunday in Haarlem April 19, 2026. We will be there, also!
Boutique Staats is a two minute walk to the train station, but it's in a very quiet area. We loved that hotel.
Enjoy this wonderful time of year in the NL!

I replied to your question at the end of the thread where your other question is https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/i-am-67-years-old-retired-woman-and-thinking-about-going-to-amsterdam-for-a-week-or-so-on-my-own and spoke about the driving, earlier today.

Because of duplicate posting rules I am breaking up my answer into chunks.

What I said was

If your husband enjoys driving he might not enjoy driving in the part of the Netherlands called the Randstad, the area with almost half the country's population, including the Netherlands' four biggest cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht), their suburbs, and many towns in between, that all grew and merged into each other, or in other words where you are considering driving. The daytime National Speed Limit is only 100 kph (62 mph) and often restricted to slower than that by mandatory variable speed signs over the lanes.

to be continued

continued

The Dutch invented the infernal speed cameras which show no mercy and issue tickets for just over the currently shown speed limit, with no "slow down" grace. The speed shown is the speed from when you pass it - that is not the sign to take your foot off the gas and coast down. Some highways are effectively 12 lanes or more, with different parallel sections, and at junctions roads are often sent around multilane roundabouts with concrete kerbs between the lanes so if you're in the wrong lane opportunities to correct the mistake are few and not good for the car.

to be continued

continued...

Parking is rarely free, often rare, and don't expect wide spaces. And enforced.

I have to drive because of my wife's medical needs, and am fairly often driving in the Netherlands. I drive a lot, but in the Netherlands, and especially in the Randstad, I consider driving a chore and nothing to be enjoyed.

Be aware that there is a significant minority of speed scofflaws who either have magic ticket evading spells, or they ignore them or they know precisely where the active cameras are and throw out the anchors immediately prior and belt off afterwards. Don't be one of them, and I don't know where the spells are sold.

and that's what I said. I hope it is of use..... happy travels

Thank you for all the advice on not driving. Our previous international travel had been home exchanges where we were staying in more rural areas and had a car at our disposal. We never drove in the cities, but rather drive to a stop/station and take a bus or train. However, we did do quite a few trips off the beaten path to more local places that were not easily accessible by public transportation. We drove in Ireland, outside London, Scotland, Austria and Denmark. So, this trip is first international trip where we're actually staying in the cities the entire time. After doing more research, I realize how convenient public transportation is and I'm excited about using it.

The Dutch invented the infernal speed cameras

Interestingly it was invented by a race driver, Maurice Gatsonides,

More fun reading on our speed cameras: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatso?wprov=sfti1#Gatsometer_BV

Good, that is the correct decision. Enjoy your trip!

And to add to what Nigel wrote about parking, there are many parking spots in Amsterdam that require you to know exactly where the wheels are and there is very little room for error. It can also be a bit tricky to get in and out of the car once it's parked. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-amsterdam-netherlands-august-03-2016-narrow-street-of-amsterdam-city-120739053.html