Our family of 5 (3 kids ages 11-17) are visiting The Netherlands and Belgium early August for 7 days there, flying in and out of Amsterdam (I know, we need more time). We (just parents) visited Amsterdam for 2 days, Delft for 1 day and Bruges for 1 day, 20 years ago and really enjoyed all of them. We have read Steves' and other guidebooks and plan to stay in Bruges for 2 days direct from Schiphol and Amsterdam for 4 days (2 seeing the city and 2 day trips) on the back end. One day will be Edam/Volendam/Marken to see an area further north. The other will likely be Zaanse Schans to show the kids the windmills, since I think the limited time will make Kinderdijk more difficult. We will visit Anne Frank, Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, but my kids would prefer not to visit too many more indoor museums, so cities whose main attraction is a museum would be less ideal than one that had a very different feel than a US city or had a unique experience. We will be using trains and want to consider the ease of direct convenient routes as well. With one extra day/night either direct from Schiphol or between Bruges and Amsterdam, we are considering Delft/Rotterdam in The Netherlands or Ghent or Brussels or Antwerp in Belgium. Do you have any suggestions which of these would be the best for us? Thanks.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
You could easily put in Dordrecht between your arrival at Schiphol and your stay in Brugge. With all the water around a totally different feel from the other cities on your itinerary, and a good base for visiting Kinderdijk with the river ferry (Waterbus, leaving from the north side of the city centre). In my opinion a much more worthwhile investment of your limited time than Edam & Marken, which will be packed with coach parties. Consider a day-trip to Enkhuizen, perhaps instead of the Zaanse Schans, only 1 hr from Amsterdam Centraal on a half-hourly direct train. Wonderful and charming small historical former port city with the open-air Zuiderzee museum.
Posted by
OP
Dallas, Texas
3 posts
Two follow up questions: We were debating between either Edam/Marken or Hoorn/Enkhuizen to see the north. It sounds like you suggest Hoorn/Enkhuizen instead. And with limited time, do you suggest we make Kinderdijk from a base south of Amsterdam a priority over the convenience of Zaanse Schans? Thanks.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33817 posts
Kinderdijk is completely different to Zaanse Schans. The former is a large collection of in-situ large windmills which present fabulous walking and photography opportunities with very little commercialism in a very rural setting. The latter is a small collection of different windmills brought from various points to that place, with considerable commercialism and bus loads of tour groups. Yes, they make wooden shoes and grind mustard at Zaanse Schans, although I don't know where most of the mustard they sell or painted clogs they sell, or other tourist trinkets comes from. Zaanse Schans is considerably closer to Amsterdam (Kinderdijk is nearer Rotterdam) so that is probably why the tour buses go there.
The same is, to a degree true of Enkhuizen / Marken. One is where Dutch folks go for an open air museum full of activities aimed at both children and adults, the other is where many tourist buses go for a look at what they think Holland should look like. Nothing wrong with Marken and Edam - I go fairly often to Edam (went once to Marken) and really enjoy the floating basement. But Enkhuizen and Hoorn is the real deal.
It is all what you and your family prefer, really. They all have their good points.
Posted by
the Netherlands
2487 posts
I am with Nigel's appreciation. Kinderdijk and Enkhuizen/Hoorn are much more the real thing than the Zaanse Schans and Edam/Volendam/Marken, less crowded and not so commercialised.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7884 posts
Alkmaar is not that much less touristy, but consider it. I think your problem isn't avoiding coach tours, it's keeping your age range all interested, all day. August is high tourist season everywhere in Europe.
I suggest concentrating on large, varied, interesting cities like Amsterdam and Antwerp. (Both are IDEAL for daytrips.) Are you going to give the 17-year old some free time? Don't spend too much time changing hotels in 7 days. It is unfortunate you can't fly home from BRU, a major hub.