Where to go other than Amsterdam?

Enkhuizen was fun.

Did you see this thread already? https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/amsterdam-side-trips-c7acff08-5c1a-47ae-ba25-28ed126e030a

Visiting Aalsmeer (at 7am) is not for the auction (which people here say is not as interesting as it used to be), but to see the whole gigantic operation. My husband and I loved it and we were there for hours. Some people on the forum say it's just carts of flowers driving around, proving once again that people are different.

I spent 2 nights in Delft, one to see the beautiful town, and then took a day trip to Leiden. I then spent two nights in Haarlem, with the same format. First day seeing the town, and the next taking a day trip to Amsterdam where I had been several times before, but wanted to spend my time in just The Jordaan, which turned out great. Using Leiden as a longer term base and taking day trips to Delft, Haarlem, and possibly Ultrecht, might be something to consider without having to change hotels. BTW, I also spent one night in Rotterdam, which was fine, but just didn't have the charm of the smaller towns.

Am I correct that mid May will be too late for tulips?

Yes. Unless you are very early in May and make a trip to Keukenhof gardens in the first days.

Keukenhof is the big tulip show south of Haarlem and northwest of Leiden.

Keukenhof will be open from 18 March 2027 to 9 May 2027.

This last spring I stayed in Utrecht and Haarlem. I had previously stayed in Leiden. To me, Utrecht is not smaller/quainter, though maybe it is compared to Amsterdam. I preferred Leiden to Haarlem, so I would choose Leiden as my base.

I fell in love with Delft in 2023 and will be returning next year. I also enjoyed my day trip to Leiden and have chosen to stay there a couple of nights as well. I was not a fan of Haarlem.

My trip report might give you some ideas.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-the-netherlands-and-belgium-my-trip-report

Delft is my favorite town to set a base in, however, I would not engage in an argument with those who prefer Utrecht, Leiden, or Haarlem. All four towns make a wonderful base. I even enjoyed staying in Den Bosch. I don’t recommend switching towns as you can take a train between any of the towns easily and quickly.

Another vote for Delft—particularly if you are looking for a "smaller quainter area."

We are also going to be in the Netherlands next May. When we were also trying to narrow down where to stay we decided to do a bike and barge trip so we can see a good chunk of the country. We will do 5 days after in Leiden to go south east and visit Maastricht, the coast and Utrecht on day trips.

Thank you all! So many wonderful options.

Mkkuefler-can you please provide more information on your barge /bike trip

I'll give you a good answer when we get home in a few weeks. We are about to have a nine day stop over in Utrecht, which we will use as a base for seeing other towns. It's the first time we have done that. I'll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned!

Like others LOVED Delft and Leiden. Met some girls in Amsterdam from Utrecht and what they described was lovely, so although not having gone there, sorry I missed it.

We just spent 9 days in Utrecht, which is a really nice place. I don't know much about other places in the Netherlands.

The one comment I would add to this thread is something probably some of you know already, but we discovered on this trip, and that is, train travel in The Netherlands is incredibly easy. You don't have to buy a ticket. You swipe your credit card to enter a train station, and you swipe your credit card (it has to be the same credit card), as you exit a train station. And they bill your credit card for the trip. If you have a connection, and have to get on another train, you just go get on the other train. You don't have to re-swipe your credit card. Just swipe when you enter any train station, and swipe when you exit at your final destination.

Utrecht has a great train station, is centrally located and well connected to other cities in the Netherlands, and it's a beautiful place.

Adding another vote for Delft. I also hear a lot of good things about Leiden, which I'd love to visit on a future trip.

We had a stopover yesterday in Amsterdam, so we took the tram to Leiden. Had a wonderful walk and dinner on the canal. Outdoor dining and warm weather at 7pm late September! It is rush week for the universities in Leiden so it had young energy.

Haarlem was quieter but that visit was 2 years ago. I love Haarlem!

I love Amsterdam and its energy but also love the smaller cities. We are currently exploring Haarlem, Leiden and Zandvoort from Haarlem and especially loved Leiden.
We also based ourselves in Delft for several days last week and loved Delft (a mini Amsterdam) and did day trips to The Hague and Rotterdam. Enjoyed all three!
Rotterdam is very different and we visited to see the modern architecture that arose after the devastating bombings in WW2. The Market was extraordinary and the nearby Cube Houses were so cool! The Harbour Cruise gives another perspective from the water. Rotterdam has a completely different feel but definitely worthwhile visiting depending on how much time you have, all the other cities mention fall into the “quaint” category that you cannot help but enjoy.

Mid-May is usually the tail end of tulips. Keukenhof typically closes mid-May, so check its dates. For a quaint outdoorsy base, Haarlem or Leiden both make easy bike and day-trip hubs