RS - Best of Europe in 21 days - come October. Arriving Haarlem 3 days early - looking for at least one unique side trip. Looks like an interesting. area. Any with insights - actual knowledge. With nearly 1/3 of their population below sea level, they are decades ahead of most countries facing the problem of too much water - in the wrong place. A different mostly outside / historical / architectural / photogenic site to recommend? Thank you.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14735 posts
I visited the Delta Works on a RS Belgium and Holland trip and thought it was quite interesting which shocked me because I sometimes get bored with engineering stuff. I don't have any ideas on how to get there from here, though, lol!
Honestly, I'd spend an extra day in Amsterdam. The tour only goes for one very busy day and there is a lot to see.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2085 posts
Thank you for your interest. Nowadays we are very much concerned about climate change. We were very confident about our protection against the sea till so far but the weather becomes more extreem so we have to deal with flooding from rivers too caused by very heavy rainfall. But also periods of drought is a worry, so we need finding a balance between the amounts of water we have to deal with. So managing water as we say remains a constant battle, it's way more than just building dikes.
If you want to visit the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier you will need a car. For the Maeslant Barrier west of Rotterdam you can take the train from Haarlem to Rotterdam with an additional train to Hoek van Holland, plus a taxi to the barrier. The Maeslant Barrier is anyway spectacular and gives a good idea about hydraulic engineering, there is a visitor centre and guided tours in English too.
https://www.maeslantkering.nl/english hopefully they can help you with getting a taxi, there is a TI at Rotterdam Centraal railway station if needed.
It needs more time for going to the Eastern Scheldt Barrier. You can again take the train to Rotterdam and drive from there via the A15 and N57 along the coast to the barrier. The first barrier you will pass is the Haringvliet Barrier, but hard to see from the road, there are a few viewpoints at the southside. Worth a stop more south is tiny but lovely Goedereede along the N57.
Deltapark Neeltje Jans is the visitor centre of the Eastern Scheldt Barrier combined with a themepark. Even being a local, passing many times the barrier and visited it during construction I have never visited the park, maybe somewhere in the future. The entrance fee is €26 (guess €20 for the winter period) and according reviews it looks a bit outdated here and there, but think nevertheless worth to visit. There are guided and boat tours.https://www.neeltjejans.nl/en/
You can include a visit to very charming Veere and on the way back certainly Zierikzee too. Free parking just outside both places. Near the latter there is the Flood Disaster Museum at Ouwerkerk, a moving museum about the flood disaster of 1953 which is commemorated last month for the 70th time. It was the reason the Delta Works are realized.
https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/en/water/water-safety/delta-works#vital-protection
Posted by
Chico, CA USA
236 posts
Delta Works is totally worthwhile but it's a little distant from AMS (two hour drive). You'll pass by dozens of terrific places to stop along the way.
With only a brief detour you could include Kinderdijk which would make for a full day.
FWIW, one of my favorite little villages in all of Netherlands is in Zeeland and very near Delta Works, Veere. Also Zeirekzee (sic?).