I'm planning my itiniery and it's tricky what to schedule on Monday. 1. In the Netherlands, I'm finding contradictory info about whether the Stoomtram (Steam train from Hoorn to Medemblik) runs on Monday in August. The Rick Steves book says it's only Tues-Sun but some websites suggest otherwise. I went to the official website, but the timetable was in Dutch:
http://www.museumstoomtram.nl/en/timetable I'm hoping to do this on Monday, since I'll have five days in Amsterdam. I am hoping to spend 2 days in the city, 1 day for this historical triangle, 1 day for Haarlem and 1 day to Edam/Volendam/Marken. 2. In Belgium, I will be arriving in Ghent halfway through Sunday and have a full Monday and Tuesday. I was hoping to make daytrips to Brussels and Bruges on Monday and Tuesday. Any suggestion which city to pick for Monday, when most indoor museums are closed? I haven't been to either city before. I suppose if there's too much to see, I could go to the same city both days. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7884 posts
Google Translate is your friend. It looks to me like the train runs every Monday in August. You can never rely on a guidebook, by anyone, for exact closing days. The internet is a trip-saver in that regard. You should double-check everything after you set your schedule. Either of those cities is an inferior visit on a Monday. AFIR, the Ghent Altarpiece is open on Monday, but little else is. I even found some small retailers closed on Monday, but I didn't have any trouble finding plenty of restaurants. The Castle of the Dukes of Brabant is only a must-see for children, so you'll just be enjoying the outdoor views. Gent and Bruges are both pretty places, but your visit is kneecapped by the Monday. Although you have a perfectly valid plan, two days in Amsterdam is a short visit. I note that you didn't mention Antwerp, which might have more to do (I mean other than museums) on Monday simply because it's so much bigger than Gent and Bruges. Bottom line, don't go to Bruges on Monday. But that's making the best of a bad situation. Maybe, don't go to Bruges at all, go to Antwerp instead, on Monday.
Posted by
OP
Edmonton, Canada
98 posts
Thanks for your help. I did use Google Translate but just wanted to make sure. I'm actually staying in Antwerp on Wed, so that's why I left it out. I guess I might go to Bruges on both Monday and Tuesday, as long as the train fare isn't too expensive. I plan to look around Gent on Sunday when I arrive and on Mon and Tues nights since I'm staying in Gent. I was tempted to visit one more place by going to Brussels too but maybe that is too much.