I'm a history buff and have one free day for day tripping from Amsterdam. Should I make the long journey to Gent, go to Arnhem and Utrecht, or choose Edam, Volendam or Marken? I've been to The Hague, Leiden, Delft, Alkmaar, Zannse Schans and Medemblik. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Dank u wel!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7884 posts
Do you mean 20th Century history or farther back? I'd say why see the third replica of the Bridge Too Far .... Is this public transportation only? I don't consider Arnhem a day trip from Amsterdam, but I know lots of people used to talk about the Floriade in Venlo as a day trip!! How about one or two of the Hanseatic cities? Does Frans Hals in Haarlem interest you at all? Utrecht is superb, but maybe too like Leiden? Amersfoort is really pretty, and has some history, although maybe too fluffy for a serious traveler like you. The cheese cities are pretty and historic, but very touristy. You didn't mention Kinderdijk, or the Delta Works, which I'd love to see-but that's engineering, not history. My favorite city in the circle you've laid out is Antwerp, which you didn't mention. (Please use a better Subject line next time :-), like "Tenth Day-Trip from Amsterdam")
Posted by
Birmingham
11 posts
It's at least as long a journey as Gent, but as a history buff, I'd make a beeline for Aachen. Throne and tomb of Charlemagne plus all the centuries of coronations would be irresistible for me.
Posted by
San Francisco
14976 posts
Hi, If you want to stay in Holland for this day trip, then I would suggest Arnhem too. If you want to cross into Germany, then my suggestion is Kleves...not far from border.
Posted by
Happy Valley, PA
672 posts
If it's WWII history that you are interested in, take a trip to Groesbeek outside of Nijmegen and visit the National Liberation Museum. It is chock full of Operation Market Garden history.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7884 posts
Fred, I researched Kleeves before our Germany/Netherlands trip in 2012, and the data suggested that there are only a few traces of historic times. So we didn't bother. What did you enjoy seeing there? Aachen is a good trip from Brussels, because the train is direct. I'm not sure it's so fast from Amsterdam. I just looked at Rick's train map ( http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/railmappack.htm ) and I see that Deventer, a superb Hanseatic League city is drawn as "direct" from Amsterdam. That means it gets my vote. I think it has a newer riverfront area for drinking and dining, walking distance from the old-town, which has a swell museum in the old weigh house. (Didn't look up the travel time ... )