We're planning a 3 week trip to Northern Europe next spring. We'd like to fly into Paris and back from Amsterdam, spending 4 nights in each of these cities. We enjoy small town/country travel, and are willing to rent a car if that would enhance the trip. We both have family roots in Belgium and Holland. I'm interested in suggested itineraries, especially ideas for a vacation rental in the middle of the trip for relaxation purposes. Thanks in advance. BTW, I tried to search the site, but found it impossible to screen out train information. Once we figure out the basic outline of the trip, we can do that detailed research.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
11 posts
Personally I find having a car in the Netherlands frustrating. The public transportation is so accessible. When we are in the Netherlands we rent bikes at the train station and just use them for transportation (the first few days your thighs will rebel). One of my favorite locations is The Hague. I love the Girl with the Pearl Earring painting in the Mauritshuis (perhaps my favorite in all of Europe). We took the train from Paris to The Hague and then purchased a pass for travel within Holland. If you are going in the Spring, schedule a visit to the Keukenhof (most spectacular tulips and flowers you will ever see). My favorite locations in Amsterdam are: Anne Frank House, canal cruise,& Sara's Pancake House.
Posted by
Lake Stevens, WA
26 posts
Janet
I just returned from Amsterdam last week. For a quick and very amazing getaway from AMS, I HIGHLY recommend Den Haag and Delft (but especially Delft). This was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my trip! Amsterdam CS to Den Haag CS (or HS) is about 30 minutes. I biked around the hauge for a while, then rode to delft which is only about 7km from the HS station. It is a very easy ~20 minute bike ride to delft and biking along the river (forgot name) is incredible. I will mention that if you do decide to bike, keep that in mind if you decide to climb the stairs at nieuwe kerk as that can be very tiring if you want to go all the way to the top (view is worth it though).
Have fun!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I second the other two poster's suggestions (I just returned from Benelux yesterday). I really enjoyed Delft, although unless you used it as a base, I wouldn't spend more than two nights there.
If you travel between late March and early May, you can see the tulips in bloom at Keukenhof Gardens. This place really is amazing, and is easily reachable from Amsterdam, Delft, Den Hague, Haarlem, Leiden and Rotterdam.
Traffic really is awful in the Netherlands, and you can get just about anywhere by public transportation. You certainly don't need a car here.
Belgium, however, is a different story if you want to spend time in the countryside. Although the train system is easy enough to use between cities, if you want to go elsewhere without a car, you have to figure out the local bus and tram schedules. At least in Flemish region, schedules and instructions are only printed in Dutch.
What specific area of Belgium did you have in mind for family roots? Particularly if want to explore Vlaams Brabant, Antwerpen or Limburg provinces, I can offer some suggestions...