Hello Everyone,
A group of 5 seniors (67-74) traveled together for 2+ weeks in October. I gather so much information on this forum while planning my trips I thought I would share our travels in the event it may be helpful to anyone.
The group included my wife and I and 3 friends (who never traveled outside the country before). I was tasked with the planning and logistics of the trip, which I do every year for my wife and I and enjoy it.
Originally the trip was going to be Germany and France however the airline I normally use, Delta, did not have any direct flights to Germany and I wanted to avoid any connections. If it was just my wife and I it would have been ok however I felt it would be easier going directly to our 1st stop and I’m glad we did. We flew direct from Boston to Amsterdam landing early morning.
Amsterdam
Our 1st two nights were spent here. We all fell in love with the city. A great city to just walk and see the sights. The architecture, canals, and history all around make for an interesting experience. The Rick Steves walk included in his tour book was great. First days are always tough but I advised our group to keep going and we would turn in early. I find it better to stay up until at least 8:00pm the first day and get somewhat on track of local time. Being in a new city, great weather and anticipation of the trip helped us to power through.
Hotel
Linden Hotel- I had decided on the Linden Hotel in the Jordaan neighborhood. Location was very good and the hotel was clean. However the rooms were very, very small. I would give this hotel a pass when I return.
Museums
Anne Frank House- We all enjoyed the museum. The history, while sobering, is a painful reminder of what we as a people are capable of doing to others simply because they are in some way different from us. We had all reread The Diary of Anne Frank before our trip and it was a good refresher.
Van Gogh Museum-A very enjoyable museum. Beautifully designed and easy to navigate. Of course Van Gogh’s works, The Potato Eaters, Almond Blossoms, self portraits and many more are spectacular.
Rijks Museum-A world class museum. Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens and many more Masters make this a must visit for any art lover.
Of course timed entry tickets take some of the spontaneity out of travel however it’s best to have these museum tickets in advance. The Anne Frank House is probably the most difficult but worth the effort.
Canal Boat Tour- while many are available we chose Those Dam Boat Guys. It was a fun, lighthearted look at the history and current state of the city. We picked a time that would allow us to be out on the canal as it was getting dark. It was time well spent to see the city from a different angle.
Restaurants-A couple of places worth mentioning that we visited were Jottum and Sonneveld.
Jottum was a Mediterranean tapas restaurant which we all enjoyed.
Cafe Sonneveld-located in the Jordaan neighborhood it’s a traditional Amsterdam cafe. Couple of cold local beers and some stampot, delicious.
A walk through Dam Square and the Red Light District was interesting however the best narrative of the Red Light District came from the boat captain who lived in the neighborhood and explained that its really just another neighborhood with a church, daycare center, housing and work places of a longtime profession. He said he avoids it on Friday nights.
Overall we all truly enjoyed Amsterdam and its many sights and its friendly people. The history, museums, and restaurants gave us a glimpse of what Amsterdam has to offer and we all agreed it’s an area we would be glad to return to.
Next up Boppard, Germany and the Rhine.
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
11206 posts
Jmo, thanks for the wonderful trip report! Amsterdam is one of my favorite places and I agree that it's a good spot to take someone to who has not been to Europe before. It's easy to get around and there's so many wonderful sites there. You had a lot of good tips here, too.
I look forward to reading about your stay in the Rhine area in Germany as well. Boppard is another favorite destination for me!
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16614 posts
What a fun start to your trip!
I'm sure you made a good decision to fly direct with a group of 5. The 2 of you experienced travelers can be much more nimble so good job on assessing the needs of the group.
Can't wait to read the rest!
Posted by
OP
89 posts
CON’T
Leaving Amsterdam by train it’s on to Boppard, Germany by way of Cologne. Decided to stop in Cologne to break up the train ride, view the cathedral and try a kolsch. Plan was to store our luggage at the station check out the cathedral have a quick lunch and a kolsch (beer). Only problem was we could not find the luggage lockers. After walking through the station and asking many people, train staff, police, other confused looking passengers we decided we would take our luggage with us. We walked out into the pedestrian square between the station and the cathedral which is filled with outdoor dining. Weather was great so we found a table outside facing the church and enjoyed lunch. We decided we would visit the cathedral, which was covered in scaffolding, in two groups so one group would stay with the luggage. Fortunately the waiter was very nice and told us not to worry about taking up a table while the 1st group went inside. So just to be polite we ordered another beer! Inside the cathedral was beautiful and time to get back on the train for Boppard.
Much is written on the travel forum regarding visiting along the Rhine. Many people have very strong opinions about which towns to base in, which towns to visit and how long to stay. Even Rick’s book seems to suggest the area is a day or two and Boppard hardly gets a mention. So naturally I picked Boppard and decided on 3 nights. I am very glad we did. It was a short walk from the station to the hotel.
Bellevue Rheinhotel-After the tight quarters in Amsterdam what a pleasant surprise to walk in to the Bellevue. Great open reception area and greeted by friendly staff. We had booked rooms facing the river with balconies. Once settled in I didn’t want to leave the room. Watching the boat traffic along the river was excellent but there was a town to explore, or so I was reminded. A walk around Boppard convinced me that I had made the right choice. It was large enough to offer choices of dining, shopping and strolling along the promenade. Not much was planned for today as we were not sure what time we would get into town but a long walk, always a good idea after a long train ride, was just right. The next morning we walked up to the chairlift, a short walk from the hotel, to take a ride, about 20 minutes, to the top of a hill, I think mountain would be an overstatement. It was great. It afforded a view of the bend in the Rhine. We got off the chairlift and was able to walk or hike and take in spectacular views.
A boat ride was next on the agenda. KD lines offer many options. They have as many options as writers have opinions about the best way to go. You will read about only traveling south to north, about where to start and end the ride and many other options. All I can say is that I think they’re all correct. Cruising along the Rhine is just beautiful regardless of your decision. From Boppard to Bingen with views of castles and vineyards. Stopping in Sankt Goar to explore the town and a visit to Rheinfels Castle is a special treat. Of course you don’t need to rely solely upon boat travel, as a guest of Bellevue you will receive a free train pass for travel along the river. Even though no one ever checked our tickets on the very crowded train. My only advice would be not to worry too much about which towns to visit and which ones
to pass as they all offer special views and are interesting to walk, explore, eat, drink and enjoy.
While there are no world class museums and the restaurants while all good were not really memorable I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent along this beautiful part of Germany and found 3 nights there was certainly not too long. Looking forward to returning to visit the Moselle/Cochem area. Next up Munich.
Posted by
Franklin, TN, USA
1038 posts
Great report….we were pleasantly surprised at how much we loved Amsterdam when we visited last spring…..the Rijk’s Museum is AMAZING! Love the feel of the city though we trained in and out everyday from Leiden.