3-4 days Netherland trip

Old Jan 18th, 2017, 08:16 AM
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3-4 days Netherland trip

I am looking for some great suggestions that i always get from exp people on this forum.
I will be reaching Amsterdam on 10th May afternoon. Roam around in evening and take rest.
11th May : Visit keukenhof : tulip garden and visit to Leiden
12th May : Visit Van Gogh museum, Anne frank house, Heineken tour, canal ride etc ..
13th May : Visit Harleem and visit museums there
In afternoon/evening, leave for Paris

Is the above plan sounds reasonable or am i missing some must-visit places there.
Traveling with 3 year old.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 08:25 AM
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I recall people here said that Heineken tour was a waste of time, don't take it.
Your visit seems rushed, I doubt you can do all that you planned for each day. Good luck then.

There is no must-visit places, if they are not already on your mind. I will probably see Rijksmuseum the next time I go to Amsterdam.

When you are in Keukenhof, you may rent a bike and do a tour round the tulip fields around the park - if you can find a seat for your 3 year old. Otherwise a boat tour is nice too.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 08:52 AM
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Thanks FuryFluffy, Already added Rijksmuseum after reading some of the feedbacks.
Bike for rent is available inside the tulip garden?
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 09:42 AM
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Don't bother with the Heineken tour. Be sure to book your tickets for both the Van Gogh and Anne Frankhuis online now, and I do mean right now, so you don't have to queue. Same for Keukenhof.
Your day in Amsterdam seems way too busy with a three year old. They will soon be bored with museums. Perhaps do your boat tour on your arrival day if you and your child aren't too exhausted, and visit Vondel Park to let them let off steam a bit.
Make Haarlem a half day trip and add the extra time for another Amsterdam museum (Rijks?)perhaps.

Bikes are not available in Keukenhof, FuryFluffy means hire bikes outside for a ride around, but if you are going on to Leiden you probably don't have time.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 10:01 AM
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Thanks hetismij2 ..
Any good place to book boat/canal ride online ? OR i can book it there itself with the same price?
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 10:26 AM
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The canal boat trip will be the same price there. Just buy the tickets shortly before the boat is due to go.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 11:29 AM
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The bike rent is just outside of Keukenhof's gate. They will give you a bike map which shows itinerary of 1h or 2h for the optimal tulip fields around the park.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 12:09 PM
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Keukenhof can easily be reach by train and bus - train to Leiden -shuttle bus to gardens - of which tulips are a small part and could well be over by the time you get there.

Paris train -book really early -at www.thalys.com to get nice discounts.

In Holland ask about Daag Retour - day return- tickets that are slightly cheaper than two one ways (not sure of current status)- for lots of good info on rail travel check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

You are visiting enough museums to make the National Museum Card probably a good deal- valid at nearly all museums in Holland plus many sights - Anne Frank House included:

http://www.amsterdam.info/museums/museumkaart/
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 12:29 AM
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PalenQ, the dagretour no longer exists. You can buy a return ticket (one time use chipcard) from machines or at the counter, but it's priced at 2 x single tickets.

Both Haarlem and Leiden are near Keukenhof, so I'd combine those in one day (although it will be terribly rushed. E.g, you might travel to Leiden in the morning (30 minute trainride), do a city walk (Don't forget to visit Rapenburg and possibly the Humboldt House, if you want to have a look at what's behind the façades, but you can also have a look at the location where Rembrandt was born) and have lunch there. Then take the bus to Keukenhof for the afternoon, and travel from there to Haarlem, for instance to have dinner, but the evenings are long enough to have a stroll through the city, and then return from Haarlem to Amsterdam by train.

That way you have two full days in Amsterdam, and your visit there will be less rushed

I'd slow it down, especially with a 3 year old
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 09:35 AM
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Thanks PalenQ for the information on train.
I just booked the train back to Paris on 13th evening last train so i will be reaching Paris on 13th by 9 PM, hope it should be ok to reach by that time.
So i have 3 full day and half day in Amsterdam which should be good enough to cover the places that you guys have suggested.
menachem, i agree that it will be hectic if i try to cover haarlem and Leiden in a day only, anyways now i have an extra day to spend so it should be manageable.

Any good apartment options to stay near Amsterdam central or near train station?
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 09:39 AM
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http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ite-things.cfm

Things I and others love about Amsterdam.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 11:02 AM
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vbansal, have a look at booking.com and play with the filter options to find what suits you.
Apartments is getting complicated in Amsterdam. There has been such an influx of tourists and such an explosion of illegal AirBnB apartments, that the city is cracking down hard on subletting and absentee exploitation.

If you want some peace and quiet and still want to be close to Central, I can recommend Noord, across the IJ. Central can be reached by the very frequent ferries (free, run day and night, every 10 or so minutes)

For instance, you could stay here, in truly idyllic surroundings:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/nl/dij...rc=sr_iw_title

and rent a bakfiets to transport your 3 year old. Noord is very quiet, all cyclepaths are segregated and well protected. If you feel hesitant about cycling in Amsterdam centre, you can always stash your bikes at the guarded bike parking at Central, for a small sum and continue on foot or by tram.

You may find, that living the Dutch Boho life agrees so well with you and your family, that you want to go for picknicks and parks all the time, instead of heading to Keukenhof.

Macbike do "bakfiets" rentals:

http://www.macbike.nl/bike-rental/bicycle-prices/

And this is the area where you could be staying:

https://www.google.nl/maps/@52.39118...!6m1!1e1?hl=en

"Het Sluisje" is the neighbourhood cafe, now in the process of being bought by the neighbourhood, because the owner is retiring.

If you look closely, you'll see a sign for H Veer, a volunteer manned ferry service to Central Station

That's this:

http://move-amsterdam.nl/ij-buurtveer/

Usually they sail on sundays, but you can book them too, and often they have interesting sailings, for instance to Lighthouse Island.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 12:24 PM
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that you want to go for picknicks and parks all the time, instead of heading to Keukenhof:

Like Vondel Park and its popular play area for kids -the Grote Melkhuiis - where parents can sit at a cafe and have a tea or beer or whatever and overlook play areas!

https://www.google.com/search?q=vond...HdJNCqQQsAQILA

https://translate.google.com/transla...l/&prev=search
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 10:13 PM
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Totally! And if the weather is really nice, not far from Groot Melkhuis there is a play area with a wading pool that's well maintained and cleaned daily.

Other great spots: The play area in Sarphatipark (also nice, because there are some coffee places bordering the park that do coffee to go: perfect for mom and/or dad to take with them into the park)

The play area on Westermarkt just off Haarlemmerstraat

Amsterdam has a great many of such play areas for children, many of them were originally designed by the quite famous architect Aldo van Eyck in a city council bid to make the city more livable for children. They have protected status, so, even if an area is restructured, the play area needs to stay.

The climbing frames that Van Eyck designed are used up to this day and are still being produced.

One terrific spot, newly renovated is the play area at Weteringplantsoen (U.J. Klaren): for a 3 year old, too, there is lots to do and for parents there's a small cafe with child proof fare (pink cakes, yay!)
And there's a pancake place nearby.
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 09:46 AM
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Amsterdam has a great many of such play areas for children>

Amsterdam yes is also a real town in its centrum where lots of families live -it is the Venice of the North only because of its canals.
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 10:50 AM
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I recall people here said that Heineken tour was a waste of time>

without weighing in on whether it is a waste of time or not - it is not a tour anymore since the old brewery has been demolished long ago- it is an audio-visual tour and history of Heineken but you still have the tasting rooms.

When it was a working brewery it was neat but not much now - called the Heineken Experience I believe -on limited time spend it elsewhere IMO.
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 12:38 PM
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A very classy image of how a sound Belgian perceives Heineken beer.

Of course it is subliminal, we would never tell our neighbours in case we would hurt their feelings.

http://postimg.org/image/cyllmrgm1/

I told you : classy.
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 02:46 PM
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WoeinParis -any good bona fide factory beer tours in Belgium - I know micro breweries and abbeys but say Stella Artois in Leuven -any tours?
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 10:36 PM
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Heineken is good marketing, but beer it is not
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Old Jan 21st, 2017, 01:55 AM
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PQ, I only visited Orval - they installed a glazen floor at level of the copper tanks used to mature the beer - my English is not at its best to explain beer production ;-)
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