BarbaraMH

We're looking for suggestions on beautiful places to visit outside of Brussels and Amsterdam for a May 2014 trip there. Short trip, only about 9 full days. Brussels and Amsterdam are the only MUSTS on our itinerary. We fly into and out of Brussels, but one of the main purposes of our trip is to take our daughters to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Both (ages 11 and 16) have become very interested in her story and would really like to visit there. Other than that, we have no requirements other than to visit places of beauty in either Belgium, (northern) France, or the Netherlands. We can do train or car. I thought the coast might be fun, but am not familiar at all with any of the coastal towns in this part of Europe. Looking for suggestions! Thanks for any help, Fodor Friends!

traveller1959

The coasts: The Dutch part of the coast consists of long, sandy beaches with low dunes behind. The Belgian section is similar, but heavily developed with dense rows of hotels and casinos behind the beaches.

I personally recommend the chalk cliffs on the French coast. Recommendable places on the coast are Dieppe, Fecamp and Etretat. From there, it is not far to Honfleur, which is a charming historical town.

hetismij2

You could head for one of the islands of the Dutch coast and or experience the Waddenzee, maybe go wadlopen, and visit some of the towns and villages in Friesland and Groningen.
Very different to Amsterdam. A car is useful, but not essential, though the train journey is a long one, and the bus not much better.
Drive over the Afsluitdijk.

John

Buy your tickets for the Anne Frank House on line and avoid the long lines at the entrance.
www.annefrank.org/en

lavandula

Knokke / Heist is one of the posher resorts on the Belgian coast, De Haan more for families. Near Knokke is the nature reserve Het Zwin (think wild and exposed), and a butterfly farm. There is also a coastal tram that goes up and down the resorts, which might be a bit of fun. Knokke Casino has famous artwork by Keith Haring and René Magritte.

I would probably try and squeeze in Bruges (Brugge) if you are in that part of the world anyway, as it's so close.

Lavandula

lavandula

Re-reading your post - aside from Brugge (which is really worthwhile) I will also recommend somewhere in Belgium that is quite beautiful but not near the coast: Dinant (http://www.visitbelgium.com/index.php/our-cities/dinant). Easily accessible by car or train.

Lavandula

PalenQ

Gent, Antwerp and Bruges are some of the finest old-worldish looking cities in northern Europe. Like lavandula say Knokke-Heist is a neat coastal town - Oostende claims to be the Queen of the Dutch seaside for good reason - a nice nice town as is Blakkenberge - take the coastal interurban tram all along the coast, even to the French border - a remnant of Belgium's once vast Vicinal interurban tram network I always found it fun to take.

Trains will take you to those seaside resorts as well and then take trams between them.

Zaandvoort (sp?) is Holland major seaside resort along with Schevignen (actually part of Den Hague) - really crowded in summer on nice days - Zaandvoort has an official nude beach if that is for you!

If going by train check out these superb IMO sites on Benelux trains - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - there is a Benelux Railpass is traveling far enough on trains and for several days - valid in Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg on all trains TMK except Thalys trains (steep supplement required) which you never have to take unless going to Paris from Brussels.

farrermog

Second Lavandula's recommendation of Knokke/ De Haan. Took train to Knokke and tram to De Haan while staying at Brugge, itself an easy train trip from Brussels. The tram along the Belgian coast runs frequently (from just to the left as you exit the station at Knokke) and has (had) an all day hop on hop off ticket. For another easy and interesting day trip by train from Brussels consider Maastricht.

lavandula

http://www.visitbelgium.com/index.php/our-cities/dinant

ribeirasacra

I personally would head along the north coast of NL. However if you decide to take the Belgium coast there is a tram service which would save you driving.

Darnwright

We were in Amsterdam last August and took a short train ride to Haarlem. This is the home of Corrie Ten Boom. This is from Rick Steve's website...."For a somber look at Haarlem history, visit the house of Corrie Ten Boom. In The Hiding Place, an inspirational book and movie, Corrie Ten Boom gives the other half of the Anne Frank story: the point of view of those who risked their lives to hide Dutch Jews during the Nazi occupation (1940–1945). Living above the family clock shop, Corrie and her sister Betsy, both in their 50s, and their elderly father built a secret room in the very back of their home off Corrie's tiny bedroom. They used the small hideaway to house six to seven Jews at a time."

We also rented bikes & rode to the the beach at Bloemendaal aan Zee, a seaside resort. Fabulous day trip.

kerouac

Cape Blanc Nez and Cape Gris Nez on the French coast near the channel tunnel are excellent nature reserves and very easy to get to if you take the coastal road.

http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com...ay&thread=5742

spaarne

<i>Coastal Belgium/France/Netherlands
Posted by: BarbaraMH on Nov 24, 13 at 11:33am
We're looking for suggestions on beautiful places to visit outside of Brussels and Amsterdam for a May 2014 trip there.</i>

May is a bit early for good beach weather in Holland. But May is perfect for the tulips. I suggest Keukenhof. Here is my photolog of a visit 5 years ago http://tinyurl.com/5nwqzp. If you are not into biking there are buses from Haarlem and Leiden. If you drive there is a big grassy parking lot just outside the main entrance.

<i>Darnwright on Nov 24, 13 at 11:24pm
We were in Amsterdam last August and took a short train ride to Haarlem. This is the home of Corrie Ten Boom.</i>
This is a good idea. I lived around the corner from the Corrie ten Boom clock shop and home but never went in. I read her book years later. The woman and her family are saints. Not only did they stand in harm's way, and suffered horribly, to save Jews but they also helped save American and British pilots who were downed over Holland while flying back from Germany. My landlord was a member of the Dutch underground and told me some amazing stories of the war. I've read Anne Frank's diary and a couple books about her. Her family was actually German and had escaped Germany. Corrie ten Boom was leagues above her as a hero to humanity.

The girls, and you, will probably love http://www.madurodam.nl/en/ in the Hague. There is a tram stop at the front door. The tram continues on to http://scheveningen.com/en/ beach which is OK as far as it goes. The real beach in Holland is Zandvoort, http://www.vvvzandvoort.com/. You can rent bicycles and pedal through the dunes.

Another great attraction for kids is http://www.duinrell.com/amusementpark in Wassenaar just north of the Hague. I loved the water slides here and my then 11 yo daughter loved the rides, and everything.

For beauty visit the museums. The famous ones are in Amsterdam but the http://www.franshalsmuseum.nl/en/ in Haarlem is very nice. I got my daughter interested by asking her and her friend to find their favorite painting. They loved it.

Another great visit for the family is the Zaanse Schans http://www.zaanseschans.nl/. You can climb around inside a working windmill. I bought my wooden shoes there.

A car is handy for visiting these places, especially with your short schedule. However, you won't want to drive in Amsterdam, or even Haarlem, unless you have experience driving in European cities and can tolerate it. See http://tinyurl.com/pdpdk26 if this is your first time driving in Europe.

PalenQ

Kinderdijk is the largest groupings of old behemoth windmills in Holland and probably Europe - it is a neat thing for kids too - you can rent bicycles in Gouda - a neat old town famous for its cheese and cycle the dozen or so miles on bike paths to Kinderdijk and then pedal thru the windmills - quite a site when they are working.

Doing a little bike riding in Holland is great - the country is a biker's paradise with many special bike paths that at places resemble are bicycle freeways with tunnels, bridges, etc.

Yup get your family out on a bike and do the the Dutch do pedal around.

MyriamC

@ Lavandula
Unfortunately the butterfly farm in Knokke-Heist does not exist anymore. It's in a housing (more apartments!) project, together with one of the famous Siska waffle houses.

As for beaches, being Belgian myself, I do prefer the beaches of the Netherlands (those of the province of Zeeland in particular because it's not too far from where I live) or those of northern France. The area of the Caps with quaint villages as Wissant, Wimereux, ... is so pretty.
Using public transport (train) is okay for cities, but if you want to see more remote places (the beaches of Zeeland or northern France, for instance), you will need a car.

Coquelicot

See walker42's photos of Bruges/Brugge and I guarantee you will be smitten. It is architecturally gorgeous.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ncegermany.cfm

PalenQ

https://www.google.com/search?q=kind...=1600&bih=1074

Just picture yourselves pedaling thru this amazing scenery as you do at Kinderdijk - Zaanse Schans in nice but artificial and not nearly so many windmills - Kinderdijk is the real thing. You can also take a boat from Rotterdam to a place very close to Kinderdijk if coming from there - the cycling route from Gouda however goes thru quintessential Dutch countryside on back roads and bike paths. Rentals possible in Gouda - check the VVV or Tourist Information for more details or at the Gouda train station.

Gouda is a dreamy Dutch regional town right up there with any in my book though relatively few folks ferret it out.

hetismij2

Please consider breaking out of the tourist mould, and head to northern Netherlands. Most contributors here stick to the same old same old.

irishface

I would like to second (or maybe it's third) Hetismij's suggestion to go north to Friesland and the islands off the coast. You get to drive over the great dike which enclosed the Zuider Zee to make the polders and the Ijslemeer(sp?). Stop and go up into the viewpoint where you can look back over the flat land and out to sea. The islands are great for walking.

Spaarne's recommendation of a day in Haarlem to see the Corrie Ten Boom House (check on opening times as it is not open every day.) for another point of view. I found it as moving as the Anne Frank House, which I visit every time I am in Amsterdam. The Frans Hals Museum is also fascinating. It is not overwhelming as some large museums are to me. I was interested especially in the landscapes, many of which are unchanged in hundreds of years since they were painted.

The bike paths are wonderful and the land is flat in the Netherlands, but the wind can be fierce even on a nice day, so remember if you begin with the wind at your back you will have to head into it on your way back to the starting point. Also be prepared for sudden showers. Not to be a downer, just giving you something to think about when you rent the bikes.

As I recall Monday was the day of the cheesemarket in Gouda. It was interesting and not as many tourists as Aalkmar's Friday market (the one where the fellows run back and forth with the cheeses on sort of boatlike carriers slung over their shoulders.

You will have much more than you can see in your allotted time.

Have fun!

irishface

I just went back to my scrapbooks from visits to the Netherlands. I was a bit in error about the West Frisian Islands. I went to Texel and did not drive over the dike to get there as it is part of the province of North Holland. Texel (pronounced tesel--sort of rhymes with nestle and pestle) was lovely. Google Texel and click on images. I would like to have visited a couple of the other islands in the chain which are part of Friesland.

I did drive over the great dike to go to Friesland and found it a very interesting part of the Netherlands. The Dutch spoken there is much closer to English than Dutch spoken elsewhere. As I recall, Friesland has a special status among the provinces of the Netherlands.

Hetismij, please feel free to jump all over me if I have given wrong info. I do really remember my visits to your adopted country with great pleasure and hope to get back again one day.