mike1728

Hello, we are planning a a trip to include three days in the Munster, Germany area and then a week in Amsterdam. We have been to Amsterdam twice in the past and have seen all the sights and museums. We are renting a car and planning to go on at least five day trips from Amsterdam...thinking of Volendam/Marken/Edam, Den Bosch, Delft and Gouda, Haarlem, and Zaanse Schans. Would appreciate any thoughts or must see sights in these areas, also the Munster area. We arrive the first week of October. Danke, Mikek

hetismij

You could combine Zaanse Schans with Volendam etc since you have a car.
Why Den Bosch? Presumably you are not planning on visiting there the same day as Delft and Gouda?
Most of the places you list are easily accessible by train and probably it is better to take the train than try and park the car in some of them.

If you are renting a car why not go for a longer day trip/overnight stop somewhere further away from Amsterdam? Do a trip around the Ijsselmeer for instance and stay somewhere in Friesland for a night, or visit one of the lesser visited national parks like the Weerribben, along with say Blokzijl, Urk and Giethoorn.

Texel is another possiblity.

Or explore the "Groene Hart" the green centre of the Randstad, with towns and villages villages like Breukelen (Brooklyn is named after it!) Vinkeveen, Baambrugge, Loosdrecht, Woerden, Schhonhoven. Lots of windmills around Schoonhoven for instance.
Leerdam south of Utrecht is also worth a visit with it's glass museum.
If you like aircraft, then there is the free Military aircraft museum in Soesterberg, which you could combine with a walk in the Soesterduinen ( a huge area of sand dunes) and a visit to Amersfoort say. Drive back throught Soest and see Paleis Soestdijk, former home of Queen Juliana. You could buy tickets for the garden and wander around them - the autumn colours may already be starting then and the whole area is one big woodland.

BTilke

Muenster has an attractive old town (and has a wonderful Christmas market) but what we really loved was the "water castle" area in "Muensterland" near the city. We particularly enjoyed Vischering (Luedinghausen) and Nordkirchen. Also the rose garden in Seppenrade. Muensterland is mostly flat and has good bike lanes, it's a perfect place to rent a bike for a day and ride around.

http://www.urlaubs-reise-blog.net/in...nsterland.html
http://www.germany-tourism.de/ENG/de...gion-id121.htm

mike1728

hetismij,
Danke for the great ideas, I never heard of most of the areas you mentioned...I will do further research...as for Den Bosch, my father was born there and I have many cousins that live there...I visited with my parents when I was a young teenager and now want to show my wife where my lineage is from...I remember it to be a wonderful Dutch town...Den Bosch would be one day...Delft and Gouda also a day trip...And you are right about train as opposed to car, but we need the car for Germany and for the cost of train and working around train schedules, we prefer to have the convenience of a car..I wouldnt think traffic/tourists will be too bad in October..also we cant do overnights as we are renting an apartment in Amsterdam...but thanks again for the great ideas!...Mikek

wanderfrau

I second the vote for the "water castles" in Munsterland. You could easily spend a week exploring the area. An often overlooked, but gorgeous part of the country.

Consider Leiden for a day trip from Amsterdam. Beautiful city, nice windmills, the beginning of US history.

Cowboy1968

On your way from Münster to Amsterdam, you can visit the Hoge Veluwe National Park between Arnhem and Amersfoort. Main attraction would be the Kröller-Müller museum in the middle of the park with its impressive van Gogh collection (and much more).
www.kmm.nl