maha

Hi all!! Me and my husband are planning our first trip to The Netherlands in june/july. We are into sight seeing, visiting all major attractions and we like to walk around and get a feel of the city, its culture, try the food that a place is famous for. Perhaps visit a museum or two because we are not really art lovers. We love to see as much as we can in as little time. We plan on spending about 3 days in The Netherlands...maybe 4 if 3 is too less. We plan to base ourselves in amsterdam and perhaps take day trips from there. My question is that are tours like http://www.viator.com/tours/Amsterda...d525-2550LIN15
and
http://www.viator.com/tours/Amsterda...d525-2550LIN16
and
http://www.viator.com/tours/Amsterda.../d525-2550DIKE

Are tours like the ones suggested above any good?? What is the best way to make day trips if i do them myself maybe i will not know much about what i am seeing and will stare and things and come back home???

isabel

They don't look too bad. The problem is they are covering a lot of places in one day, so you won't have much time in any one place. The first one that includes Delft - it mentions 'factory' tours - that means they stop and you get a sales pitch, maybe with a little information thrown in. Other than that you won't have time to wander around Delft which is a beautiful small city. It would be very easy to do Delft on your own - it's a short, easy train ride. I spent five days in Amsterdam and did day trips by train to Delft, Haarlem, Leiden, and Gouda - they were all very easy and on your own you can spend as much or as little time as you want. But if you like the combination of places these tours go, and don't mind paying a little more than public transportation costs, then they seem OK.

takemewithu

I agree with Isabel. Unless you want to see a lot of different cities at a whirlwind pace, in this case organized.bus tours will be the way to go. The charm of Delft, Haarlem, Gouda and the Dutch countryside can be best enjoyed in an non hurried pace, IMHO.

HappyTrvlr

It is very easy to take a train to Delft, Haarlem, Leiden, The Hague.

maha

thanks. would it be a good idea to base myself in haarlem instead of amsterdam?? what would be the pros and cons??

maha

Is anyone aware of any walking tours for Delft, Haarlem, Leiden, The Hague, Utrecht??? If i take a train to any of these places will i be able to get a guide or walking tour from there because if i wander around myself i will not know much about the places and reading guide books can be a bit too overwhelming/boring for me.

Sondrali

check how many people will be on the tour. we went on one last year and I did not realize 30 people were on the bus tour. made it more difficult to stay with a large group which took up more time for the tour guide to keep up with everyone. you had to stay at front of the group to hear her info.

ribeirasacra

Yep I agree drop the idea of a bus tour if you do not wish to be in a crowd and rushed.
However it can be daunting to organise your own trips but that is half the fun.
Some ideas of DIY
http://www.fodors.com/news/four-best...rdam-6212.html
http://www.holland.com/us/tourism/ci...tineraries.htm
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/amsterdam/765477
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/tr...ign.html?_r=1&
http://www.giethoorn.com/
http://www.deltawerken.com/The-Ooste...rrier/324.html

Public transport.
http://9292.nl/en/#
http://www.ns.nl/en/travellers/home
http://www.holland.com/global/touris...in-holland.htm
Cycle routes
http://en.routeplanner.fietsersbond.nl/
Driving.
http://www.routenet.nl/default.aspx

kja

Many years ago, I took a tour that was somewhat similar to the 2nd one you list, but I don't think it was quite the same: I saw Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken in a single-day bus tour. As a solo traveler, that tour suited me quite well. I arranged it through Amsterdam's tourist information office. I was very pleased with my experience.

It's a lovely area - enjoy!

maha

thank you ribeirasacra for the links i cannot stop reading. The more i read the more i want to do them myself. I want to see windmills, tulips (not sure if that is possible in june) and all things unique to holland.
Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken, Kinderdijk, haarlem, delft, rotterdam, dordrecht, the hague, utrecht, leiden so many places, the deltaworks, Afsluitdijk (Enclosing Dike),Alkmaar etc etc. So basically i have an itenary now that will take atleast a full week (bangs my head with confusion). I'm not into museums and i can travel by train/bus/boat and walk. Cycling or bikes is not an option. Can anyone here who has the experience please help me out as a first timer who wants to experience as much as there is possible in 3 days what itenary should i make now. What should i not miss and what should i let go of???