Kay

We will be arriving via train from Germany and departing via AMS airport in December with about 5 days in the Netherlands. My husband prefers to stay in small town or suburban locations and take the train to our daily destinations. We are looking for 1 or 2 base towns with budget/moderate hotels near train station. <BR> <BR>Our plans are definitely to go to Koog Zaandijk–Zanse Schans open air museum north of Amsterdam (1 day), Rijksmuseum and van Gogh museums and walking along canals in Amsterdam (2 days), and visit some towns -- Gouda, Delft (factory), etc. (1 day). Our optional/time permitting list consists of Hoorn, Haarlem, Kroller-Muller museum in the national park near Apeldoorn. <BR> <BR>Anyplace north or south of Amsterdam you'd recommend? Anyone stay near a suburban Amsterdam train station such as Sloterdijk? Leiden looks central to the south destinations, but it has 300,000 people so not so small.

Sjoerd

A smaller town with a train station is Breukelen (North of Utrecht). Nice enough to spend a few pleasant hours, but not touristy at all. Very central. <BR>I don't know if Abcoude has any hotels, but it is very close (about 10 km) to Amsterdam AND very rural AND it has a train station. <BR>Don't stay near one of "other" (non CS) stations in Amsterdam. They are mostly in boring business districts. <BR>If I were you, I would rather stay in a mid-sized city like Haarlem, Leiden, Delft or Utrecht, or, North of Amsterdam in Hoorn, which is a really nice small town. (but not as central as the others) <BR>You can get rail travel times and schedules via www.ns.nl

John

Kay, I think you'd find Delft to be a good choice. It's a lovely old town with much to see in its own right, close enough for day trips to Amsterdam, The Hague, Leiden, etc., but without the prices of Amsterdam or the boredom of the burbs. The central area has a lovely small town feel.

Dinger

<BR>I've used Delft as a base, but it's a bit too far if you're going north of Amsterdam. I'd go for Leiden....your 300,000 population is a bit off; drop a zero because it's more like 30,000. There's a nice Holiday Inn there at about $100 a night. Most other hotels are a bit on the old-but-comfy side.

MJS

Population of Leiden is somwhere in between. The 1990 Michelin Green Guide says it's about 107,000, but doesn't say if that's the "metropolitan area" or just Delft proper. I've stayed there and agree it makes a nice base, though it's definitely more of a small city and a lively university town than a small town. You can take a train direct to the airport, too.

MJS

Make that Leiden proper, not Delft proper. Sorry.

John Bermont

Kay, <BR>I'm partial to Haarlem because I lived there and love it, but your itinerary seems to leave it in place or show. Have you considered one of the many hotels at Schiphol? The train station at the airport is virtually "central station" for the Netherlands, on the main line from Amsterdam to the Hague. Admittedly you are not going to find much in the way of Dutch charm in a businessman's hotel out there, but it will have proximity to the fastest trains in the country. <BR>John Bermonet <BR>www.enjoy-europe.com/cds/holland.htm <BR>

Lynn

Kay, <BR>Although Haarlem is on your optional list, my husband, daughter (age 19) and I loved it and would choose to stay there again. We stayed at the Hotel Lion d'Or which is across from the train station and very convenient for day trips to Amsterdam. The hotel was very clean, recently remodeled. It cost us $130 per night for a triple with breakfast. (We were given the largest room in the hotel.)

Kay

Thanks for all the help. The descriptions of Delft sound like just what we are looking for, although an hour from Amsterdam and further for Koog Zaandijk–Zanse Schans and possibly Hoorn. So, I'm thinking we might stay there for two nights to see the towns and visit the factory, then move up to Haarlem to access the city, points north, and the airport.

Jack Quillen

My wife and I just returned from a trip which included four nights in Delft. Oude Delft is a smaller, more laid-back, and less expensive version of Brugge, Belgium. I would recommend two nights there, as there is much to see and enjoy. The Tourist Information Office is in the Grote Markt. Ask about <BR>an English language walking tour. There are many nice hotels along the canals, and you will be hard pressed to spend more than $100 a night for a room or over $25.00 for a meal.

Kay

The hotels are starting to put out their winter special rates, so we are starting to price and decide. <BR> <BR>Deflt--the best deal near the train station is the De Kok, with the Leeuwenbrug, Johannes Vermeer, and Coen with slightly higher rates. <BR> <BR>Leiden--Golden Tulip is best deal with Nieuw Minerva and De Doelen close. <BR> <BR>Haarlem is too expensive. <BR>The specials in Amsterdam at places such as Crowne Plaza Centre, Jolly Carlton, Die Port Van Cleve, and Hotel de Compagnie are much lower. <BR> <BR>

Kay

I don't usually respond to my own posts. But, for anyone traveling to the Netherlands this winter, bookings.nl now has winter specials posted for many hotels, specials that are not available from the hotel website or the hotel directly. <BR> <BR>For example, the Crowne Plaza Centre has a Christmas special for 60 Euros double and Die Port Van Cleve is 55 for a limited number of nights. This has dropped the cost of staying in Amsterdam near Christmas below the cost of Haarlem or Leiden, so we are rethinking--a couple of nights in Delft, then stay in Amsterdam and take the savings over the smaller town atmosphere.