lknisle1

Hello!!

I am planning my first trip to Europe with a friend for this upcoming June 2018. We will be staying for 14 days including travel days. We are looking for recommendations for fun things to do off the beaten path. We aren't too interested in doing a lot of "touristy" type things on our trip. Standing in line for hours just to see a famous painting doesn't spark our interests. Instead, we are looking for recommendations for day trips out of these cities, or places to stay. Fun areas to visit, or fun things to do. We are interested in biking different paths in Amsterdam, and just walking the streets and going to pubs. We are from England, so London is a must. Bruges has been recommended to us to stay in Belgium and we love chocolate and waffles and good beer! Any fun day trips on the country side of any of these countries we would love to hear! Thank you!

ribeirasacra

Cycling in the city centre of AMS is not for the faint hearted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLurEnjOeMo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhCp3vKyvPo

StCirq

None of what you want to do is even remotely "off the beaten path" You can't cycle in the heart of Amsterdam without being a major tourist and idiot. Bruges is a Disneyland. Why don't you just get outside into the countryside if you so wish to avoid touristy places. It's not that hard to do if you have two feet and a fes sous.

lknisle1

We are not looking to bike in the center of Amsterdam. We are looking for recommendations close to or in less populous areas to bike and venture out. We are mainly looking for recommendations on good National Parks and such so we aren't just in the city our entire trip.

tuscanlifeedit

I would suggest The New Forest National Park, but you are from England and may have already been there.

http://www.thenewforest.co.uk/

thursdaysd

Not sure why you would be asking for help with London if you are "from England". Or do you mean your family is from there? Never seen lines for the general collections at the main museums.

It sounds like you need a few good guidebooks. Also, if you are expecting National Parks like the ones in the US that's not all that likely. I suppose Dartmoor and Exmoor and the Yorkshire moors might come close but people do live there.

WeisserTee

Bruges is NOT a Disneyland if you go outside the central core. Head over to the other side of t'Zand and you will find that the number of tourists drops by 90%. There are stores, cafes, restaurants catering to the locals, not to the visitors and definitely not to the day trippers.

marvelousmouse

2 things I did in London that were sort of off the beaten path: street art walk and Denis Severs House. You really don't want to go off the beaten path that much in London, though. There's tons that is worth doing. At least go to the Tower of London and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Look at hostels.com. Lots of nice hostels in Europe, try to stay at ones rated 9 or higher.

janisj

Perhaps you mis-spoke -- If you are from England how can this be your first trip to Europe? (Brexit aside, the UK is in Europe)

Or did you just mean your ancestors are from there? If so, <i>where</i> in England? There is a whole lot of the country outside of London. (and the majority of emigrants came from elsewhere in the country)

>>Standing in line for hours just to see a famous painting doesn't spark our interests<<

I think you have some serious misconceptions - as long as you skip The Night Watch in Amsterdam you won't have to wait in lines most anywhere. Now, the room where Rembrandt's masterpiece hangs IS tourist cebtral and pretty insane.

The Tower of London has queues - but totally manageable if you arrive just before opening time.

But in general, places like London -- the main attractions/sites are not 'touristy'.

PalenQ

Rent a bike in Bruges perhaps rather than hectic Amsterdam - and Belgians cycle about as much as the Dutch - a good destination from Bruges is its ancient port, Damme, once one of the world's busiest ports long ago until it silted up - mammoth old Flemish facades still remain but a popular and neat bike ride- bike paths.

In Amsterdam I'd go with one of many day bike tours or go to a rental shop and ask about suggested routes outside of the city, which is hectic to bike in - like taking the free bike ferries across the harbor and heading to an area of polders with cute small old towns.

Trains are great London-Bruges (via Brussels) and Bruges-Amsterdam (via Antwerp) but book your train tickets ASAP to get deep discounted tickets at www.eurostar.com for London-Bruges and www.thalys.com for Bruges to Amsterdam. Good sites for lots of info on trains - www.seat61.com - great help on booking your own discounted tickets online; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

lknisle1

I meant our family is from England, I have never been. Our ancestors.

lavandula

Hi, in Amsterdam if you are wanting pubs then you will be looking for the 'bruine cafés' or 'bruine kroege', which are small cafés where the walls have been browned by cigarette smoke. Try an advocaat with slagroom, a small glass of advocaat, the traditional sweet egg liquor, topped with whipped cream, or a jenever, which is the juniper gin.

http://www.10best.com/destinations/n...e/brown-cafes/

Lavandula

PalenQ

or a jenever, which is the juniper gin.>

and jenever comes plain -for macho guys and flavored with say lemon for gals- or so I was told by own pub owner.

KTtravel

It sounds like you are not interested in seeing sights in major cities so I am not sure why you are planning to visit London, Amsterdam and Bruges. Perhaps you should consider staying in smaller towns in the countryside?

lavandula

>We are not looking to bike in the center of Amsterdam. We are looking for >recommendations close to or in less populous areas to bike and venture out. >We are mainly looking for recommendations on good National Parks and such >so we aren't just in the city our entire trip.

Outside Amsterdam is the Hoge Veluwe national park with the Kröller-Müller Museum (think Vincent van Gogh). In good weather you can bike there with one of their free white bikes.

https://krollermuller.nl/en/address-and-route

Lavandula

mjs

I , like KTtravel do not understand why you are heading to cities when you do not seem to be interested in what these cities have to offer a visitor from abroad. Like others I recommend you spend some time reading some travel guides so you might be a better idea of what you want to get out of a trip to Europe.

menachem

Go to Rotterdam! Because Amsterdam is entirely ON the beaten path. Problem solved.

hetismij2

Or Groningen, waaay off the beaten path.

isabel

OK, here are some compromise suggestions. For Amsterdam, stay in Haarlem which is a quick 15 minute train ride form Amsterdam - it's not in Amsterdam but it's not some obscure little town, or other major city. Relatively few tourists, cheaper accommodation, good transportation connections. Do at least one day trip into Amsterdam to see the city itself. Ignore the museums, and especially the Anne Frank house if you don't want to be in crowds of tourists.But if you do some reading you'll find lots of neighborhoods to explore, interesting architecture, etc.

For Belgium stay in Antwerp, no where near as touristy as Brugge but a very interesting, typically 'Belgian' city. You can do a day trip to Brugge. Get up really early and go there first thing because it becomes more crowded as the day goes on. Also day trip to Ghent.

London is a major city so tourists are easily absorbed by the crowds of people who live there. Just walk all over the city to absorb the history and atmosphere. But I agree skipping the Tower of London just cause it's touristy would be a mistake.

Nikki

This website for the Londonist is full of off the beaten track suggestions, and if you click the box in the upper right corner to "get Londonist in your inbox", you will get e-mails with all sorts of up-to-the-minute ideas.

http://londonist.com/#