JoeTro

Hello,

I'll have about three days in Amsterdam proper and three for day-trips. I'm staying at the Citizen M at the airport Sunday night through Tuesday night, July 26-28, so July 26 and 27 seem like good days for day trips.

Day-trip one, perhaps on a Monday since much of this is walking around and the Zaans Museum is open Mondays: Zaanse Schans, main museum and walk to windmills (I presume I can just see the outside of them); Zaandvort beach; end in Harleem, wander around a little before heading back to Airport. Probably won't see the interior of anything in Harleem but can just at least walk around some into the town and maybe have dinner.

Tuesday: Start in Rotterdam, then the Hague, ending at the Mauritshuis at 6, then quick trip to Scheveningen; then head back to Citizen M Schipol to get bags and move to Citizen M Centraal station.

Wednesday: Centraal Station to Kronen-Muller museum? This seems like an absolute beast to get to on public transport!

This leaves Thursday-Saturday in Amsterdam proper, with at least one of the main museums open quite late those nights, and three consecutive days to consider buying a Museum Card.

Thanks for your thoughts! Am I trying to do too much and not enjoying the beaches? Should I scrap the third daytrip to Kronen-Muller? (Big impressionist art lover here, though)

Dukey1

In the past when we have visited Zaanse Schans at least one, a so-called "color mill" which was used to grind paint pigments, has been fully open and operating. You could go inside and view the entire operation, literally from top to bottom. Even though the various mills and other buildings have been moved to the site/reconstructed I think you'll find it as worthwhile as visiting some place more "authentic" such as Kinderwijk (which is near Rotterdam) and a lot easier to do.

ribeirasacra

***Wednesday: Centraal Station to Kronen-Muller museum? This seems like an absolute beast to get to on public transport!***
Why do you say that? Here is the details.
http://krollermuller.nl/adres-en-route
Do not forget you can also use this website http://9292.nl to make your public transport plans within The Netherlands.

PalenQ

Wednesday: Centraal Station to Kronen-Muller museum? This seems like an absolute beast to get to on public transport!>

I've done it from Amsterdam and it was a snap - take a train to Weiningen/Ede (sp?) and then get buses outside the station right to Hooge Veluwe national park - I had to change to another bus that took me to Kroller-Muller - but easy as pie - I took a bus to Arnhem to return by a different route and glimpse that neat town a bit too.

I was sad to find that my Museum Card was not accepted at Kroller-Muller - maybe they are now.

For lots of good info on Dutch trains - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. Dutch trains can be seriously overcrowded IME in 2nd class, especially during rush hours as these are basically commuter trains - first class may be wise investment if you find trains mobbed in 2nd class - 1st class will have many empty seats IME.

As for Amsterdam here are some things I and others have liked about this awesomely beautiful and interesting city:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ite-things.cfm

PalenQ

Kinderdijk's museum complex is far far more impressive than Zaanse Schans IMO - easy to do a neat day trip from Rotterdam by boat to the site - Zaanse Schans is a token windmill experience compared to Kinderdijk - also Delft is a real charmer - if you love modern architecture go to Rotterdam, one of my favorite Dutch regional towns but if into cute canal-laced old towns with a lot of neat things to see consider twinning Delft with The Hague, easily done.

Dukey1

I disagree with Pal given the amount of time you have to spend and the number of places you want to see. Kinderwijk is NOT as easy to reach as is Z-S, especially by public transport from Amsterdam. And having been to both I must disgaree that the mills at Kinderwijk are somehow "more impressive" than those at Z-S but that's obviously a subjective opinion. The ability to reach the places "easily" from your base in Amsterdam, however, is not subjective.

PalenQ

Kinderdijk is the real deal - behemonth mills been there for centuries - Z Schans is a museum with museum pieces and yes it is also nice - I was suggesting that instead of Rotterdam OP do Kinderdijk - well not suggesting but just laying out options - in which case the time factor would be the same.

https://www.google.com/search?q=kind...=1600&bih=1075

https://www.google.com/search?q=zaan...=1600&bih=1075

Well you can't go wrong.

and yes on some days like Zaanse Schans and Zandvoort and Haarlem will be a bit too much to enjoy it all - drop the beach perhaps as it is just a nice beach but otherwise...

PalenQ

a top draw for some right next to Schiphol Airport is the Aalsmeer Flower Auction - said to be the biggest auction under one roof in the world - the action starts early and starts to wind down by noon - you can look down on it all from catwalks - I found it very very interesting - bus from Schiphol and then bus from there to Leiden to join the rail system.

Some pictures of the pulchritudinous flower display you'll see from above: https://www.google.com/search?q=aals...=1600&bih=1075

menachem

Instead of Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk go to Enkhuizen and visit the Zuiderzee Museum. 2 hours by train from Amsterdam, easy connection from Schiphol via Hoorn. Hoorn is also extremely nice. And both Enkhuizen and Hoorn are in many ways more beautiful and less overrun by foreign tourists than Delft.

JoeTro

Thanks for the train links and maps. Very helpful. I'll have to look more into the places you've suggested. I do think the Rotterdam-Hague-Scheveningen is pretty set and fairly easy. Kroller-Muller is over 2 hours and three changes one way, which just seems a bit too much for my vacation. I might consider Het Loo, although that's not much better.

I'll look more into the other day. If I'm doing Scheveningen I might not need Zandvoort beacb as well, although it seems appealing and Harleem has some good dinner options. Maybe just windmills and Harleem might be better. I keep hearing amazing things about Delft, and I do love the pottery, but I tend to either prefer natural scenery or art/painting museums or cathedrals and such. And the windmills are so Dutch I feel like I need to see them somewhere.

I think I need to re-think just how many train/bus rides I want to take where I don't know the language or how much each segment is. Perhaps 2 day trips and 4 full days in Amsterdam. Maybe I could do something like one of the beaches near Amsterdam like (is it West, or South?) that is supposed to be a nice one?

Anyway, lots of food for thought. I think I need to pair down a little so I feel like I'm seeing things and enjoying myself, not so much time and money connecting between buses and trains. As much as I think I would love it, maybe this means i need to cut out Kroller-Muller.

PalenQ

The changes getting to Kroller-Muller are a snap IME - train to Ede-Weningen with bus right out front - then the change of buses in the park is from one to another waiting one - I ony made two changes of train and bus. If you want you can take free bikes from the edge of the national park - Hooge Veluwe - and ride thru the scenic park to Kroller-Muller - nothing to sweat about except it will take two hours each way.

menachem

Haarlem
Zandvoort
Ede - Wageningen

JoeTro

Are both Zandvoort and Schevengingen beaches necessary? Is one better than the other? I can't really imagine I'd lay out, just walk along and enjoy the scenery and such.

menachem

They're not very interesting beaches. Wijk aan Zee is nicer and rougher and has a real surf scene. There is no scenery to speak of in Zandvoort, and for scenery at Scheveningen you have to go towards the dunes (Meyendel).

The interesting "coast" in The Netherlands, historically, is the coast of IJsselmeer, the former Zuiderzee.

And if you want to see a real unspoilt beach landscape, head to the island of Texel. Can be done in two days, with an overnight on the island. You can visit Alkmaar (historic town centre, cheesy cheese market) en route. Why this fixation on beaches? Waste of time in my opinion.

PalenQ

They're not very interesting beaches> Zandvoort has a nude beach if that perked your interest! Schevengingen IME is much more developed with large pier and more bigger attractions if I recall correctly.

menachem

All tatty and rundown. Bloemendaal is nicer than Zandvoort and has hipper clubs.

https://www.facebook.com/blmdlaanzee

dfourh

I had a 7 hours at Schiphol two days ago and went to Zandvoort and Haarlem. Zandvoort is nice because of the classic seaside holiday atmosphere (without the big city next to it); you can walk forever down the broad beach and then get fish from the stands that tractors pull along; many cafes lining the beach; the little town center is pleasant in a pure-holiday way - - Zandvoort is beach holiday atmosphere pure - - enjoyable from a people perspective if not the 'rough' or 'scenic' angles.

It's a short train ride to Haarlem, and a 10 minute walk to the Grote Markt for more great atmosphere. If you are beer geeky like me, then the Jopen brewery is terrific - - on Sunday their outdoor seating area was the really humming. Then the 300 bus goes ~1/2 hour from the Central/Verwulft bus stop near the V&D department store straight to Schiphol, and it's more of a scenic ride than the train is, on a right-of-way built just for the bus.

PalenQ

Bloemendall however is harder to reach - at least I believe no trains run there? Not sure.

menachem

Bus 81 goes there from Haarlem.

PalenQ

If into biking rent a bike in Haarlem and take it by train or bike to Zandvoort and bike the wondrous North Sea cycle Path thru rolling dunes down to Bloemendaal and Schevengingen - bike to Den Hague's two main stations - one of them - and put your bike on a train and return to it and you to Haarlem - on eof the most wonderful rides I've ever been on - pristine coastline much of the way but rare for Holland HILLS.