1st round itinerary
 

So I have tried to take all the feedback from this site for my first itinerary. I would really appreciate feedback. I thought we would travel more by train but it looks like we are doing a fair amount by car but I am open to feedback. I have one really big question about what to do with dropping the car, hopefully you will understand what I am asking.I think we will arrive mid April.
Day 1- arrive at Amsterdam and pick up car. If we arrive in the AM we will go to the flower auction close to the airport and then drive to Delft (4 nights)
Day 2 Leiden
Day 3 to Keukenhof Gardens, if this is a Thursday maybe go to the Hague in the lat PM for museum
Day 4 day in Delft
Day 5- Depart Delft, drive to Rotterdam for the day and then drive to Bruge for 3 nights
Day 6 Bruge
Day 7 Bruge
Day 8 - to Antwerp (2 nights)
Day 9 - Antwerp
Day 10- Drive to Edam to Hoorn (overnight 1 night)
Day 11 Enkhuizon Zuiderzee Museum, drive to Friesland (3 nights)
Day 12 free day, probably will be a Monday
Day 13 Pottery Museum in Makkum
Day 14 To Texel (3 nights) Here is my question about where to drop the car???? PLEASE GIVE SOME SUGGESTONS
Day 15 Texel
Day 16 maybe ferry to Vlieland
Day 17 to Amsterdam for 5 nights, So if I have dropped the car do I then take the train back to Amsterdam
Day 18-21- visit Amsterdam and day trip to Haarlam
Day 22 - head home

I will so appreciate some advice about the car if this looks like a good plan. thanks so much in advance.

why drive? Public transport is great, parking in the cities very expensive.
If you do drive please do not do it whilst jet lagged.

You are doing a lot of city to city which is linked by train so the whole car thing is a bit odd, are there lots of you or do you have a lot of luggage?

You seem to be avoiding Zeeland which is the only place I ever need a car to get around. Zeeland for me is especially lovely and well worth the visit. Also don't discount the bicycle, the whole bicycle path culture of the country has to be seen to be believed, it is effectively a whole extra transport system, almost completely independant from the road system, with good maps/apps etc and a lot of bike hire available. No need for bike helmets (unless you are racing bikes) just some water proofs in case it showers and sensible shoes. The place is as flat as a pancake.

I'm with the others users haha I think that you will save a lot of money using public transportation.

there are only 2 of us and we will probably have one carry on and one larger bag. so, are you suggesting that we stay in one or 2 locations and do day trips? if so, which cities. it just seems to me that if we are going to need a couple of days in a city then we should over-nite.

You can overnight or not, but there is absolutely no need to have a car for this trip. It will be far more trouble than it's worth. An expensive hassle and a liability.

Yes overnight, but for a lot of the Netherlands the car is just the wrong sort of tool. I drive through the country annually and it is not car friendly, and why should it be? The country has developed a non-car environment.

Again great train info - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Texel-Amsterdam - ferry to Den Helder for trains to Amsterdam -no need to book ahead -just buy ticket at station.

Research Kinderdijk if driving -near Rotterdam and NL's largest collection of behemoth windmills:

https://www.google.com/search?q=kind...w=1920&bih=949

Hi, @tidy, I'm focusing on these days:

Day 10- Drive to Edam to Hoorn (overnight 1 night)
Day 11 Enkhuizon Zuiderzee Museum, drive to Friesland (3 nights)
Day 12 free day, probably will be a Monday
Day 13 Pottery Museum in Makkum
Day 14 To Texel (3 nights) Here is my question about where to drop the car???? PLEASE GIVE SOME SUGGESTONS
Day 15 Texel
Day 16 maybe ferry to Vlieland

Day 10: I'd do my overnight in Enkhuizen, not in Hoorn: Enkhuizen is about half an hour away from Hoorn.

Day 12: I'd take lodgings in Workum: beautiful old city, a few lovely hotels (booking.com has the details)

If you are in Workum, do visit the Jopie Huisman museum there, and then the Ceramics Museum in Makkum, can be done on the same day, easily (Makkum is about 20 minutes from Workum). Also, consider driving to the Mirnser Klif and the minute fishing port of Laaksum. Alternatively you could visit the Gaasterland forest estates.

Instead of backing up across the Afsluitdijk, I'd drive to Harlingen and take the ferry to Terschelling. Book ahead for accommodation: good hotels in West, where the ferry port is, are Oepkes and Nap. If you are on Terschelling, I wouldn't take the ferry to Vlieland. What you can do is have dinner at De Walvis, in West and look at it, preferably at sundown. Simply magical.

Terschelling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbOx7JSNxZU

One more thing about Terschelling: you are allowed to wander anywhere off the footpaths, except where land is explicitly fenced off. This means that along the coastal dunes you can walk everywhere. Terschelling is unique in this.

menachem and PalenQ, thanks for chiming in, I was hoping you would as you seemed to know the areaa quite well. you both gave ideas that requiring driving but I am really being advised not to drive. I am not opposed to trains but it seems that I will need a car to reach the small towns in the Leeuwarden area. Do you think we should drive less in other parts of the itinerary. I hope someone will be specific with suggestions about using the train i.e would you travel to fewer cities in Belgium and travel as day trips. I can see where I could take the train to Delft and do day trips for several days but then what about Belgium and the norther region. thanks for your patience with me.

don't link me with menachem in knowledge of those areas - though I've been through all those places many times on bike and driving menachem is a local whose knowledge is infinitely more than mine. I know generalities well but not the nitty-gritty of today as menachem has shown many times like in your other threads.

Belgium has about the densest train system in Europe - all those cities would be easily reached by train as would Delft. I would day trip to Brussels from Bruges and just do a day trip to Antwerp. Then base in Delft.

but I would rent a car to go north from Amsterdam if you want to go over to Friesland that way and hit small towns - otherwise buses also go over that long dyke and trains from Amsterdam.

I can see a nice driving loop from Amsterdam - Enkhuizen - Edam - Texel - Friesland and back down to Amsterdam. Groningen is a swell larger city as is Leeuwarden.

This kind of information is helpful so that i can reorganize as you have suggested. So, going north from Amsterdam would you rent in Amsterdam and return there as well. If that is the case then I would have the car on Texel, is that what you are thinking?

Yes if three days though IMO having been to Texel only once and briefly not sure three days there at expense of other places? But could be cool and relaxing from cities - Texel is big enough to want a car:

https://www.google.com/search?q=texe...dt9-_bdXUaWuM:

I would not necessarily rent car from Amsterdam but say Haarlem or Leiden - nice to drive via Keukenhof thru flower fields and onto Haarlem and on up and maybe return in Leeuwarden.

Amsterdam itself can be a hassle to drive into or out of.

I'd do Enkhuizen-Texel-Friesland-back towards Amsterdam - a circle.

I'd do whatever menachem says!

thanks much, hope that menachem chimes in.

Hi there @tidy!

It depends on whether you do Terschelling or Texel as "the island": Terschelling: don't bring your car: the island is really small: 20 km end to end.

Texel: you could more easily bring your car, but of course you'll pay for it. As to Texel, It's nice to have one full day to explore at least: but that's all in the planning: if you head to Texel first, in the morning and take an early ferry, and then do an overnight and return at the end of your second day, you'll have maximized your time, without losing too many days. Then, on the way back, you could either do a drive through Friesland, with another overnight, or go south immediately and head towards Delft, Rotterdam and eventually Belgium.

The only thing in your itinerary that seems a waste of time is first driving to Friesland then drive back and visit Texel. Hence my suggestion: Either stay in Friesland and choose Terschelling as your Wadden Island, or head to Texel first and then do Friesland. Of course you might have to sacrifice Enkhuizen and Hoorn, unless you want to arrive at Texel, spend two nights, for one full day of exploring and then leave on an early ferry the day after: that means two nights on Texel.

And just to reiterate: the north of the country, especially Friesland is ill-served by public transport, so it makes perfect sense to drive there.

PS, if you go to Terschelling, there are huge parking lots, secure, where you can leave your car if you don't take it on the ferry. Also, because there are only 3 ferries a day to Terschelling, if you want to bring your car, book well in advance with your ticket. Texel is less critical, because there's a ferry every 25 minutes.

Terschelling ferries:

https://www.rederij-doeksen.nl

Texel ferries:

www.teso.nl

PPS: in 2018 Leeuwarden is cultural capital of Europe. Lots of cool stuff happening.

Also, there's a bus service across Afsluitdijk from Alkmaar station that connects to Harlingen and ultimately Leeuwarden, but it's somewhat of a pain to use, especially if you have bags. I don't own a car and only use public transport and I use that bus quite a lot, but I need to time my connections just right.

public transport information and planning:

www.9292.nl
There's also an app.

I was thinking of probably 3 days for the island part. I thought that Texel had a couple of interesting sites, i.e. Ecomare and maybe Kaap Skil Museum. It sounds like I need to choose either Terschelling or Texel. If I choose Texel then of course I would take your advice and do Texel first and then Friesland.
menachem, do you like one better than the other? Are they very similiar. Thank you so much taking your time to help.

I think I mentioned that I have ties to Terschelling: and I do like it better than Texel. It's more intimate, wilder you might say and to me its local culture is far less influenced by the mainland, but I'm partial of course.