We are going to be in Amsterdam 3 days, and we also have 3 days to spend in areas around Amsterdam. We want to see the tulips, so I assume we'll go to Keukenhof; but what else should we see? We like art, nature, and quaint towns. We'll be going in April. Recommendations for hotels near the attractions would also be appreciated.
Also, in Keukenhof - how should we best travel since I don't ride bikes?

Eat some falafels, smoke some herb, buy some perfume in the red light district, explore Rotterdam, Ann Frank museum, and enjoy the eerie church bell chimes...rent a bike.

skip rotterdam and try either haarlem, delft or the hague (in that order). rotterdam is far from quaint and, in fact, is rather the modern port city having been virtually leveled by german bombs in WWII.

Hi sm,

I also recommend Haarlem, Delft (pottery factory) and den Hague.

Gouda is nice for the old cheese market. See http://www.holland.com/us/index.html...ulture/cheese/

This article tells about tulips and how to get to Keukenhof Gardens:
http://www.fodors.com/wire/archives/000950.cfm
"...To get there: Keukenhof is in Lisse, 17 miles southwest of Amsterdam. Take the train to Leiden (takes about a half hour from Amsterdam), then board bus #54 for direct service to Keukenhof. The train fare to Leiden roundtrip first class is 22 euros (14 euros second class)..."

The Keukenhof website is
http://www.keukenhof.com/ (English icon at the bottom)

A nice daytrip is to take the train to the Zuiderzee Museum at Enkhuizen. Here are my notes:
"...we took the train from Amsterdam Centraal to Enkhuizen. Just past the train station is a tourist office where you buy tickets to go to the Zuiderzee Folk Museum (recreation of 16-17th century village). You can board a ferry to take you to the outdoor museum, which is a village created from actual cottages and shops brought from other locales. There are craftsmen demonstrating the 'how-to's', such as making rope, carving wood, smoking fish, etc. It is a wonderful outing to do, and gives such a flavor of Dutch living in the past. Also, there were some beautiful "Clipper"-type ships in the harbor, as well as a number of kite-surfers.
The train ride takes less than an hour. I don't have it handy what the entrance fees were, guessing $9-12 per person? On this web http://www.hollandmuseums.nl/ click on English, then All Museums, then search for Zuiderzee. The town of Enkhuizen is also delightful, so save time for strolling through its shopping area..."

Volendam and Marken are lovely dutch towns to visit..I can't remember for sure but I think they are around a 30 minutes bus ride or so outside of Amsterdam..They are both adorable.

Thanks! would it be best to stay at these places or in Amsterdam and just day trip over?

How about <b>Utrecht</b>?

An easy day trip from Amsterdam - 30 minutes by train - Utrecht has a medieval town center that is worth exploring. The Domkerk is a massive gothic church, but what we found more interesting were the &quot;footprints&quot; on the plein between the Domkerk and the Domtoren, outlining the area where the nave of the cathedral stood before it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1674. There is a nice little garden enclosed in the cathedral grounds, but April might be a little early for many blossoms or blooms.

If you have the stamina, and are NOT claustrophobic, I would highly recommend a climb up the Domtoren - it's only 465 steps! And, of course, there is an incredible view of the city from the top. When you come back down from the climb, be sure to take a good look at the tower itself, particularly the column that you just climbed up and down in. If you weren't aware of the staircase in the columnn, you would never know it was there, it looks just like the other columns, only a bit bigger.

The National Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement is a great little museum for viewing mechanical clocks, music boxes, barrel organs, player pianos, smaller street organs, and hugh fair or dance organs. There was a small school group that toured the museum when we were there and it was particularly memorable for us when the guide started demonstrating a street organ that played a Dutch folk tune, and all the children joined in. Even though I couldn't understand the words, the beauty of those innocent voices made me all weepy (thanks for letting me share that moment - one of the reasons I love to travel).

Utrecht's Centraal Station is located at the Hoog Catharijne, Holland's largest mall. You must walk through the mall to get to the centrum of Utrecht, so if you like to shop, here's a good place to start. If you exit the mall at the Elisabethstraat, that will place you right in the middle of the pedestrian area, also filled with little shops. If you want to visit the Domkerk or Domtoren, just look for the tower and walk in that direction.

Also, take note of the canals in Utrecht. Unlike other towns which run at street level, Utrecht's canals run at basement level. There are several areas where you can walk down to the canals to take a liesurely stroll. Utrecht is a University town, so there should be no problem finding places to eat or things to do in the evening (we've only daytripped).

If you want to partake of the herb while in Utrecht, I can recommend The Andersom, located at the Vis Markt.

And if you do go to Utrecht, you should also allow some time to visit <b>Gouda</b>, which is only 20 minutes away via train. Two hours would be sufficient.

Gouda has a &quot;fairy-tale charm&quot; Stadhuis right on their Markt Square, which has a carillon on the side of the building which plays every half hour - little figures come out and depict Gouda receiving its town charter hundreds of years ago.

St. Janskerk has an incredible collection of stained glass windows, many dating from the 1500's, which have miraculously survived many seiges and wars.

Although we have never been there during Cheese Market, as Ira suggested, it would be interesting to see, if you have the opportunity.

Have a great time in the Netherlands. Peace.

Robyn &gt;-

Thanks!

Den Haag (The Hague)/Delft (they can be reached on the same tram) and rotterdam.

Den Haag is a beautiful city with both new and old europe within it, while Rotterdam is vibrant modern city.

Both Den Haag/Delft and Rotterdam should be visited while in the Netherlands... they are so much nicer, cleaner AND friendlier than Amsterdam.

I would rule out Rotterdam. There are more places with character. It also sounds like you want to be in smaller towns. I would also recommend Delft. Leiden is also a nice town and where I live. There is a great market on Weds and Sat. There is also a bus that goes from the train station to the Keukenhoff so you could do both in the same day. There are quiant cafes, windmills and many canals in Leiden. Have fun on your holiday.

Of the places already mentioned, I would also suggest Utrecht, Leiden, Gouda, and Delft. Some places not mentioned that are always very enjoyable to visit are Maastricht and Valkenburg. Good luck.