Friends ~
We arrive (jet lagged, from the west coast of the US) early on 12/14 and have 7 nights in the Netherlands. On the 21st we meet our adult children in Brussels and we'll spend Christmas in Brugge and then Lille, France. Our priorities for this trip are art museums & wandering interesting neighborhoods. I have us booked for 4 nights in Amsterdam (a B&B in the museum district), 1 in Utrecht (Mary K Hotel) and 2 in Rotterdam (The James). But I'm rethinking this.

We will be visiting the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, Mauritshuis. If possible I'd like to go to the Kroller-Muller museum. The Resistance Museum in Amsterdam looks interesting. We are traveling by train and bus.

The threads on over tourism in Amsterdam have me thinking 3 nights there may be sufficient. We would like to stay in a smaller city for a night, and I randomly picked Utrecht. I think we'll really like Rotterdam. Should we be there 3 nights? Is Utrecht the right smaller city to visit or is there another you prefer?

I'd welcome suggestions and ideas for edits to my itinerary.

Maastricht ? One of the places I really like in NL.

Utrecht is no small city - look at Delft, Gouda, Leiden or Haarlem for smaller cities. I'd stay the whole 3 nights in Rotterdam - so much to do there and great base for Delft, Den Hague, Kinderdijk windmills, etc. Trains are best for those cities as well as Amsterdam as cars are a hassle in cities. For lots on trains in those two countries check www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

Kroller-Muller is nice - I guess more as about as many van Goghs as van Gogh Museum but takes a whole day and IME the outdoor statue park is a neat component but may not be so fun in December and its dark days. From Amsterdam take train to a bus to the museum - for variety return via Arnhem, a unique looking city with trains back to Amsterdam.

Favorite memories / experiences in the Netherlands?

Lots of relevant stuff in this current thread for your plans.

Thanks - I read through that informative thread, which led me to consider adding the Kroller-Muller museum and adding a day to Rotterdam.

Definitely using public transit that week and not renting a car.

Utrecht is an easy day trip from Amsterdam. You can cover most of the centre in a day. The Dom will be closed and covered in scaffolding whist it is undergoing restauration. Add that day to Rotterdam, so you ave time to enjoy both Rotterdam and the Hague (and maybe Delft if you are really keen).
The Amsterdam light show will be on e while you are visiting. Consider booking a boat tour to see the canals.
Amsterdam will not be as crowded at that time of year as it can be. It will be busy, but not overrun.
Given the lack of daylight Kroller Muller is perhaps not the best place to visit in December, and it will take about two hours to get there by public transport. remember it is closed on Mondays.
If you are wanting to visit Anne Frank house and haven't already done so book your tickets now. It has recently been completely redone and is supposed to be even better now. You can buy your tickets for other museums online too if you want.

Oh dear. Worried about over tourism but still going to Brugge!
What are you actually looking for in the alternative to AMS?
ignore the suggestions from folks memories of many many years ago. Things change.

Brugge overcrowded then - wonder what ribeirsacra bases that on? Wonder if she has ever been there during winter?

There is always the Brugge Christmas Market. Utrecht also has one from 14-16 December.
Places will be crowded, including Brugge, but not as overrun as they can be.

It's nice to see a city with other tourists moseying around rather than a deserted city in winter.

Absolutely Pal, provided it isn't so crowded that you can't enjoy all the stalls and are swept along by the crowd.

<<Brugge overcrowded then - wonder what ribeirsacra bases that on?>>

Wonder what YOU, who haven't been there in a dog's age, base it on.

I'd be inclined to see what hetismij and menachem have to say - not you.

Personally, I've always thought Brugge was overhyped, but I don't know it in winter.

Thanks - that's helpful! The light show and a boat tour sounds fun and I'll aim for that. I've looked at visiting Amsterdam at other times of the year but could tell by hotel prices that it's normally crowded, but less so in mid-December.

I'm a painter and I'm interested in seeing specific works at the Kroller-Muller so now need to consider whether it's worth 4 total hours of transit. The daylight is less of a concern as I'm most interested in the paintings.

I have already booked the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum but that still gives us an additional day. For some reason my husband isn't interested in the Anne Frank house but I know we'd both enjoy the Resistance museum. For Utrecht, I just wanted to see the Netherlands outside of the bigger cities but perhaps day trips to Den Hague and to Haarlem would be enough?

The Christmas market in Brugge is now called the 'Wintermarkt'.
Political correctness gone mad, according to some here in Belgium...

If you're in Brugge on the 23rd, this Christmas concert is at the Begijnhof church:
https://www.uitinvlaanderen.be/agend...5-0e000f82711f


I like Amsterdam in winter, it looks magical with the lights on.
There's an interesting exhibition at the Rijksmuseum about the 80-year war with Spain. And the Hermitage is worth a visit; the exhibition with the huge group portraits from the 17th century is stunning.

but your list is of big (for the country) cities.
How about Muiderslot? https://www.muiderslot.nl/en/ note the days it is closed.
a small and tractive village De Rijp a bus trip of under an hour. Maybe incorporate it with an expansion with an onward trip to Alkmaar. That is also touristy. However the bus route (De Rijp to Alkmarr), takes you through a bit of countryside with a lot of windmills. Unfortunately the museum the https://www.museummolen.nl is closed at that time of year.
The problem is as i see it getting to the countryside is OK using public transport. But once there you will need to walk or use a bike to get away from the station. Seeing as your visit is in winter the weather may not play ball and give you a good day to do that.

Or spend a night near the Kroller-Moller. Have a look at the Bilderberg group of hotels. There are a few in that area, sometimes with indoor pool/spa and restaurant that will serve local game at that time of the year.
A bit more difficult with public transport, though. You could rent bicycles, but the weather for December could not be suitable for that. You never know, though, with the warm weather we've been having.

If I am remembering correctly (this was 2 years ago), it took us about 2 hours each way by public transportation (a couple of wing-and-a-prayer waits on lonely roads for buses that took us through the Dutch countryside, including going by what the bus driver described as "Dutch ski country," which was a little hill) to get to and from the Kröller-Müller - but we enjoyed that day far more than any of the days we spent in Amsterdam itself.

We also were completely enthralled with Den Bosch, but that was partly because of the fabulous Hieronymous Bosch exhibit that was on display when we were there.

Den Bosch is a very nice town - a lot smaller than Utrecht, if you want a smaller town. And very cosy town center.

There are a couple of hotels in Otterlo. From there you could walk, bike, or bus into the Kroller Muller museum. A nice village to give you a different view of the Netherlands.

Not recommending as I haven't stayed there but :
Hotel Otterlo | Hostellerie Carnegie Cottage Otterlo | Welcome
https://www.kruller.nl/int/

Or stay in Apeldoorn and bus/taxi it if you want a somewhere bigger place to stay.

You could still do a day trip to Utrecht from Amsterdam, and use the night you planned in Utrecht in Otterlo.

If you base yourself in Rotterdam for that, The Hague is under 30 minutes by train, Delft 15. Amsterdam is 40 minutes by ICD, Utrecht same by regular intercity.
This summer we did Kröller-Muller from Rotterdam by train and bus. It's quite involved and a full day. Wonderful museum though. You might think about staying in Arnhem rather than Utrecht. That way K-M is easier (bus ride to Otterlo) and you get to go to the Openluchtmuseum as well. Arnhem also has a great modern art museum right on the Rhine.

I live in Rotterdam, so I can give tips. Rotterdam: great and exciting art scene. Much more so than Amsterdam. Lots of exciting things happening, and only the area around Markthal is touristy (right where I live, haha)