Please excuse my ignorance - I've only just begun my research on Holland. My husband and I would like to visit this country in May next year. We are not into the museum scene, but wouldn't mind a must-see or two - if you can recommend something special, please. Where could we experience the famous dykes at best, as well as clog-making and diamond cutting factories. We would welcome any information regarding natural wonders, beautiful little towns or those special experiences every country has to offer. Thank you ever so much <BR>

Lydia, <BR>I've been to the Netherlands almost a dozen times over the years and may be able to offer some meaningful suggestions. How many days do you plan to stay in the Netherlands? Will you be traveling in early or late May? (You'll see the bulb fields in bloom early in the month but not late in May.) Do you plan to travel by auto or train? Planning to stay in cities or small towns? Feel free to Email me personally with your answers or questions or post here for diverse opinions from some knowledgeable folks. Congratulations, by the way, for having the foresight to begin your planning now!

Lydia, you needn’t apologize for your lack of detailed knowledge about Holland, or anywhere else for that matter. Everyone who reads or contributes to this forum has never been somewhere before and has needed advice. Your advance offering of thanks is gracious, too. <BR> <BR>Boy, what a subject, though. The Netherlands is a very special destination (at least IMO) and I am amazed at the variety packed into this small, mostly flat, country. Fabulous cities and sleepy small towns, great ports, coastal resorts and wild beaches, museums and canals and tulips and windmills, even hills and forests if you know where to look… And sophisticated, clever, friendly, fun-loving folks, who just happen to be part of a society which has changed the world. The beer’s good, too. <BR> <BR>It will take a lot of postings from Fodorites to answer your questions fully. You might start with one of the web-based travel services like www.visitholland.com to see the range of topics covered. But rest assured that how ever much time you dedicate to researching your Dutch holiday, you will still be knocked out by the place when you get there. <BR>

Lydia, <BR> <BR>I, like you, have many questions & get many of them answered on this site. This question, however, I can give some feedback on too. <BR> <BR>I was in the Netherlands last year and stayed in Amsterdam & visited Holland. My husband & I are going back in April 2001. Here are two sites that I think you will find interesting!! The first one, http://zaanseschans.interact.nl/gb/home.html <BR>will be a direct answer to your question. I visited Zaanse Schans and it was very nice. It is right out of Amsterdam. <BR> <BR>The second site, http://hiptravelguide.com/amsterdam/amsterdam.htm <BR>may give you some interesting ideas. I found a site that has houseboats for rent! Also there is a interesting holiday on April 30th, it is called Koninginnedag, or Queens Day. You will find an "events" link at this site that will give you information about this day.

I lived in the Netherlands for a year back in the 80s. Incredible place with lots to see and do! <BR> <BR>Diamond Cutting in Amsterdam near Reiksmuseum. If you buy, stick with jewelry that has emeralds, rubies and/or sapphires. Since they specialize in diamonds you get the best deals on the colored prescious stones. <BR> <BR>Reiskmuseum (spelling?) Contains lots of Rembrandts. A wonderful and worthwhile museum. <BR> <BR>If its May its GOT to be Keukenhoff (spelling again?) its the annual tulip festival. I'd go back just for that. You can't believe the colors and smells! <BR> <BR>Kinderdyke: Really isn't dykes here, but there is a canal with about 17 windmills - still working and you really get a flavor of the life. Wooden shoes are still stacked on racks outside the doors. <BR> <BR>Delft: You have to try the panacokens (pancakes)(sp?)in Delft and also visit the Delft china stores. <BR> <BR>Gouda: Yes, where the cheese is made. Charming little town - one of our most memorable experiences, except it was at Christmas time. <BR> <BR>Have a grat trip

Thank you so much for all the most useful advice. I'll certainly check those web sites out. We are not too keen on cities - simply dread having to drive there (coming from South Africa where we drive on the left side of the road) - no, we prefer the smaller towns and villages. We would LOVE to see the dykes, though, but I can't seem to find out where they are??? Has anyone experienced Maastricht? We'll most probably be going end of April to late May. Are there any special natural wonders in the Netherlands, like Partnachklam in Garmich-Partenkirchen, Germany? (Thank you, Wes, for your willingness to answer personal e-mail questions - I'll take you up on that offer over the week-end when I have more time.) <BR>Thanks again for all the help.

End of April / beginning of May is an excellent time to visit the Netherlands. However, it is peak tourist season so book early for the Western provinces. Visit De Keukenhof flower gardens, which are at their best last week of April. <BR>Dykes are everywhere, but probably best in Zeeland province. The Neeltje Jans exposition has lots of interesting info on the Deltawerken. (dykes to protect Zeeland). <BR>I believe the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is a "must", but another museum that I personally like is the Kroller Moller museum in National Park de Hoge Veluwe. (nice area of natural beauty, great for bicycling) www.kmm.nl <BR>Go to the island of Terschelling for great dunes, beaches and nice cafes and bars. You may like "wadlopen" which is "mudwalking" at low tide across the "waddenzee". <BR>You probably will like the province of Friesland which has many nice villages and small towns. There are arranged bike tours where your luggage is transported from one hotel to the next, and you bike. <BR>To Kathy: it's Rijksmuseum, Keukenhof, Kinderdijk, pannenkoeken. <BR>Have a nice trip. <BR> <BR>

I was in Maastrict, a surprisingly hilly setion of the Netherlands, with chatueau, high-fashion, wineries, great food. Worth a stopover, esp. if you stay in a chateau. Don't miss the Krohler-Mueller museum in a park an hour drive from Amsterdam. Fabulous modern collection! Fabulous sculpture garden! You can stay overnight and bike and enjoy the parkland. Not-to-miss if you love museums. Trust me on this...

Hi Lydia- My hisband and I both adore the Netherlands and keep going back to explore different cities. This past trip, a few weeks ago, we went to Limburg (Maasticht area) with intentions of going to Maastricht and the caves, etc. We never made it to the city, because we stayed at the fabulous 4 star Hotel Brughof and ate two nights in their wonderful Restaurant Kasteel Erenstein- Superb food and service! Very classy, but not snobby at all! We walked the nature trails across from the htoel for over an hour before turning back, and there was plenty more to go! I am an artist and art teacher and must strongly recommend the Kroeller-Mueller indoor/outdoor museum and sculkpture park. We stayed in Appeldoorn and drove to the park and thne rode the free bicycles to the museum. Excellent!!! If you like small small towns, I suggest going to Makkum to see the pottery works and Workum for the Jopie Huisman Museum. Delft was incredibly charming and delightful! I have also visited and stayed at other towns as well. We start in Amsterdam and rent a car and then drive a big triangle back to A'dam- but we have also taken the trains intercity and it is very easy. In A'dam I feel strongly about the Anne Frank Huis, The van gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum. Please feel free to email me if you have specific questions. I know you will love it there!!! dbl

From Amsterdam we took the bus to Volendam, stayed ther a little while, and then took the short ferry ride across to Marken (or Markem) which is a charming small village. Very enjoyable day. <BR> <BR>If you do want to venture a bit, you can drive to Brugge in Belguim. This city is a little known gem.

Hi Lydia, I also have been to the Netherlands many times, 2 or 3 times per year whilst living in Germany. The time you are going is just great. You will not believe all of the colours that they have cross bred in the Tullips. (Yes, I know that Tullips origionated in Sourh Africa). One of my very pleasent surprises was in The Hague. We stumbled accross a minuature village by the name of Murodam. We stopped to take a look for an hour and stayed all day. The village represents the archateture(sp) of the Netherlands from the 13th century through current. The sky scrappers are about waist high(I'm 6'4"), there are also a couple of castles moving railroad, airport and minuature fur trees that were bred in Canada. The proceeds from this site go to help the blind. Very worth while!! <BR>Art <BR>

Lydia, <BR>Back again with some thoughts: <BR> <BR>As you begin your planning, consider the advantages in selecting small towns to stay in from which you can take daily trips. Doing so minimizes the misery of packing and unpacking every other night or so and minimizes superfluous driving as well. Consider, for example, upon your arrival in Schiphol Airport, picking up a car and driving to and staying in Gouda, about 40kms from the airport. From Gouda you can easily visit Aalsmeer (34kms) for the flower auctions; Boskoop (6kms) for rhododendrons and azaleas; Leiden, Delft and Kinderdijk with its nineteen working windmills are all within about 30 kms of Gouda. Consider a few nights in Vlissingen from which you can visit the massive diking projects of Zeeland including Delta Expo and perhaps take a day trip to Brugge, one of Europe's loveliest small cities. Consider a stay in Meppel in the Province of Drenthe. From it you can visit Giethoorn, a village with no streets!(walkways parallel a network of canals); Staphorst, where traditional costumes are still worn (and photographers are frowned upon); Urk a fishing village on the Ijsselmeer where traditional costumes are also worn and the fishing fleet is particularly colorful. A ferry goes from Urk across the Ijsselmeer to Enkhuizen where you'll find the Zuider Zee Outdoor Museum with some 130 buildings that are grouped into several villages in which you can see people in costume engaged in the old crafts, clog making among them. The Indoor Museum in a number of old warehouses of the Dutch East Indies Company house exhibits of costumes, fishing boats and rooms in period settings. <BR> <BR>By all means contact Netherlands regional tourist offices. The VVV (Vereniging voor Vreemdelingenverkeer) has over 400 offices throughout the Netherlands and each can be contacted by simply addressing your request for information to VVV and the name of the town. You might consider contacting any or all of the following VVV Delft, Markt 85 2611 GS Delft; VVV Gouda Markt 27 2801 JJ Gouda; VVV Haarlem, Stationsplein I 2011 LR Haarlem, VVV Vlissingen Nieuwendijk 15, 4381 BV Vlissingen; VVV Middelburg Markt 65A 4331 LK Middelburg; VVV Amersfoort Stationsplein 9-11 3818 LE Amersfoort; VVV Assen Brink 42 9401 HV Assen ; VVV Maastricht Kleine Staat 1 6211 ED Maastricht <BR> <BR>I look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to Email me with any questions. <BR>

Lydia, I add my second to all the excellent suggestions you've been given. Amsterdam is not a favorite of mine, but the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum (nearby) shouldn't be missed. If you stay over, have dinner in an Indonesian restaurant so you can experience the "rijstaffel" (think that's the way it's spelled). What a treat! Then go to Delft to see what a Netherlands canal town SHOULD look like, because Amsterdam doesn't... and by all means go to Kinderdijk. If possible, stay overnight in Alblasserdam, the little town that backs up to the windmills, which is the largest concentration in the Netherlands. The Hotel Restaurant Kinderdijk has a fabulous room with doors opening onto the roof of the restaurant so you can sit outside and watch the dusk fall over the windmills. No toilet/shower, but worth stepping down the hall for the view! And a good restaurant, too. Finally, if you're going to be there when the flowers are blooming (runs from daffodils/crocus/hyacinths/tulips) and are renting a car, you can buy strings of blooms to festoon your car (will see them on buses, too!). When I returned to the Air Force base where I was stationed in Germany after being at Keukenhof, with a garland of daffodils and hyacinths across my windshield, the German gate guard stopped me, leaned down and said, "Was you just married, or was you just in Holland?" Have a great time!

If you are not happy about driving, no fears, because the train system is very good and user-friendly. If you are at all fit, consider renting a bike for your stay, or part of it, and travelling between towns (one of the nicest rides I took: Delft-Gouda) - it's all well sign-posted, and since it's (mostly) flat, it's quite easy going. There are bike rental places everywhere, including the train stations, and you can take bikes along on the train. <BR>In addition to other good recommendations on this site: Leiden, a pretty university town about 1/2 hour train ride from A'dam, and a "real" town v. a "touristy" town like Delft and Gouda (but those are very very very worth visting), and the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague, which is one of my top 10 museums in the world, and a very small management size (esp. if you are not big on museums), and Volendam, which is very touristy, but very charming. By the way, we spent a few days in Maastricht, which is nice, and particularly to spend some lazy time in a cafe on the main square sampling "vlaa" which is a local fruit tart. Have a great time in this great country!

Thank you SO much for all the wonderful advice and recommendations - this has truely exceeded my expectations. The Netherlands sounds like just the most charming country - glad we picked it for our next destination!