hyatt222

We will traveling to Amsterdam in May. I was wondering if anyone had good information on surrounding areas. I am looking for anything on wonderful cities or towns to visit. Also, if you have any information on castles, that would be great. Thanks for your help.

jillis

Go see the tulips. There is a famous garden a short train/bus ride away. Just seeing the field out the window is nice.

hyatt222

Where is this tulip garden? I may be showing my ignorance, but I know that tulips are big in April, but is there still a lot to see in May?

gocats2002

The gardens are called &quot;Kirkeneau,&quot; though I'm sure I'm not spelling it right. You could run a web search trying different spellings, if noone provides the right spelling on this web site. They have lots of indoor gardens too, and these gardens are supposed to be well-worth seeing all year round. Check into Delft. It's picture perfect and is immortalized in the Vermeer painting of Delft. The old church is worth the tour. Lots of great shops selling Delftware, and you can sit in the square eating Dutch pancakes and enjoy the entertainment. <BR>Another fun activity is to bike the Kinderdyke where there are lots of old, old windmills. It's a wonderful ride, and flat, of course. You can rent bikes in the town right there. <BR><BR>Gouda is supposed to be nice, the home of the cheese. There are lots of picturesque towns in the Netherlands, and all are close by, since the country is so small. <BR><BR>Castles, we didn't see any. Maybe there are some there, but there aren't defensible hillsides for them to tower over, as it's all flat.<BR><BR>Definitely get a tour book before your trip, as there is so much to choose from.

Travelnut

For a nice and educational trip outside of Amsterdam, take a train trip(about 1 hour) to Enkhuizen, to visit Zuiderzee Open Air Museum (recreation of 16-17th century village, using actual cottages; some craftsmen on hand to provide demonstrations; windmill; wonderful views of sailing ships, “Clipper” style). Take some time for a lovely walk through town of Enkhuizen before boarding train to return to Amsterdam . <BR>To visit Keukenhof Gardens,( http://www.keukenhof.com/keukenhof.html) you could take a 1/2 day tour using Lindbergh Excursions (http://www.lindbergh.nl/uk/excuries_...en_tulpen.html). The gardens will be open until May 20,2003. The office for Lindbergh is on the Damrak, and buses depart right outside.

Brutforce

Delft is a great daytrip &amp; there is a park north about an hour north which is essentially an island park that shows the history of Holland. Someone help, I can't remember the name. North of Hoorn, it is a small island.

PatrickLondon

The Netherlands is small enough for a great many places to be reachable by train - not only Delft but also Haarlem (Frans Hals museum, good street market) and Utrecht (a good bit further, but it has the amazing museum of street organs and mechanical musical instruments - great fun, they leave you with the huge dance hall organs playing boogie-woogie, and a dance floor beside it! - www.museumspeelklok.nl).<BR><BR>You will be able to get bus tours to Marken and Volendam (fishing villages, Volendam perhaps slightly more touristy); there are also ordinary service buses going out there. Similarly you can get to the Muiderslot (more a mediaeval country house than the kind of dramatic castle you get in Britain, but home to an important literary circle in the Dutch Golden Age), about an hour from Amsterdam. Naarden nearby is a pleasant boat-y sort of town, but maybe not worth a special visit if you've only a short time on your first trip.<BR>

hyatt222

Thanks for all of the input. If you have anymore please share!

suze

Leidseplein district *!* a wonderful vibrant neighborhood, very true to the spirit of Amsterdam - Vondelpark &amp; the Jordaan also , granted these are w/in Amsterdam but might be mistakenly overlooked.

April

In May I wouldn't miss the Hoge Veluwe National Park. The weather wasn't good when we were there but I wish I'd seen it. If you get to The Hague, stop in at the miniature world of Madurodam. Quite the place. Delft is charming, but I think you can hop on a train and go just about anywhere in the Netherlands and find something of interest. In Amsterdam we thought the Holland Experience show was a laugh... and it was a break from all the walking.<BR>

jenviolin

The Keukenhof gardens are open through May 18, and though the tulips will probably be mostly gone by then, there are still lots of flowers to see. Muiderslot castle is stunning. Leiden, Delft, Gouda, Enkuizen and Den Brielle are really nice. The Kroeller-Mueller Museum (near Otterloo, about 1 1/2 hours west of Amsterdam) in the Hoge Veluwe National Park has one of the greatest museums anywhere - lots of Van Gogh, among others! - and the outdoor sculpture garden will be open in May. You can take a white bike for free in the park and ride all over; it's a fantastic day trip! See my ideas for Delft in the post &quot;May in Delft&quot;. Enjoy!

Beatle

There is a nice hotel at the edge of the tulip gardens- Golden Tulip of Nachetagaal. Great location.

Danna

Keukenhof gardens and the surrounding area is a wonderful site. I bought my husband a cheap jigsaw puzzle for the holidays and he recognized Keukenhof. It is simply breathtaking and your photos will not do justice to that place. A very easy train and bus ride from Amsterdam. Have a grand time!

yeadonite

I loved Leiden! We saw the botanical gardens and took a ferry around the city. All hte college students were dressed up in suits. The professors were very dressed up. Haarlem and delft were also lovely day trips out of Amsterdam. At the delft Museum you can see them actually paint the delft. In Rotterdam, we took a Spido tour of the harbor and saw the Kijk-Kubus houses. IT was an architecturaly interesting city.