We will be in Amsterdam for 6 days in mid-July.

I have a list of 3 potential day trips:
Ghent ((2:18 or 3:08 train depending upon train type - major disadvantage)
Utrecht (< 30 min)
Rotterdam (40 min or 1:15 train depending on train type)

Any opinions on each one for a day trip?

We may choose to go on three or maybe cut one.

Gent is nice but not that neat to day trip 3 hrs each way on trains.

Consider Antwerp as a nice city that is much easier to reach. Delft and Leiden and Haarlem are IMO just as nice as Gent.

For lots on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetraavel.com; www.ricksteves.com.

Agree with Delft, Leiden, and Haarlem. Been to all of them as day trips. Also did Gouda.

If you want a lovely smaller town, consider Edam.

Of your choices, Rotterdam is our favorite. Maybe just because it is such a kick in the face after Amsterdam.

I don't think I'd spend the time on the train to visit Ghent, lovely though it is.

We thoroughly enjoyed Antwerp, though much of it didn't "charm" us.

Delft, Leiden, and Haarlem - yes.

Unfortunately the train doesn't go to Edam. We try to avoid buses if possible.

hmmm... everyone's different but i wouldn't do 3 separate day trips if I only had 6 days total in Amsterdam. Doesn't leave much time to see the city highlights (or maybe you've been before).

I would choose Utrecht and Rotterdam of those listed.
There are other cities and towns in the Netherlands worth a visit rather than spendng hours in a train for a few hours in Ghent.
It depends on what you are hoping to do on your day trips which would be best.

I took train to Enkhuizen, another cute regional seaside town and went thru the popular outdoor museum of edifices brought here from around the old Zuider Zee as well as an indoor museum.

Also did Marken and Volendam- too very touristy towns but Marken is practically an outdoor museum with its ancient houses - did a lovely few-mile walk from Volendam to Edam - neat town as shown above - and took short bus ride back to the train line.

I would substitute Delft for Ghent. I love Ghent but it is a day trip from Brussels, not Amsterdam. Utrecht is good, Haarlem is good, and if you catch a bus, maybe out to somewhere like Marken for close-in trips to Amsterdam. If you do Delft then Den Haag (a bigger,elegant city but slightly aloof) is a natural addition. If you go (much) further afield, think about Leeuwarden or Maastricht.

Lavandula

Enkhuizen is a lakeside city. It is on the Ijsselmeer which is sweet water. Hasn't been sea water since 1932, when the Afsluitdijk was completed, though it was still pretty salty initially.

Suze, yes, we'been to Amsterdam before but a while back. The first time it felt like we were in the suburbs but I suspect it wasn't really. The second time we stayed near Anne Frank House (and went there as well as and exhibition at Rembrandt House). We found this area rather quiet.

Last year we were in Paris for 10-11 days. We took and overnight trip to Bruges. We had been there some years earlier. I guess we should have gone to Ghent instead. We also spent two nights in Tours visiting chateaux. We somehow have a knack for being in Europe during the World Cup. France was a big party.

I'm really thinking of dropping the idea of going to Ghent. Even a train that's a little over 2 hours.

We bike here at home though not very long distances. We have biked in various places that we've visited.

It's hard to tell how interesting the route is from Amsterdam Centraal station toward Marken. I wouldn't mind going thru some cute towns that had more than 3 houses.

We could go to Marken and back or maybe continue to Edam and train back from Purmerend.

Happytrvlr, Those windmills look really neat.

Buses Amsterdam to Marken go thru a lovely natural area with lots of proper villages - boats also go I believe in high season.

Marken: https://www.google.com/search?q=mark...iw=645&bih=613

It's kind of an open-air museums but the viilage is real and has looked about the same for eons. I once thought it was hokey and only for tourists but Dutch locals on Fodor's convinced that though there is a small-patch where tour bus groups go, the rest of the old fishing island (now tethered to the mainland by a bridge) is very authentic. From Marken take the ferries over to Volendam, who port area is ringed by a string of cafes restaurants (that on a day when I was there were packed with mainly a Dutch crowd on weekends.

And then the easy walk to Edam.

Gent, maybe not for a daytrip, Utrecht, Rotterdam (take IC Direct, that's the 40 minute journey): yes definitely. Should you want guidance on Rotterdam, let me know or drop a DM

That's a good part of the day gone. Better to stay in Rotterdam, or go to Schiedam(Black Nazareth) (metro or tramride) to visit my favorite grain mill, De Walvisch.

. Schiedam is extremely photogenic anyway.

The Kröller-Müller Museum in the The Hoge Veluwe National Park is a wonderful day trip with a car. I know it is also possible to reach it with public transport but have not done this, and I am not sure how difficult it is to coordinate the train and bus schedules.

It's not a super interesting route to Marken by bus from Amsterdam, but you'll pass through Monnickendam, and the sea barrier to Marken is interesting. Marken itself is very touristy, but if you should choose to walk around the island a little, you'll find that Marken has about 3 nano-villages, called Buurten, that you'll pass through on your way to Marken's Lighthouse, The Horse.

Few tourists ever go there

I was away all day yesterday so didn't get to check out the Forum.

Menachem,

Your posts are extremely informative. It just takes me a few minutes to figure out the various places on the map.

My wife suffers from travel sickness so we try to avoid buses. She's fine on a train though. She's gotten somewhat better over the past several years by using various things such a wrist bands, etc. but we still try to avoid buses.

Touristy isn't always bad. There's usually a reason.

Though we are not all day bikers we do bike a fair amount.

Does it make any sense to rent bikes at the Amsterdam train station, train to Purmerend with bikes (is getting on those trains with bikes an issue?), bike around Edam and Volemdan, ferry to Marken with the bikes and after riding around the island (I'm a lighthouse person) we could either ride back to Amsterdam from there or depending upon the time, ferry across and train back to Amsterdam from Purmerend. Is there a route back to Amsterdam that would take us through a few towns or villages rather than ride along the sea barrier that doesn't look too exciting.

I haven't gotten to Utrecht and Rotterdam yet.

Since going to Ghent is not a very good option, I'm looking at one of two things for that day if we decide to go out of Amsterdam.

1) Either train to Zaanse Schans and walk around there. Then depending upon the time, we could train to Haarlem for a few hours.

2) Train to Purmerend, rent bikes and ride to Edam, Volendam, ferry to Marken and ride around the island and to the lighthouse.

Comments on either. Please.