Benelux 2 weeks Sept HELP please
 

We are an active couple in our 50's enjoy museums, art, architecture, food & drink, biking, walking ...we will be travelling by train.
We arrive in Amsterdam Sept.8th & take the train to Brugge for 3 nighta at Verhulst B&B, want to bike(day trip) through Damme & then out to Knokke. The last 4 nights of our trip will be at The Hotel Brouwer in Amsterdam Sept 19 to 23. Its the in between part we are having trouble with. Some cities we have considered staying (maybe 2 night in each) would be Antwerp, Brussels & we would like to see Luxebenbourg. We hoped that with 2 days in each of these cities (or perhaps smaller cities nearby) we could do some day trips, walks or bike rides. Some other places that interest us are Gouda, Harleem, Texel Islands, Delft, Ypres maybe Rotterdam & The Hague.
My biggest problem seems to be stringing all of these places into a reasonable itinery using the trains.
We have travelled to Spain & Ireland & rented cars, but this time would like to avoid that if possible.
Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.

If you would like to visit Luxembourg, you should consider Luxembourg City as a base for three or four nights. Then you could work your way closer to Amsterdam for the remaining nights. Delft is a nice place to stay. Kinderdijk, with its rows of centuries-old windmills is near Delft (although I'm not sure of the logistics by train).

I think that Luxembourg City is one of the great gems of Europe. Others disagree. Do a little internet research and decide for yourself.

I think two nights in Luxemburg city will be fine. Then go to Antwerp rather than Brussels. Delft, Rotterdam and the Hague are all very close to each other so you could choose one as a base to see the others.
Texel you can get to by train and ferry from Amsterdam and is worth a couple of nights if you have time. You can hire bikes and cycle for miles there. You won't have time to go to any of the other Wadden islands as well as Texel, and unless you choose to visit Delft etc from Amsterdam you won't have time really to do both Texel and Delft etc.
So you need to choose what you really want to see. If you really want to do Delft, Rotterdam adn the Hague you must decide whether Antwerp or Texel is more appealing.

I'd visit Delft and Ghent. Sounds like you're in for a great trip!

It looks like you have 8 days in the middle and only planned 6 days. I've been to Luxembourg twice and became disappointed only the second time, first time was good for its novelty. From there you can train/bus to Maastricht and then maybe Utrecht or Gouda (I'd pick Utrecht). I am a fan of Ghent even after multiple visits, it's a real gem.

Alternatively, you may also consider visiting Lille just beyond the French border. It has a vibrant oldtown with attractive architecture and atmosphere.

In 2003 we did a BeNeLux tour by train, starting in Amsterdam and ending in Delft -

3 nights in Amsterdam
Train to Utrecht, Gouda & Maastricht
1 night in Maastricht
Train to Clervaux, Ettelbruck, Bus to Vianden
1 night in Vianden
Bus back to Ettelbruck, train to Luxembourg City
1 night Luxembourg City
Train to Dinant, Brussels, Brugge
2 nights in Brugge
Train to Ghent, Rotterdam, Delft
3 nights in Delft (with day trip to Haarlem/Keukenhof/Leiden & day trip to den Hague/Scheveningen)

The three one-nighters in a row were a bit tiring, and I wish we would have stayed an extra day in Luxembourg, perhaps Clervaux.

Because of time constraints, we had to choose between Ghent & Antwerp. Ghent was similar to Brugge, but charming in it's own way. But I kind of wish now that we had chosen Antwerp instead (Peter Paul Rubens was my first introduction into the art world, so hopefully in 2009 I'll finally get to Antwerp).

Hope this helps give you an idea of what you can do, travelling by public transport. Have fun planning. Peace.

Robyn :)>-

I used to live in The Hague (Den Haag)...for 4 years. Amsterdam is a nice city...about 45 minutes via train from The Hague. I went to the main museum in Amsterdam, the Rijskmuseum, often. Lots of Rembrandts and other famous pieces. Next to it is the Van Gogh Museum....if you like museums, you should go to both. A boat ride on the canals, while perhaps "touristy," is quite nice, especially in good weather. If you go to The Hague, stop by the Mauritshaus. It's a small museum but has some really nice paintings, some by Vermeer. The "Girl with the Pearl Earring" was there when I was living there. Also, if you plan on going to The Hague, I would recommend staying in Delft. You can easily get there by taking a train or the tram...probably a 20 minute tram ride from The Hague. Delft is very nice...I'd recommend it over The Hague. Stop in both the "Old Church" as well as the "New Church." Each is hundreds of years old. All of the kings and queens of The Netherlands, including the first king, Willem of Orange, are buried there. Sit in the square outside the New Church, have a beer or coffee and maybe something to eat, and people watch. There are all kinds of shops around this area. On Saturday mornings, there is a big flea market just off this main square...runs through October I think. Getting back to The Hague, the area over by the Hotel Des Indes (expensive hotel) is a really nice area. I can't remember what it is called, but there are a lot of nice shops and restaurants here. Los (Les?) Ombrelles was one of my favorites...it's a fish restaurant. In the Centrum, there is Bij Mij, another one of my favorite restaurants...a bit pricey, but quite nice. I liked Gouda quite a bit, and if you have time, I would go there. I think you mean Haarlem....it is also a very nice city, and if time, I would make a trip there. Rotterdam was not one of my favorite places. It was heavily bombed during WWII, so much of it is quite new...including some skyscrapers. I did like the maritime museum, but on a short trip, I don't think I would recommend Rotterdam. Never been to the Texel Islands, but wish I had gone. I'm not sure how easy it is to get to them. Never been to Ypres. Luxembourg City is quite nice....some good history there (Patton is buried in the American Cemetery). As far as Antwerp and Brussels, I like Antwerp more than Brussels, but the last time I was there, there was a bit of reconstruction of old buildings going on. Don't know the situation now. I would highly recommend Brugge over any city I have been to in Belgium. Ghent is also nice...kind of similar to Brugge, but more of a college town. I think someone above also mentioned Maastricht. It may be out of your way, but it is a very nice place. Wish I had gone there more often. Overall, trains in the Benelux countries are very fast and efficient and clean. You can get to any of these places via train, except the Texel Islands. One last thing...if you do go to The Hague, try to get off at the main train station rather than Holland Spoor. They're both pretty close to each other, but the main station is in a better area. One final, final thing: Train times between Amsterdam and Den Haag, about 45 minutes; train times between Den Haag and Antwerp, about 1.5 hours. Train times between Den Haag and Brugge, about 3 hours; between Den Haag and Ghent, about 2.5 hours; between Den Haag and Delft, 15 minutes (or less); between Den Haag and Haarlem, probably 30 to 45 minutes....may have to change somewhere; between Den Haag and Maastricht, 3 hours; between Den Haag and Gouda, about 30 minutes; between Den Haag and Leiden (didn't mention....also a nice city), about 20 minutes; between Den Haag and Brussels, about 2 hours. Have fun!

Zermatt you can get to Texel by train - you take the train to Den Helder, a bus, the ferry then a bus, bike, walk whatever.... Ferries leave every hour and are tied to train times. No reservations possible.

Wilkie....Bruges is a great base to explore Belguim...Damme is an easy bike ride and I would highly recommned biking a few miles north after Damme into the Dutch village of Sluis...it is very charming, more so than than Damme....Ypres is an incredible town as well, of course with all its WWI history...In the Netherlands, dont miss Harleem!...good luck..mikek

hetismij...thanks....you are correct you can take the train to Den Helder and then a bus and a ferry. I really wish I had gone to the islands while I lived there.
Also, to Wilkie....Harleem probably is another spelling of Haarlem...the place I am referring to is close to Amsterdam, and it has the Frans Hals Museum.
One more thing....hate to give you more things to think about, but if you are staying in Amsterdam, other nice places to go for a day trip are Volendam, Marken, and Edam, right on the IJsselmeer...maybe a little touristy, but still very nice.

If doing all that rail travel investigate the Benelux railpass - good in Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Thank you all for all of the fabulous information, we feel much better about our choice to explore these countries. Armed with all of the information you provided, our rough itinary is this
3 night in Brugge - Verhulst B&B booked
2 nights Antwerp
2 night Luxenbourgh City
2 night Delft
2 night Texel Island
4 night Amsterdam - booked Hotel Brouwer
We would do day trips from each of these bases.
Any ideas on which trains to take?IS it reasonable to take a train from each base city & stop along the route to see other places? Any ideas or suggestions on lodging in these cities, we enjoy B&Bs or small hotels in the 80 Euro range?
As we have never used trains in Europe any help with that would be most appreciated.
Planning a trip like this seems at times impossible, but thanks to all your help it almost feels doable.

<we have never used trains in Europe any help with that would be most appreciated> www.ricksteves.com has lots of using trains and onwww.budgeteuropetravel.com you can request the free European Planning & Rail Guide that is a great primer for novices on understanding the rail system - there is a special chapter on Benelux. The train system in these countries is so good - fantastic with 2 trains an hour or more often - making it easy to stop off - say in Alkmaar for the famous Friday morning cheese market en route to Texel - for Texel you take a train to Den Helder then walk several blocks to the boat dock - can rent bikes on the other side to pedal putz around this island.

http://www.texel.net/en// has all lodgings on Texel listed. http://tinyurl.com/2sx5q9 is similar with lots of info on the island.
By train from Delft you change at Amsterdam SLoerdijk for Den Helder, or At Leiden for Alkmaar, then a short train ride form Alkmaar to Den Helder.
www.ns.nl is the site of the Dutch railways.
From Delft you could go to Kinderdijk, or to Leiden or Den Haag. On Texel you should just hire bikes and enjoy the island. In Amsterdam there is probably enough to keep you happy for 4 days, but if not there are plenty f day trips available.

Oh and make sure you pronounce Texel as Tessel (rhymes with trestle) not as Tex-el.

hetismij - while you're around. Q on Schiphol - pronunciation.

I usually here "Skip-ole" but don't i also hear Schi-pole? I'm not sure i can reporduce the Skip-ole pronunciation but how would you say Schipol?

dank u wel - tot ziens

Looks like a nice trip. Trains are very easy to use. I would recommend looking into a train pass, although if you go this route, make sure you get the right one. A Benelux pass might be an option, but it looks like it is only good for any 5 days in a 1 or 2 month period. It looks like you might be travelling via train for more than 5 days, especially with day trips. Of course, you could use that pass for the main city-to-city trips and then buy individual tickets for your day trips. You can also consider getting a Eurailpass which will be good for at least 15 consecutive days...longer if needed....but more money. If you get a pass, look at the "Saver" passes....these are cheaper, as long as 2 or more people are always travelling together. Advantages of passes: no need to wait in line to buy individual tickets, and, if you travel enough, could likely be cheaper over all than individual tickets. Basically, you leave your pass blank, and on the first train you take, you fill it out and get it punched by the conductor on the train. Then, on subsequent trips, simply hop on the train you want, and flash the pass when the conductor comes by. You'll have a great time!

One thing more about the train passes: if you do decide to use these, you must purchase these in the States, before your trip. You cannot buy the passes in Europe (of course, you can buy the individual tickets once in Europe). I have purchased Eurailpasses before. If I remember correctly, I bought them from a company in Chicago called "DER Travel." They are an agent for the Eurail system.

For itineraries all over the Benelux (and the rest of Europe) use http://hari.b-holding.be/
A very nice B&B in the heart of historical Antwerp is Le Patio http://www.lepatio.be

Wilkie, since you're staying in Delft, I might suggest an area to go to. If you are standing in the main square, facing the Niuew Church, walk past the church on the right side. There is a little monument there...don't remember exactly what it is, but I think it is sort of a globe. Just past this monument, take the first street to your right, and walk a very short distance. Once you walk past a few buildings, there is a small square which I always enjoyed. There are a number of restaurants and shops here, and there are a lot of trees to provide shade. I didn't find this place until several trips to Delft. I then went quite often. I liked it a lot for Sunday brunch. A lot of Dutch families often were there. Further, if instead of turning left at the square, you turned right, there is an open air market down that street on Saturdays. Nice to go to as well.