The Mauritshuis is simply worth the trip to den Hague. This is coming from people who did at least two churches/museums per day in Florence for one whole week and could have stayed longer. The Mauritshuis is not huge--it's just really GOOD.

But as much as we love art, we are huge "ploppers" afterwards and between. My opinion? Stay in Amsterdam or Haarlem (I didn't stay or visit Haarlem, but I trust the judgment on this board of those who have) and hop over to den Hague for the Mauritshuis in the morning and then scoot over to Delft to hang. Both you and your husband would then be happy.

FYI--My husband actually willingly goes to museums but doesn't really know anything other than what he enjoys. My kids know their stuff.

When my husband came out of the Mauritshuis, he said, "That's my idea of a museum. No junk, just great stuff."

He had never seen "The Girl with a Pearl Earring". We didn't tell him it was there; he knew nothing about it. I don't think he had ever heard of Vermeer. We had to tear him away.

twiggers- you really don't need to decide now whether you're going to make it to Haarlem or not. invariably during a trip, somethings will take longer, and other shorter times than you have counted on. that's the time when knowing about Haarlem, how to get there, etc.etc. is useful, because it may just appeal when you have a few hours to spare. or not.

Haarlem however has the Frans Hals (sp?) Museum - in a neat old convent or something.

Delft has little of art except for its Delftware Factories where you can see the famous porcelain being hand-crafted and check out the museums in the factory of zillions of old Delftware.

annhig - good advice about not necesarily making decisions about day trips until you get there. We always have a list of possible day trips - sometimes we go, sometimes we don't.

yes november - I always like to have a plan B [or even C!].

and my kids are well impressed when if one plan goes haywire -eg due to weather - we've got another one to take its place.

Palenque: I think the history of the town of Delft really appealed to me.

Ann & November: This is what I might just do....have a list of the possible cities and things I want to see in each, and just go with the flow.

I'm also really contemplating adding a day. I can't add the Tuesday (8/31) because airlines still consider that day high season and the rates are too high. But I can add the Sunday at the end for no extra fee.

Right now I think my plan is to start create a spreadsheet for Amsterdam with the following information:

City
Places to visit
Costs associated with venues
Recommended restaurants

Cost and time to transit from Amsterdam to other cities.

All this will help my formulate my budget and time!

I'd love to post it here for advice/suggestions. Then I could move on to Belgium itinerary.

Slowly working on my spreadsheet and have a question:

Did any of you buy the iAmsterdam card or the Museum card?

I'm looking at the museums I want to visit and the entry fees, and it is actually 5 euros cheaper to pay individually. The Kroller-Mueller isn't included on the museum card.

Not sure how worthwhile the iAmsterdam would be for us either. Especially since we'll be staying in the City Centre area and might just be renting bikes a couple of days.

Oh, and I added more things to my list! Reading through the guidebooks again I realized I didn't have the old church, new church, or royal palace on my list in Amsterdam!!

We purchased the National Museumkaart the last time we were in Amsterdam, and definately got our money's worth out of it. We chose the Museumkaart over the iAmsterdam Card because we were in Amsterdam for 2 days at the beginning of our trip, and then returned for another 3 days at the end of the trip (we left to chase the ghost of vanGogh in the south of France).

Having the card made it possible to pop into some of the smaller museums/churchs that we might not have visited, for a quick look around (20 minutes to an hour). And more importantly, the card gave us access to toilets all over the city. There's a bathroom in every museum (except maybe the houseboat museum, but then there is a pissor outside, on the corner, for the men).

Since you are into architecture, another site to add to your list should be the Amstelkring (Church in the Attic). You'll have a new appreciation for attics.

BTW, I'm glad to hear my trip report was helpful in your planning. We really enjoyed Luxembourg (the country and the city) and feel it is really overlooked. Vianden was old and beautiful, but a transportation issue to get to (train & bus with limited travel times). I would recommend going to Trier instead of Vianden, especially if you have an interest in Roman ruins.

I have more I could add, but I have to get to work now.

Robyn :)>-

twiggers - i just topped a thread i am working on entitled "Amsterdam Planner for the Clueless and Clued" as you may find comments there by me and many other contributors useful.

Cheers

Robyn: Thank you! Does the Museumkaart allow entry into churches as well? I'm noticing that several churches have an entry fee!
Also, I was contemplating Trier as a day-trip....Roman ruins...hmmmm, interesting!

Palenque: Thank you! I will check it out right now!

I've also officially told the boss I'm leaving, and I think we're definitely adding one day on (Sunday as the return home day and then just take Monday off to sleep). That day will likely end up being in Amsterdam :-)

Trier would be an easy day trip from Luxembourg - just a few minutes by train but too far from Amsterdam if that is what you are thinking

Trier to me is one of the most fascinating, if not the most comely city (devastated in WW2) in Europe - an old Roman basilica built i think when Western Empire of Rome was based here - now a cathedral - Roman stadium, Karl Marx House (born here) and Porta Negra - huge black stone city gate that was the eastern entrance to the Western Roman Empire - to me the most completel and intact Roman relic north of the Alps - and also lots of wine - including a Wine Teaching Path behind the Roman stadium

Museum Card allows entry into several churches in Amsterdam - i went last January to Nieue Kerk and Oude Kerk - but sometimes they have special exhibitions that cost extra - same at major museums sometimes - not usually but sometimes - major traveling art exhibitions

Thanks Palenque. I was just on the Museumkaart website (translating using Google) and they do list the churches I want to visit in Amsterdam. So that does make it worth it now (about a 5 euro savings)!

Can I just purchase it from the first museum? Can I skip the line at Van Gogh if I have the card?

Re Trier: Yes, it would be a day trip from Luxembourg! I was looking at Vianden though, and it looks really interesting!

I definitely need some more castles in this trip!

the wine teaching class in trier is good. the local ti will arrange for a local wine maker to walk his vines with you and then back for a tasting. I still talk to Peter Terges (our teacher) and will be with him at their festival in 8 weeks time.

The walk alos allows you to see the roman horse racing stadium. Like Palenque I think Trier has a lot going for it and have been back time and time again

Thank you bilbo!!! Unfortunately we aren't drinkers (wine, beer, etc.). Have an occasional glass of whiskey every now or then, but that's it!

so don't drink just taste. Actually that sounds creepy like a drug pusher (don't inhale LOL) anyway enjoy

LOL Bilbo :-)

OK, we're really narrowing things down now and getting more specific....both in terms of itinerary and budget.
I've made the decision to purchase the Museumkaart for myself and possibly for hubby (I am hesitant for him because he might flake out and not visit everything that I do - although he might enter museums just for the AC and relaxation).

I have a question though regarding travel within Amsterdam: We'll likely rely on a lot of trams (hubby not a huge walker - anything over 5-10 minutes and he'll want to take a tram/bus), but I do want to rent a bike one day.
I have researched on GVM and found passes that range from 24 hour to 5 days. I can buy the 5 day for 23 euros. Is this going to be my most cost efficient way?
I'm also a little concerned because I know we'll be spending almost a full day outside of the city...

I'm also not 100% convinced that the Benelux rail pass is the most cost efficient way either....but I'm waiting to make a final judgment after I fully finalize itinerary in the other two countries.

I was going to priceline my hotel, but I'm changing my mind. This is a big trip and I want hubby comfortable. So I'm leaning back towards either a houseboat rental or a B&B. Something where I can definitely ensure air conditioning, elevator/low room, and the type of bed.

So, I'm thinking a budget of $200 US/night for hotel room (I'm obviously aiming for much less!).
I'm also thinking $125-150/day for food/souvenirs (which will likely be food to bring home for others)/ coffee shop partaking in Netherlands.
My budget for sightseeing will be separate and based on what I know I will be doing.
Same with transportation budget.

Reasonable?

Bookmarking for a future trip -- great stuff here. BTW, twiggers, I love your detailed trip-planning style and you have similar interests, so I may use this and Alessandra's input as a template. ('Cept I like beer & wine.;))

Looking forward to a trip report upon your return!

For Amsterdam transport, you can get passes that are good for a certain number of days or you can buy them with a certain value attached to them. With the first option, you tap the card on the device when you first enter the tram and it starts the clock. For the second option, when you get on and off the trams, you tap the card and the appropriate fare is deducted from the card.

Glad to be of help sap! I love when threads help me and help others!

November: Thanks for the clarification. I'll have to do a little more digging to see what will be most cost effective for us. If we're in a hotel that is 5 minutes walk from the centre/dam, then it might be better to just preload with money as opposed to using 24 hour passes. But if we're further out, then the 24 hour passes might be better.

Ahhhh, so many variables to think of!

Is booking.com a reputable site for Europe hotels? I'm finding that it has a better selection than Expedia.