Car rental for AMS day trips? Good or Bad idea??
Jun 30th, 2006, 04:08 PM
#1
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Car rental for AMS day trips? Good or Bad idea??
Three of us will be spending a week in Amsterdam. We are planning to do several day trips, one to the Kroller-Muller Museum and Park. Would it be a good idea to rent a car, perhaps for 2 days only? It seems like it would give us more flexibility vs bus/train. The museum is only open until 5:00. Does one need any special documents as US citizens (besides drivers license, credit card)? Any advice appreciated!
Jul 1st, 2006, 09:25 AM
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If you decide to rent a car, it will be cheaper to book it online from home and well in advance. It will be a lot more expensive if you wait until you get to Amsterdam. I recommend AutoEurope (www.autoeurope.com), a consolidator that finds you the best price from among several companies. If you find a better price by contacting a company yourself, AE promises to either match or beat it. I don't know if the Netherlands requires that you have an International Driving Permit. Check with your local AAA office. They only cost $10 plus two passport photos and you don't have to be a AAA member to buy one.
That said, for your trips I think taking trains and buses will be better than renting a car. No parking issues. Public transportation is convenient and service is frequent. For example, there are at least four trains an hour from Amsterdam to Arnhem (close to Kroller-Muller Museum and Park). You can buy day return tickets which are cheaper than two single tickets. See this page on the Netherlands national rail site for more information: http://tinyurl.com/6pqfa.
That said, for your trips I think taking trains and buses will be better than renting a car. No parking issues. Public transportation is convenient and service is frequent. For example, there are at least four trains an hour from Amsterdam to Arnhem (close to Kroller-Muller Museum and Park). You can buy day return tickets which are cheaper than two single tickets. See this page on the Netherlands national rail site for more information: http://tinyurl.com/6pqfa.
Jul 1st, 2006, 09:52 AM
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A car will give you ultimate flexibility AND the following
a highly increased cost (vs. rail/busses) for transportation to include gasoline
the extreme headache of finding a place, and then paying, to park it in Amsterdam
the extra time required to rent it and then turn it in.
Don't hassle yourself with this, especially in A-dam and for the transport you need. You can easily get to where you want to go, and in a timely fashion, using public transport.
a highly increased cost (vs. rail/busses) for transportation to include gasoline
the extreme headache of finding a place, and then paying, to park it in Amsterdam
the extra time required to rent it and then turn it in.
Don't hassle yourself with this, especially in A-dam and for the transport you need. You can easily get to where you want to go, and in a timely fashion, using public transport.
Jul 1st, 2006, 10:10 AM
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For the Kröller-Müller Museum you take a train from Amsterdam-Centraal to Apeldorn, they leave at xx:06 (direct) and xx:36 (one change en route) of every hour and take 59 minutes. A bus to the museum awaits you.
Take the 08:06, pick up some goodies at the station and eat breakfast on the train, and you'll be first in line for the 10AM opening.
A car for the day will cost you more in money and hassles, and don't even dream of using and/or parking the car back in Amsterdam itself.
It's all at www.kmm.nl
WL
Take the 08:06, pick up some goodies at the station and eat breakfast on the train, and you'll be first in line for the 10AM opening.
A car for the day will cost you more in money and hassles, and don't even dream of using and/or parking the car back in Amsterdam itself.
It's all at www.kmm.nl
WL
Jul 24th, 2006, 01:56 AM
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So glad we relied on public transportation while in Amsterdam. The trains are great and run often. Yes, it would have been ridiculous to rent a car with the gas, parking, navigating problems that would have been inevitable. We LOVED the Kroller-Muller and part of the fun was the train-bus-walk-biking to get there. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Promise to do a trip report soon. Thanks for the advice, Fodorites!
