Can someone recommend some interesting day trips (or even overnight trips) from Amsertdam? We will be there for 10 days over new years and are interested in touring a little outside of Amsterdam too. What other nearby cities should we hit? Should we stay there overnight? Any good hotels you recommend? Thank you!

You could go to The Hague, where the government of The Netherlands is, and the Queen lives there. Visit the Mauritshuis (good selection of Dutch Masters). It's close to Amsterdam, and Holland is so small, you can visit most places without staying overnight, although you might consider National Park De Hoge Veluwe for an overnight stay. Look at the hotels of De Bilderberg group (there's a website). They are all nice, and usually have some deal with dinner included (very good game in winter). We stayed in Bilderberg Klein Zwitserland, close to the Veluwe and it was nice, with indoor pool too. If you go to that area, do visit palace Het Loo. You could easily visit Antwerp too, either on a day trip or staying overnight.

Take an easy train trip 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). It's also a lovely walk through town of Enkhuizen before boarding train to return to Amsterdam (about 1 hour).

Just returned from Amsterdam. We took the train to the Hague for a day to the museums and Madurodam (miniature town). Many hotels have information on booking tours that take you to Delft, etc. for the day and I saw one that will go into Belgium as well. We stayed at the Canal House and very much enjoyed it. We had a lovely room that faced the canal - great breakfast room with good buffet. Dress warm! Shar

Hi Ibz

You can visit Haarlem for the Franz Hals Museum, and Gouda for the cheese.

Haarlem is also great for just wondering around the cobblestone streets and doing some shopping and if on the odd chance the weather is sunny, you can sit out on the main square and have a drink...I really like Haarlem..Also another really neat place is Zaanse Schans..It is like a little story book village with Windmills, wooden houses and museums..You can take the train from Amsterdam to Koog Zaandijk (i think it was about 20 minutes or so) and then a 15 minute walk to the little village from the train stop..
http://www.zaanseschans.nl/en/index.htm
Volendam and Marken are also really cool little Dutch towns, but if I remember correctly,they can only be reached by bus...They are both beautiful little towns though...
Estheria Hotel in Amsterdam is really nice, (depending on your budget, it is not too cheap)...It is situated on the Singel Canal and close to the Flower Market, shopping, and pretty much everything else..Whatever you choose you will have a great time in the Netherlands..

I highly recommend Volendam, Marken and Edam. We did all three in one day (from Amsterdam) and thoroughly enjoyed them all.

Kelti:
Did you get the bus to see V, M and Edam?
Did you see the villages in that order?
Any details would be appreciated as I cannot bring them up on the rail sites.
Thanks

The Amsterdam "day trip" question has been asked so many times here that there should be a FAQ for it. There are plenty of good answers on this thread, but you fail to say what you are interested in, or your price category for a "good hotel." Of course there are good hotels, but how much do you want to spend?

Natch, there are no train stations in the flea sized villages. Rent a car to go there. Slightly amusing places at best in the summer IMO, but in January?

Get yourself a good guidebook, a Fodors or a Michelin Green. There is so much to see and do in Holland that you could spend months there.

I suppose you know about the fireworks in Amsterdam on New Year's Eve? Also, the city gets booked solid around the holidays so you might want to finish your planning by mid summer and get your rooms booked with deposit.

Final tip, type amsterdam in the "search this forum" box above. You'll have 10 days of reading ahead of you.

was in Haalem last august. a quiet town with great church, town sq., shops and restaurants. just 20 min or so from amsterdam. if you're in to history Naarden Vesting is the only double walled, double-moated town in europe i think. also consider delft (very picturesque) and utrecht.

I have searched and looked on internet sites and cannot get a feel for Marken, Volendam and Edam.
Any suggestions? It seems you take the bus. The train goes to Hoorn and Enkhuizen. I would like to get a taste of the Zuiderzee.
Is it worthwhile or would extra time in Utrecht and Delft be better spent?
I have a feeling I will want more than half a day in Delft...any comments?
Thank you dank u

You want a taste of the Zuiderzee? Do you bicycle? Here's one of the greatest days out of Amsterdam I can imagine.
Take the train to Hoorn. Stop there to rent a bicycle and then take the next train with your bicycles on to Enkhuizen. Visit the open air museum, maybe have lunch. Whatever. Then ride your bikes on the wonderful path along the sea back to Hoorn. It is magnificent and an easy, flat ride. At Hoorn take a look at the harbor. Turn your bikes back in by the rail station where you got them and take a train back to Amsterdam.

Thanks a lot Patrick. I might be able to manage a flat ride! Is it basically a bike path or a bike/pedestrian path? About how many miles?

Haarlem...go to Corrie ten Booms house. It is above the clock shop her dad ran back during WWII. The clock shop is still in business. She helped Jews during the war, hiding them, when needed, in a very small closet before they were able to go to a safer place. She and her sister Betsy ended up in a camp near the Hague, where her sister died.

What made it fascinating to me was the difference between Anne Frank museum and the museum for Corrie. It's an absolutely amazing story if you haven't read it....The Hiding Place....also made into a movie many years ago.

The coast route between Hoorn and Enkhuizen is about 30 km. Normally pedestrians are not allowed on bicycle paths which also accept 50cc engine powered brommers.

fairoaksjim, I read that book as a teenager, I plan to go to the Ten Boom house the week between xmas and new years. They have a website now too. I can't wait to go.