Merrisr

I have been to the Netherlands probably 7 or 8 times. We have done most of the touristy stuff in Amsterdam and have seen Voledam, Marken, Edam, Keukenhoff, Madurodam (ugh), and have gone down to Brugge.

I am going to be there for 8 days starting next Friday and will have my mother there for 5 of them. I am looking for unique things around AMS that I may have missed and / or other cities in Holland or Belgium that are easily reachable by train that are worth a visit

noonema

I think it's Alsmaar that has the "walking of the cheese". That was cute. I hear Haarlem is a nice neighborhood and close to AMS. How about a train to Den Hague, Rotterdam or Antwerp?
Brugge was nice so I'd go back there but it's a long day then. As would be Brussels.

Tulips

Visit Den Haag; see Vermeer in the Mauritshuis, see Het Binnenhof, the seat of the Dutch government. Have tea at the newly (and beautifully) refurbished Hotel Des Indes on the Lange Voorhout. See the Escher exhibition, almost next door to Des Indes. Then walk through the streets behind Des Indes (Denneweg); lots of small shops and restaurants. Or go to Noordeinde for smart antiques and other shops. Easy enough to fill a day from Amsterdam.

smueller

Kinderdijk, about ten miles from Rotterdam, is a World Heritage Site. It consists of nineteen historically authentic windmills, most of which are still in working order. One of the most photogenic spots in the Netherlands, a country of many photogenic spots.

yk

Delft, Den Haag, Rotterdam

yk

Antwerp also