charlieg

We want to take a day trip from Amsterdam to Delft and the Hague. Has anyone done this? How far apart are they by train? In which order would be the best? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

artstuff

Yes, you can easily do this by train, in fact we did it last year. Check out the website for the Dutch Rail Line - www.ns.nl - where you can plan your itinerary. Between Delft and den Hague it's an easy 15 minutes by rail - OR - you can take the #1 tram which runs between Delft and den Hague.

What are your interests? What do you want to see in both these towns?

We spent the morning in Delft, wandering around Market Square, checking out the Niewe Kerk and the Stadhuis (maybe you'll be there when the market is open), then strolled over to the Oude Kerk and checked out the tilt of the tower, then we went Christmas shopping at one of the two authentic Delft Potteries.

Then we took the #1 tram to den Hague where we transferred to the #8 tram to the Korte Langehoot (you can use the strippenkaart on the trams) where we visited the M.C. Escher Museum, which we overwhelmingly enjoyed. It opened in November 2002, so it might not be in all the guidebooks yet. It was much more than we anticipated (we've always enjoyed Escher's work), complete with a virtual reality tour through some of his artwork. From there we checked out the Panorama Mesdag.

Since it was such a nice spring day (we were there last April) we took the tram (#8) to Scheveningen and strolled the Promenade and stuck our toe in the North Sea.

I would suggest doing Delft first then den Hague as there is more of a night life in den Hague and Scheveningen. (However, my husband did have one of his best meals on our trip at The Happy Corner in Delft)

Hope this helps, if you have any additional questions, please post - and have a great time on your holiday.

Robyn

jenviolin

Yes, you can do it in a day, but it will be rather full because in The Hague, you should (must)add the Mauritshuis art museum to artstuff's list. Several Vermeer paintings are there, and your trip to Delft will be much more interesting if you go to the Mauritshuis as well. I'd go to Delft first, and try to do it on a Thursday (big market) or Saturday (smaller market). The Thursday market is next to the train overpass these days (until May???), and not on the Market Square, as the Market Square is being re-paved and there are archeological diggings taking place in front of the Nieuwe Kerk - very interesting!). Be sure to go to the spot on the shipping canal just south of the old town (200 yards south of the Legermuseum, the Army Museum) from which Vermeer painted his "View of Delft". You can look at the city skyline and compare it to the painting. Sounds rather tame, but if you get to see the painting in the Mauritshuis, it's thrilling!

You can also do The Hague first; Delft is an excellent place for dinner: it's a lively student town, but still very much a small charming town, and there are dozens of small, affordable restaurants within walking distance of the train station.

provence97

Can someone please give me suggestions on my plans -

Day 1 (Mon AM) - arrive Amsterdam. Take a train to Rotterdam

Day 2 - explore Rotterdam

Day 3 - train to Delft; explore Delft; train to the Hague; sleep in the Hague

Day 4 - explore the Hague; back Amsterdam

Day 5 (Queen's Day) - party

Day 6 - explore Amsterdam

Day 7- museums / bike tour

Day 8 - museums

Day 9 - visit Leiden/Keukenhof Gardens

Day 10 and 11 - ??

I want to visit the town of Gouda and see the Kroller Muller Museum. When should I squeeze these in? Or are they even worth it?

I also wanted to go to Belgium. Is it worth going to Belgium? I wanted to see Antwerp, Brussels, and Brugge.

What is the best way to explore Holland? Is it possible to get some type of 4-day train pass?

Recommend any inexpensive places to stay?

thanks in advance!!

jenviolin

Consider spending one or two nights in Delft as a base for both Rotterdam and The Hague (15 min. by train!). Reasonably-priced accommodation in Delft: De Plataan, Hotel de Vlaming, Hotel Leeuwenbrug.
Definitely go to the Kroeller-Mueller museum if you have good weather (park, museum, sculpture garden). You can take a free white bike inside the park (really!). It's my favorite museum in the whole country! Maybe on Day 7 or 8? Let the weather be your guide for Kroeller-Mueller and the Keukenhof. You can always do museums in the rain!
You can also get to Kroeller-Mueller on your own, rather than take a tour - cheaper and gives you more flexibility.
You could also go to Antwerp for the day (closer from Delft, change in Rotterdam for a fast train), but doing Brugge that same day would make for a very full day. I just went to Brugge last month, though, and it's unbelievable - worth an overnight, IMO!

provence97

How can I get to the museum?

artstuff

provence97 -
To get to de Hoge Veluwe (Kroeller-Mueller) by train, it is a little more than 1 hour from Amsterdam CS to Arnhem NS (via Utrecht). From there you pick up the GVM regional bus line #12, to the park entrance, where you can get a free "White Bicycle" to ride through the park to the museum (or where ever).

Three years ago we took the train to Arnhem, with every intention of taking the bus to the park. However, it was cloudy, cold and windy, so we spent the morning/afternoon exploring Arnhem. So, having never taken it, I can not vouch for the accuracy of the #12 bus line to the park. Just ask at the rail station and I'm sure they will direct you properly.

If you do have a chance to stop in Arnhem, may I suggest a visit to the Grote of Eusebiuskerk, a 15c-16c gothic church. Though heavily damaged during WWII (The Battle of Arnhem), the tower (234 feet) was rebuilt with an elevator, so you have easy access to the viewing platform at the top. Even on a cloudy day, you can see Germany. If you tour the church, be sure to ask about access to the basement crypt with the 11c bones and church foundation, which was uncovered during renovations. You can see a picture of the crypt w/bones (and some of our other travel pictures) at the following website:
http://home.uplink.net/~artstuff/id1.html

Hope this helps, and if you do decide to go to de Hoge Veluwe I hope you have nicer weather than we did. (Is this Joy?) Peace. Robyn

provence97

Yes... it's me!

Art

Try very hard to visit Murodam while in the Hague. It is a miniature city where the high rises are about waist high. It shows the history of architecture of the Netherlands and is a fascinating visit.