My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Amsterdam.<BR>Where can we go so we can visit two adjacent cities in one day, i.e. is Haarlem and Delft doable in one day, and so on and so forth?<BR>We just want to visit as much of Amsterdam in so short of a time.<BR>Where can we include our museum trips in our everyday itinerary, i.e Van Gogh, Rembrandth, etc.<BR>Any advice will be greatly appreciated. We are leaving on May 4<BR>Thanks

You can visit Volendam and Marken in one day. It's a short ferry ride from one to the other. We visited both in a day trip from Amsterdam.

Are you driving a car? If so, you can go from Amsterdam southwest to Leiden and Delft, then eastward to Gouda (my favorite) and Utrecht, then north back to Amsterdam, all in one day. The distances are short enough that you can spend about 2 hours in each place, given that the days are getting longer over there.

Delft was a cool city, very beautiful, so be sure you make time for it. Utrecht was nice, too, not a lot to see, but good for walking around. I can't remember the name of the area, but you'll be going when tulips are in full bloom. Try to fit driving through tulip fields on your itinerary...it's like nothing you've ever seen before. <BR>I didn't think the Rijks (sp?) museum was very impressive, so you can skip that one. The Anne Frank museum is a must see.<BR>It was a lot colder there than I had originally thought, so bring a scarf and wear layers. <BR>You and I will be crossing paths while there, so be sure to wave if you see me!

I spent six days in Amsterdam last fall and had a blast visiting the fabulous museums. First museum stop -- after a canal boat tour to get my bearings --was the Rijkskuseum where I bought a year's pass to all the national museums for about $35 (take an extra passport-size photo to affix to the pass, as it is not transferrable).<BR><BR>For a daytrip to see some more Vermeers, take the train to The Hague and pay a morning visit to the Mauritshuis (home of the View of Delft and The Girl with Pearl Earring plus some Rembrandts and more), then hop on the local tram to Delft and wander around Vermeer's hometown (see his very plain tomb in the Old Church and the very ornate tomb of William of Orange in the New Church). When you are done, take the tram back to the Hague train station and return to A'dam.<BR><BR>The Amsterdan museums I visited with the pass were: Rijks, Van Gogh, Anne Frank House, Rembrandt House, Jewish History, modern art museum next to VanGogh, and a tiny church museum in an 18th century canal house. I also used it at Mauritshuis and at the Franz Hals museum in Haarlem. <BR><BR>Get a map of Amsterdam and pick one area to concentrate on each day. Except for the Rijksmuseum, the museums are small enough that it is easy to do two in a day. It is very easy to get around the city on foot and by tram, and the intercity trains are fast, clean, and inexpensive.<BR> <BR><BR>

Thanks a million everyone to the brisk reply...<BR>I'm not renting a car due to a lot of negatives that I got.<BR>I needed all the help and advice. <BR>

To Kay or anyone else,<BR>When you buy the annual museum pass, do you have to register and give your name? Do you need to show ID at the museums? Are you permitted to visit the same museums more than once? Thanks!<BR>(Don't ask why I need to know, I plead the 5th LOL)

I can't imagine why it would matter about registering - it's the strangest thing I've heard in a long time - but the answer is short. If it matters, just plain don't go there. Also if it matters that much, I would be very hesitant to travel as well.<BR><BR>Anyway, back to the original question. I am surprised by someone saying they aren't impressed with the Rijksmuseum unless they really aren't into art - they have a premier collection of old Dutch masters. It's easy to do the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museuem and Staatsmuseum (modern art next to Van Gogh) all in one day in Amsterdam. Rembrandt house I could see being less impressed by. Not because their collection isnt' extraordinary, but because it is very one dimensional. They have nothing but engravings.<BR><BR>To maximize your stay, figure one museum day, one day at the tops sites - Anne Frank, Amstelkring (church in the attic), etc. and one shopping day. (up and down the pedestrian areas in Amsterdam) That leaves you with time for 3 day trips. Volendam/Marken is a good one to consider, so is one to Delft. I would also suggest one to Brussels or Brugges in Belgium are also entirely doable, just by train, although long. Also doable outside of Holland are Cologne or Luxembourg, although they are very, very long days.<BR><BR>I would also suggest a shorter day trip to Maastricht is an over looked area of Holland. Very good shopping, perhaps do that for the shopping day and fit Amsterdam areas in as needed.

How do you get to Volendam? I can't find a train to there -- is it bus only?

Hi<BR><BR>No cultural visit to Amsterdam would be complete without visits to the "national sex museum" (main street oppositte Grand Central Station), or the Cannabis museum (easily found in the canal district).<BR><BR>Er, or so I'm told !<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

Geoff, no crazy spy novel stuff. I was hestitant to say because I know I'll get flamed: I wanted to know if it's possible to use a friend's museum pass. So go ahead, flame, but all I did was ask if they check names and if you can visit the same museum twice : )

I can't believe that noone yet has told you to go to the Kukenhof Gardens (open for spring bulbs, magnificent beauty)at least thru May or June. Easy train/bus and get there in the morning; as it gets quite crowded. Bring plenty of film. It's a great city, A'dam and you'll love it. So romantic at night when all the little bridges over little canals are lit up (gets dark late).

You can take a bus to Volendam, stroll the boardwalk a little and then take a short ferry to Marken. Marken is a peaceful village with traditional architecture. Also, I thought the Rijksmuseum well worth a couple of hours.<BR><BR>Not sure who suggested not driving, but outside Amsterdam driving was easy. I had trouble cross the street on foot in Amsterdam and would not ever consider driving there. Through the countryside and the small cities, such as Delft, it was not a problem. After a week in Amsterdam, relying on trains and buses, we picked up our rental car at the airport and drove to Belgium

If interested in flowers, you might want to see the Floriade, a once every decade event. You can get info online: www.floriade.nl

For the Museum Pass:<BR>You have to have a photo and you have to give your name and date of birth. So you could use a friend's pass if you look a lot alike; otherwise, forget it.<BR>A good rule of thumb is to buy the pass right away if you'll be visiting at least 5 museums (museums have different prices so it's a guess). Fewer than that and the difference is negligible; more than that and you can spend your saved Euros on...Delftware!

RE: Tulips -- It's Keukenhof Gardens, not far from Amsterdam. The tulips bloom until mid-May. I was there last weekend and it's breathtaking.