How much time in Amsterdam?
 

Hello.

I'm in super early stages of thinking of a March or May 2015 trip to Amsterdam. March would be great, as a friend would be there then, but I could probably only manage something like 5.5 days. I'm thinking of daytrips to Hague, Rotterdam, and somewhere to see the flowers, which I worry leaves me too little time for Amsterdam (love a ton of good art museums). Weather would also not be as good. If I went in May, I could maybe squeeze something like 6.5 or even 7.5 days, which seems a lot more doable.

So ... is it worth a shorter trip, maybe cutting out a day trip? Is there a great day trip idea I'm missing? Zeeland? Somewhere more around the water?

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ite-things.cfm

Well been going to Amsterdam at lest yearly for too many years to say - 5.5 days would be enough for most - I'd spend three full days in Amsterdam and 1.5 on day trips - Haarlem right on Amsterdam's doorstep is as nice as any regional Dutch town - check out also Zannse Schanse, just a short train trip from Amsterdam or Haarlem:

https://www.google.com/search?q=zaan...=1600&bih=1075

Delft is a favorite with many. I love Rotterdam because I prefer modern avant=garde archtiecture to a serioes of old towns.

If May, early May for the tulips at Keukenhoff - an amazing sight! So if May gets you there for the tulips, I'd definately pick that. There is plenty to do for 6/7 days esp. if you like museums as well.

www.keukenhof.nl

cYes indeedy all the flowers and more you want to see at the Dutch horticultural industry's finest products, all on show in this pulchritidinous blooming event.

On your own take a train to Leiden and then frequent shuttle buses from there to the Keukenhof Gardens entrance.

Thanks. I think there's a bus from the Airport, too.

So, now I'm even more confused about possible day-trips. I definitely want one for Keukenhof (can maybe also walk around Leiden), a second probably for The Hague, and maybe a third for some combination of Haarleem or Delft or Rotterdam. Perhaps there's a way to streamline some of this?

I do move fairly quickly, and I know that all these places are pretty close to each other, but I'm just not able to see a clear path.

There is most definitely a bus from Schiphol which will take you to Keukenhof.

The Hague and Delft are easy combos - I recently did each each on the same day - Den Hagues's relatively few worthy sights - the Mauritshuis and adjoining old royal digs are in a compact area a short walk from the Central Train Station - then you walk thru the heart of The Hague to Den Hague H.S. (Hollands Spoor) train station for trains to Delft or you can take a tram from The Hague to Delft.

Delft is not a huge city but IME has a bevy of sights - get a walking tour map at the VVV (Tourist Office) and enjoy.

http://www.royaldelft.com/static.asp?myid=135&menu=3

To me a nice addition to Delft's lovely old looks is the Porcelen Fles - Royal Delftware headquarters with museum and factory where you see the famous ceramics being craft4ed - also can buy seconds. It is about 2 km outside of town -= a lovely walk there along a canal but if doing so would take a few hours extra.

I'd group The Hague, Delft, Rotterdam in one: they're all on the same trainline.

Amsterdam - The Hague is about an hour by train
Amsterdam - Rotterdam by Intercity Direct is 40 minutes. (direct train, goes from Schiphol directly to Rotterdam central)
Rotterdam - Delft is 15 minutes
Delft - The Hague is 15 minutes
Rotterdam - The Hague is 30 minutes.

But why not visit Utrecht (25 minutes from Amsterdam by train)?

Utrecht has the museum of mechanical musical instruments - hardly water-based (if that's what you're looking for) but fun all the same:
http://www.museumspeelklok.nl/?Language=en
http://autolycus-london.blogspot.co....d-to-have.html

Utrecht is to me as fine as any Dutch regional town though so few folks here ever consider going there - close to Amsterdam - 30 minutes or so by train - neat old canals - take a boat tour thru them - great shopping, etc.

Thanks. I guess I'm mostly an art museum kind of person, but at least getting to wander through a couple of the other cities would be nice too. So, maybe something like a long day at Hague - Delft - Rotterdam and part of a day (could even start at 8) at the bulb fields would be do-able. Then, I could always quickly visit Haarlem.

Haarlem has the Frans Hals Museum. You might also want to check when the market's on.

Haarlem's square and St. Bavo's church is a great visit. Have lunch or dinner on the square. If memory serves a scenic city gate and cute bridges are nearby. Also, nearby is the Teyler's museum, albeit not really an art museum, it has a little something for everyone.

Haarlem is also known as cannabis city for its pioneering of de-facto legalization of marijuana - the city's coffeeshops are legend - there is a cannabis museum - you never know what different strokes push the spokes for one!

I was in Amsterdam solo for 4 days at the start of one of my Europe trips. That was a decent amount of time but I did not do any day trips, only stayed right in the city, getting around on foot.

Thanks for the tips. Helpful to plan. Maybe ideally a week for me, then, with about 4-4.5 days in Amsterdam and 2 days for day trips. Definitely must do tulips/bulbs and a long day trip to like Hague, Delft, Rotterdam.

Hague, Delft, Rotterdam.>

Chose two of these not three IMO - two are very large cities with a myriad of interesting stuff. Delft is small but if you want to go to the Delft Ware factory/plant that takes time to (and IMO is highly recommendable!).

Rotterdam to me could consume the most time - all day in my case and I've got to go back again to mop up!

. Definitely must do tulips/bulbs>

Here is a neat way to reach the Keukenhof if you like walking a few miles - take the train to Haarlem - have a look at this neat old city - as nice as any in Holland IMO! And then take the train to Hillegom - a station right in the middle of the flower fields.

I tiptoed thru the tulips from here (well other blooms as well - a pulchritudinous sea of bloom - tuilps may well be done by May) - walk on side roads right thru the heart of the flower fields to the Keukenhof - then take the shuttle bus to Leiden - spend some time looking around that neat ole town. Take train back to Amsterdam.

Or from Haarlem's train station take bus #100 that goes right thru the heart of the flower fields to the Keukenhof.

One caution about the Keukenhof: I think if you go in May, the tulips might be decapitated. (They were when we visited). Still a nice park.

Years ago we did a day trip to Delft and the Hague. We enjoyed Delft's square. Hague was underwhelming (as a tourist destination) but maybe others have had better experiences.

Thanks. I think the dates could line up either right when it opens or closes, so both may be less than ideal. I appreciate all the suggestions and especially the transport links.

For art (nature as well), check into going to Hoge Veluwe, it was one of my favorite things.
http://www.netherlands-tourism.com/n...come-together/

Tulips are a very very minor part of the Keukenhof - most of the blooms are in hothouses as the Dutch horticultural industry grows many of them - tulips outside in fields I think are grown for bulbs, not blooms - Keukenhof has zillions of flowers with tulips being a minor blip.

>>>>>>Utrecht is to me as fine as any Dutch regional town though so few folks here ever consider going there

And that is another great thing about Utrecht: in Amsterdam 80% of the people you see will be tourists; in Utrecht 98% will be native Dutch - - and it is so pretty and convivial with all those cafe's and the beautiful Oude Gracht, that people who do make it there say that Utrecht was what they expected Amsterdam would be like. The riff-raff factor and the glazed/stressed tourist factor is completely factored out. It's worth it just for an afternoon escape from AMS, as if it were a nearby neighborhood.

ditto to all dfourh says - the cathedral in Utrecht is marvellous and just think that when it was built for foundations they used zillions of cow pelts to stabilize the foundation! Now how Dutch is that?

Utrecht also has one of Holland's most vibrant and largest shopping malls right attached to the train station if looking for souvenirs at real prices.

March will still be half winter -- raw, windy, and wet. By May the weather is much improved.
For a trip to Keukenhof you can't do much better than bike there from Haarlem. See http://tinyurl.com/5nwqzp.

By May the weather is much improved.>

But years of biking thru this area of Holland in May still means IME often windy coolish wet weather - rarely really warm - a bit better than March but still not summer like you may think. Layer and always carry rain gear - teh green moss ubiquitously growing on westward-facing sides of trees testifies to a wet climate - the actual total rainfall is not that great but it IME often comes as a mist - with wind!

Another vote for the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments.

How about Madurodam?

Madurodam, Holland in Miniature, is a favorite stop for me in The Hague - though a bit off the beaten path:

http://www.madurodam.nl/en/

after walking thru miniature Holland you will have seen all of the country's famous places in one fell swoop - no need to actually go there!

Thanks. All interesting points. I'll keep you posted when this develops ...

We are currently in Amsterdam and our week will conclude Saturday. We have walked the city besides going to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh we made day trips to Delft and Rotterdam. We were charmed by Delft and impressed by the post WWII architecture as being practical but artistically interesting.And they incorporated a few wide boulevards missing in The Netherlands.

Sightseeing is like work, it consumes the time you have.

Would it be mobbed going to Keukenhof on the last day it's open (next year, Sunday May 17?). I think I could arrive in AMS on the 16th from the US.

Sundays in general is a mob scene and I think the last day would be more than usual - but go anyway - it's worth the hassle of crowds and maybe most will have seen it then - hard to tell.

Many of the major exhibits IME are in hot houses - and it can be rather jammed - not just wandering around some gardens.

Would 3.5 days in Amsterdam (taking advantage of late nights at various museums to maximize) alongside 2 full day trips from Amsterdam (Rotterdam/The Hague and Zaandvort/Haarlem), and a half day at Keukenhof, for 6 total days/nights be doable? I'm early 30s and travel fast.

JT - Yes that would be very doable - Zandvoort during May may mean very cool weather with no one on the beaches and not much activity going on - you could well twin Haarlem with the Keukenhof - a bus goes from Haarlem thru the flower fields to Keukenhof.

JoeTro,

Since you've mentioned your love of art twice, I second a trip to Kroller Mueller Museum in the Hoge Veluwe if you like modern art. They have the 2nd largest collection of Van Gogh but that's not all. http://www.kmm.nl/

This is a trip for art lovers, others may not be as impressed but we plan to return. This can be done as a day trip but start early in the morning. The museum has a cafe with a decent lunch and good beer. Pick up a white bicycle, for free, if you want to explore the park. It's fairly easy to get there.

The next time we go, we will stay overnight nearby so that we can enjoy the museum and the park. The town of Otterlo has a hotel.

Enjoy your trip. If you include a visit to the Kroller Mueller in your plans then May would be the best month to go as the gardens will be in full bloom.

Cool - I didn't know anything about it, so thanks for the referral.

You're so welcome. Anything for a fellow art lover.

I loved the Kroller-Muller but was surprised that my National Museum Card was not honored here as it was at just about any other museum - guess is a private museum.

So ... it's looking like this trip won't happen next year. Hopefully 2015. I have a London wedding July, 2015, so I'll probably add on Milan and the Lakes to that instead. Don't want to miss Kukenhof!