lovs2travel

After lots of research on train travel, we have decided to rent a car for part of our trip so we can see some countryside and not have to adhere to train schedules. There are two long driving days so I’d like some input on what I am working on. We have driven long distances on previous trips to Ireland and England so this hopefully should not be an issue.

We will pick the car up in Brussels, drive to Ghent then to Bruges for three nights. Any recommendations on car parks? We could stay at our B&B for 15 Euro a night, but that is a bit much.

On day 5 of the trip, we would drive from Bruges to Kinderdijk to see the windmills then to Delft then to Haarlem for two nights. On day 6, I would like to go to Hoorn then Enkhuizen for the Zuiderzee Museum then to Giethoorn via Houtribdijk before heading back to Haarlem. I would really like to make a stop at Zanvoort at some point to see the beach.

Will this be too rushed for what we want to see? Are there other places on the way that you would recommend over what I have proposed? Thank you in advance!

Cowboy1968

You don't find many threads which have both the Netherlands and "long distance drives" in them.. ouch, I think hetis... just hit me ;-)

Brussels-Gent-Brugge
Personally, I would have probably waited to pick up a car until I was in Brugge.
If pick-up in Brussels meant Brussels Airport then I would expect some heavy traffic on R0 beltway/orbital to get towards Gent and Brugge.
Otherwise the drive is no big deal.

Parking does cost some euros.
Maybe you find something cheaper in Brugge, but if your B&B is in the historic town center, I don't find €15 for 24hrs that steep.


Brugge-Delft-Haarlem
With just two stops in the Rotterdam metro region, I also don't find it too crowded.
While the total number of kilometers may not be an issue, traffic can be. I'd expect crowded motorways in the Rotterdam area and not just believe the average driving times which Google maps tell you.
Personally, I would have paired Delft with Rotterdam to get an interesting contrast of Dutch cityscapes, and not Kinderdijk. You should get your dose of windmills when you tour Noord-Holland later, but hopefully some locals will chime in here.

Tour of Noord-Holland
Again, not so much of an issue with regard to kilometers but as you need to use the motorways in the Amsterdam to get where you want and back to Haarlem, traffic may be an issue. I'd probably try to avoid the morning rush hour.

Tulips

15 euro/day to park in Brugge or Gent is not unusual, though in Brugge it will be cheaper to park at the station. Alternative would be to park on the outskirts of town and take public transport in. Better would be to do what Cowboy says and only pick up your car when you leave Brugge.

Driving from Brugge to Kinderdijk, take the E34, and the tolltunnel Lievekenshoek near Antwerp to bypass Gent and Antwerp ring roads.

For visiting Zandvoort - or Bloemendaal, which has the nicer beach restaurants - cycle from Haarlem if the weather is nice.

I don't think the driving is too much, but try to travel outside of rush hour. Are you returning the car to Belgium after Haarlem?


Stick to the speed limits, particularly in the Netherlands, where you will get fined!

hetismij2

Haarlem to Enkhuizen is about an hour, on motorways, longer if you choose to go along the old dike roads. Traffic can be heavy in the morning.
Enkhuizen to Giethoorn via the Houtribdik is about 90 minutes. Again mostly motorway.
Return to Haarlem at least another 90 minutes, again motorway all the way.
So you won't actually get to see much countryside doing that day.
Either visit the museum and then explore Noord Holland - Graft De Rijp, Alkmaar, the coastal villages and dunes (much better than Zandvoort), or go to Giethoorn, then explore that area - visit Blokzijl, go to the Natinal Park the Weerribben, take a boat trip, maybe visit Schokland and Urk on your way back.
Instead of following the A6 back there is a dike road along the edge of Flevoland you can use, slower but you see the Ijsselmeer on one side and the new land on teh other. You could even, if you have the time visit the Batavia and or the Oostvaardersplassen.
You could visit those last two if you do decide to go over the Houtribdijk, since the Batavia is right by the end of it, along with Gormleys sculpture, known locally as the "poepende man". http://tinyurl.com/pvsmgrs

I hope menachem will be along with some more suggestions for you.

It is a shame you are picking up the car straight away, but trust me €15 a night is a good price for parking!

tonfromleiden

Yes, long-distance driving and the Netherlands is - to use a modern expression - a challenge.
Personally I wouldn't worry about the public transport, both in Belgium and in the Netherlands. Trains run at least every half hour, even at the smaller stations. But a car has some practical advantages.
The trip looks all right to me. A few tips:
- Dordrecht is a good place to have a cup of coffee before you go on to Kinderdijk. Oldest city of Holland (as opposed to the Netherlands as a whole). Impressively situated on a crossroads of waterways.
- Haarlem is a good city. Undeservedly often overlooked. Don't forget the Teylers Museum, which is a museum piece in itself. A monument of late eighteenth-century interest in science and progress.
- In Hoorn the Westfries Museum, right in the centre, is worth a visit, if only for its series of militia paintings (the genre Rembrandt's Nightwatch has made so famous).
- When driving to Hoorn from Haarlem, take the N242 and N243 routes. The N243 goes across the land reclamation of the Schermer, dating to 1635. In Schermerhorn you'll find a threesome of windmills - one still in working order - used for this monster project.
- Giethoorn has been discovered by the Chinese tour operators. Be warned: it might be crowded.
- When driving back to Haarlem have a coffee (or something else) in Kampen. Nice small historical city on the IJssel.
Enjoy!

pariswat

Going to Brugge by train is a good piece of advice.
R0 is always crowded and a major bridge (viaduct of ? ) is under repair.

'Ring' is best avoided between 7 and 10. And between 4 30 and 6 30.

Same goes for Antwerpen but traffic jams start even earlier.

Mvg

pariswat

I still managed to drive at least 5 hours in a row once. Was going to Emmen.
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Tulips

But there's no need to drive via the Antwerpen ring road - take the E34 and the tolltunnel towards Bergen op Zoom/Rotterdam. A bit more traffic lights, and there's the toll (5 euros I think), but it's an easier drive.

hetismij2

Absolutely agree tulips.
If there is any way to avoid the Antwerpen ring, at any time of day, you should take it, even with a toll!

menachem

The toll tunnel to Rotterdam is much better. Also, you'll get to Rotterdam by way of Hoeksche Waard. Right after having crossed Hellegatsbrug across Haringvliet, you can get off the freeway and make your way to Zuid Beijerland, leave the car and take the ferry to Tiengemeten, an island in Haringvliet. You can continue towards Kinderdijk along B roads, using the Kiltunnel to get to Dordrecht and along the river to the mills at Kinderdijk. From there, take the car ferry across to Krimpen aan de Lek, after which you can get to Delft. Delft - Haarlem can be via The Hague, Leiden and the beautiful area just behind the dunes via Aerdenhout.

Your other day might be more Dutch (and long distance) if you travel north from Enkhuizen and use the Afsluitdijk to get to Friesland. From there you can make your way down along the Frisian coast: Workum, Hindeloopen or Stavoren are obvious stopping places, as can be Emmeloord: a "new" city from the 1950s in the then brand new Noordoostpolder. From there to Giethoorn is not far, but towns like Blokzijl deserve a visit too. After Giethoorn, you can continue your by now thematic tour of 20th century land development by following the IJsselmeer coast again, to Amsterdam. Or you can follow the "old coast": Harderwijk, Elburg, Spakenburg. If you've been in the Zuiderzee Museum, you'll suddenly discover all kinds of meaningful details in these towns, that were recreated in the museum. All in all this will be a full day's drive, but you'll have seen the IJsselmeer/Zuiderzee, to me a much more iconic "Dutch" coast than is the North Sea coast.

ribeirasacra

I propose a different way a less touristy route and more off the beaten track than the normal suggestions here.
From Ghent head up the n62 turn off for historic Hulst.
http://www.mooistevestingstad.nl/
Then across the water to the area known as Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Including the town of Goes and many other historic sites.
http://www.vvvzeeland.nl/en/islands/.../times-gone-by
Then use the E312 to get to Bergen op Zoom.
http://www.vvvbrabantsewal.nl/braban...bergen-op-zoom
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Bergen_op_Zoom
Then onto Tom's suggestion of Dordrecht.
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Dordrecht

lovs2travel

Thank you all for your advice! I will sift through it carefully and use it to re-work our driving days. I appreciate the suggestions, especially the directions for avoiding traffic!

dwdvagamundo

My spouse and I are taking a similar drive from Brugge to Rotterdam, and I've allotted one day to this. I'd originally thought to go up through Zeeland, to Middelburg and then further north before turning east for Rotterdam.


Any comments on or alternatives to that route? Our interests are primarily history, architecture, art. .

ribeirasacra

Please read my suggestions it covers a lot of what you want to see. But taking a day to see everything I have posted maybe asking too much. Maybe a shortage of daylight hours may affect your plans. when is your trip?

menachem

Only going to Goes does Zeeland a huge disservice imo. The gems are Middelburg and Veere and seaside resorts like Haamstede and Domburg, while the huge Delta Works are destinations in their own right.

Bergen op Zoom is a mediocre town. Dordrecht isn't (although horribly disfigured by the ongoing real estate and retail crisis: many, many empty shops along its most prominent streets.)

Tulips

Just to clarify, there are two toll tunnels.
There is the one under the Schelde near Terneuzen that takes you through Zeeland.
And there's the Lievekenshoek tunnel north of Antwerp, that allows you to bypass the Antwerp Ring road.

Driving through Zeeland is definitely the more scenic option.

dwdvagamundo

Thanks, everyone.

We will be there in mid-October. We generally see what we can and then scurry for shelter when it starts to get dark. This time, we'll need to drop the car near the Rotterdam train station, and it closes at 5, so that will limit our sightseeing time.

I'll check out the places mentioned and then talk it over with my co-pilot.

IMDonehere

If you haven't made reservations yet in Gent try B & B Snooz Inn, wonderful place with very nice people.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/be/snooz-inn.html
_____________________

We toured Belgium last year by car and we also swore off renting cars. Unless you have some out of the way place to get to, take the trains.

In Brugge we parked by the train station and took a cab to the hotel. I will not recount all the problems as they may be singular to us, but like many European countries some traffic enforcement is done by camera. And paying a fine once you are home is costly and inconvenient.

hetismij2

Sigh IMDonehere. Tulips already pointed out the speed cameras up thread. Just because you feel so hard done by doesn't mean others shouldn't enjoy driving through Belgium and the Netherlands, and visiting places it is almost impossible to get to by train/bus.

ribeirasacra

another sigh...menachem: I have not suggested only visiting Goes in Zealand. But do admit cutting down on the suggestions giving the time given for this journey. One cannot do everything at once ;-)