<i>the Kroller-Muller Museum is a can't-miss destination for us. I thought we could take the train to Apeldoom and then a bus to the museum. Is it more complicated than I think?</i>

When we were staying in Amsterdam in March of 2001, we decided to do a day trip to the <b>Kroller-Muller Museum</b>. It was the end of March and it was a blustery day in the Netherlands. We took the train to <b>Arnhem</b>, where you can pick up the bus to the <b>National Park de Hoge Veluwe</b>. From there, you &quot;rent&quot; the free bikes and pedal through the park to the museum, which is located in the middle. We got as far as the train station, and the two young (20+) guys we were travelling with on this trip expressed no desire to cycle in the cold to go see some art. Hopefully, if you decide on this adventure, you will have nicer weather than we had. We did, however, make the best of the day and visited the Grote of Eusebiuskerk and took the elevator up the tower for a nice view of Germany and the Rhine. They also let us climb around in the &quot;basement&quot; of the church, where there is an 11c. graveyard (with bones) and church walls. Peace.

Robyn

Another experience getting to (and from!) the Kroller-Muller: In early, bitterly cold January, a friend and I took the train to Arnhem and then, I think, a bus to Otterlo. The museum, as the previous poster indicated, is in the middle of a national park. By throwing ourselves on the mercy of the Otterlese, we managed to get someone away from sitting in a cafe with his pals to drive us to the museum. The museum was wonderful, and at closing time we asked them to call us a taxi. &quot;A taxi? There are no taxis.&quot; So we hiked through the snow and out of the national park to beautiful downtown Otterlo, took a bus and then the train to Amsterdam.

It's an experience not to be missed, but be prepared for a bit of difficulty. Perhaps things have improved somewhat since then; my adventure dates back to 1966.

When I went to the Kroller-Mueller a couple of years ago, I bought one of those NS (Dutch Railways) all-in-one day excursion tickets. I took the train either to Ede or Apeldoorn (can't recall which) and then a bus into the park. There was a bus stop adjoining the museum. Though I did take the white bikes to get around the park, it wasn't necessary to do so just to get between the museum and the station. So I just checked the museum's website, and it does say that the bus stops right by the museum. But who knows how often in winter?

Thanks for the tips and experiences regarding getting to the Kroller-Mueller museum. I will let the forum know how we made out upon our return.
One good thing if we don't get there, we'll have a reason to return to Holland.

Hi, check out this interesting article on Delft:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/travel/14delft.html

There's some info on the Hague as well, as the article touches upon the Mauritshuis.

haarlem is a wonderful town just minutes by rail from amsterdam. exit the rail station, take the main road to your right heading south and you'll be at the town sq. and great church. we caught a great bach organ recital in the church last august, was blown away (it's one of the largest organs in the world). many shops in town, restaurants and pubs. museums too. we caught a wiff of &quot;herbs&quot; when we walked past a coffeeshop. and were stopped in our tracks after walking down a beautiful, narrow, flowered lane off of a canal and saw a home with red lighting next door to a church. oh, the contraditions... have fun.

haarlem is a quite, pretty town with great church (we heard an organ recital there; one of the largest organs in theworld, central square, shops, pubs, restaurants, canals, a windmill (or 2), museums, coffeshops, etc. it's about 15-20 minutes from amsterdam by rail, it's not far from the coast either and i understand there is an ancient forest to the south. you could see most of haarlem in a day if you start early. rent a bike at the centraal station to get around faster, but walking is okay too. i have some pictures i could send you if you're interested: [email protected]