marie

My husband will be attending some business meetings in an office park near Schiphol airport (Netherlands) for a couple of days in May. I'd like to spend the time relaxing in a nice small town within a 30 minute drive of Schiphol. I have been to Amsterdam several times; have also visited Delft, Haarlem, etc. I'm not looking for tourist attractions or cities, just a nice pleasant little town where I can sit back, find some nice cafes, maybe ride a bike, walk through gardens/parks, do a little shopping. Preferably on the "away side" from Amsterdam and its congestion and definitely within a REAL 30-40 minute drive (not 30 minutes at 6 am Sunday morning!). Is there any such thing?

jen

I was going to suggest Haarlem and Delft (where I live) when I read your heading!
How about Leiden or Gouda?

Eye Spy

I suggest Leiden. It's only about 20 minutes south of Schiphol on the train to Den Haag. It's a university town and when you get out of the station, within five minutes you are in the city center. Lots of interesting streets and buildings; laid back; pretty quiet. You can even visit the church the Pilgrims attended before they sailed on the Mayflower. Leiden is a very nice town and it seems it is just right for you.

Marie

Thank you both for the suggestions. I will look into Leiden and Gouda. There is an underlying motive: some talk of transferring my husband to the Netherlands. Instead of sightseeing, I'd like to scope out a potential place to live just in case. I have in mind a relatively small town (20,000 or less), not a city, one that would be a pleasant place to live. Which is why I need it to be within a half hour *drive*, not train ride, of the Schiphol area (he will need to drive to various clients in the area, can't train to work). We don't want to be caught in the crush of urban traffic...and DON'T want to live in Amsterdam or any of the larger Dutch cities.

xxx

What about Lisse, about 22,000. Known for its tulip fields.

Pam

Check out the post on the US forum regarding travel around Pt. Townsend. To my memory this couple is dutch and arriving from Schiphol to the US. They might be able to suggest places for you.

pam

Just checked the post is titles "Don't Miss it in Wa and Oregon"...hope this helps. These are the folks from Holland
flying out of Schiphol.

scigirl

Check out Amersfort (I may have the spelling wrong). I visited this small town for one day while in Utrecht this summer - it might be just what you are looking for.

Eye Spy

Muiderberg with its castle 'Muiderslot' by Naarden (NE of Amsterdam) in Noord Holland province.

Abcoude just west of Amsterdam on the way to Utrecht and before Breukelen en Loenen aan de Vecht (see below) in Noord Holland province.

Zevenhoven in Zuid Holland Province

Breukelen (gave its name to "Brooklyn") in Utrecht, Province (20 minutes via train to Amsterdam) or its neighbor Loenen aan de Vecht.

Katwijk aan Zee west of Leiden on the North Sea in Zuid Holland Province.

Alphen aan de Rijn in Zuid Holland Province.

Sassenheim en Lisse in Zuid Holland Province.

Amersfort is a nice town as mentioned above but probably a bit too far from Amsterdam as it's past Utrecht on the way to Arnhem (in Gelderland province).

There are so many!

jenviolin

Marie, resign yourself to rush-hour traffic within 30 minutes of Schiphol. It's just a fact of life these days - alas. The highway is being widened but will not be finished for several years. Still, check out the area between Lisse & Heemstede-Aerdenhout, and also Muiden & Muiderberg.

Hiroshi

I enjoyed a trip to Utrecht. It isn't too far from Schiphol. The internet has plenty of pictures.

If you or your husband likes aeroplanes, the air force has a museum near Camp Zeist which is very close to Utrecht.