thegirlandme

My 10 year old daughter and I will be travelling to the Netherlands to see my sister who is currently living near Arnhem. I am very familiar with northern France, and spent a week in Holland when I was her age but don't remember a whole lot about it. I would love any suggestions for the best day trips to take. We have a fairly small budget so overnight trips will have to be limited, but I would make the "right" trip work. She loves anything historical and wants to "see stuff from when the old people lived"! How cool is that? If I could I would take her all through northern France, into Belgium, and then back through the Netherlands. I would be ok with northern Germany as well. We leave in a little over a month and haven't started planning anything!!! Help!!!

dfourh

You are very close to what is my favorite Dutch city, Utrecht. It has one grand canal, lined with cafes, trees, and antique shops. It is a very busy and popular place, but nearly everybody you will encounter is Dutch (as opposed, to, um Amsterdam). You can walk endlessly and find more commercial delights (like the great frites, and the flower stands by the canals - - and take her into the department store Hema to look at knick knacks - - there are also great cheap knick-knack shops). My second favorite Dutch city is Leiden, which is a much longer trip, and has many of the same allures, but in a different configuration - - Delft is a hop, spring and jump further, and Den Haag has a Holland in miniature feature, along with the great beach in Scheveningen. If you can make it up to Hoorn (through Amsterdam and up the interior coast) that has a charming old fishing village atmosphere. The cheese market in Alkmaar is also classic (check days/times for the best action with the old clothing). Then there's Amsterdam, with the Anne Frank house, but you could almost save Amsterdam (with its teeming stoned tourist masses) for another trip, though the carnival atmosphere at the Dam might be fun, as well as a trip to the Artis (zoo).

spaarne

One of the most famous battles of WWII was fought at Arnhem.

The <i>Den Haag has a Holland in miniature feature</i> mentioned by dforh is Madurodam. This is a fascinating exhibit for all ages. If your daughter likes water and amusement parks a visit to Duinrell near Wassenaar is something she will never forget. My daughter, then about 10, loved it. I was 60 and also loved it, especially the water slides.

I like Zaanse Schans for windmills and old buildings. Other Fodorites have other favorites and I'm sure they will make suggestions.

I have lived in Haarlem for four years in the past. I recommend a visit if you have time to go over there. It would probably take a couple of hours to get there by train. Check schedules at the Nederlands Rail site www.ns.nl/en.

Tulips

I wouldn't skip Amsterdam. Anne Frank house, a tour through the canals, and the newly reopened Rijksmuseum. And visit het Grachtenhuis, to see how the rich lived in the 17th century.

'teeming stoned tourist masses' is quite an exaggeration. And I wouldn't visit a zoo in Amsterdam with a kid interested in history. She will love Amsterdam.

hetismij2

Arnhem has a an open air museum, full of stuff from when the old people lived. http://www.openluchtmuseum.nl/en/
As a break from museums Burgers Zoo www.burgerszoo.com is superb, or maybe a trip to Hoge Veluwe for a bike ride, http://www.hogeveluwe.nl/en/14 and if she is up to it the Kroller Muller museum.

There is also the Africa museum in Berg en Dal, the Dutch water museum, http://www.watermuseum.nl/(only in Dutch at the moment) and plenty of WWII stuff around Arnhem.

Have a look at http://www.arnhemnijmegenregion.com/ for lots of info on things to do around Arnhem and Nijmegen.

Zaansche Schans is very touristy and often full of Chinese coach parties. That said it will probably appeal to a 10 year old - she can see clogs being made, go into windmills and the like. A long trip from Arnhem though.


Definitely do at least a day in Amsterdam.

In Utrecht there is the Speelklok museum www.museumspeelklok.nl/?Language=en. Also there is the Dick Bruna house, though she may be a little old for that http://centraalmuseum.nl/en/visit/lo...k-bruna-house/.

Muiderslot is also great for kids, as is nearby Naarden.

The_lonely_traveler

Arnhem is a nice city. If your little girl is interested in castles, close to Arnhem is Castle Rosendael. Do bring dry clothes if you go there, in the garden "de Bedriegertjes" are designed to get you wet

Already mentioned by "hetismij2" is the open-air museum.

Probably less interesting to a little girl, but the Airborne museum at Oosterbeek should not be missed. It is located in the old Hartenstein hotel, where General-Major Urquhart quartered the allied headquarters during the battle of Arnhem in WWII.

Other castles in the neighbourhood include house Zypendaal (very close to Oosterbeek & Arnhem), Ammersoyen (in Ammerzoden), de Canneburgh in Vaassen (which is my favorite because that is where I spent the better part of my childhood) and last but not least: Castle Doorwerth (slightly further away). If you have a bit more time and don't mind traveling a bit further, Muiderslot should certainly be on your list.

If she's interested into even older history, a short trip to Xanten (Germany) may be a good choice (http://www.apx.de/english/index.htm). It's about an hour drive from Arnhem but may be worth the visit. Also, in Nijmegen (very close to Arnhem), visit the Valkhof Museum.

Also worth a visit: Dorestad museum (Wijk bij Duurstede) and Paleis het Loo (Apeldoorn). The Dorestad museum shows a lot about how people lived in ancient times. It's small, but cozy. Paleis het Loo provides a very different view on life, built in the 17th century it was a secondary home to the King Willem III en Queen Mary II. Very pretty and nice gardens!

jgwagner4

I will second Xanten and its Roman outdoor park/museum. It is a great location for children and will allow her to say she has been to Germany. I would suggest to go even further into Germany, because less than two hours from Arnhem is Köln (Cologne) with one of the most impressive Doms (Catherdrals) in Europe as well as several great museums, including a Roman one.

Have fun!

thegirlandme

Wow! What wonderful suggestions! I definitely wanted to do a day in Amsterdam (I think that is precious plenty for what we need to see) but the open air museums sound wonderful. I recall going to a fishing village when we were there and no one can seem to remember where we went...of course this is the one thing that stands out in my memory so I want to be sure that I take her to somewhere similar!

I have never heard of Xanten, and am very excited! I am not sure my sister has even heard of this place...looks like the perfect place to go! We may even be able to roll this into a trip to Cologne and a ride down the Rhine.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful suggestions!!!

lavandula

Was the village Spakenburg? My cousin from Doorwerth (Arnhem) took me to Spakenburg once - it's sort of a badly-kept secret. Some of the older people still used to dress in traditional clothing, who knows what they do nowadays. I bought a beautiful traditional jacket from there. It's badly signposted, I think because they don't want people coming there, understandably. It's a former fishing village, but the community has sort of grown beyond that nowadays. I'm sure there are any number of small villages you could visit, though. Another one coming from Amsterdam might be Marken - not really near where you'll be but worth a look.

Lavandula

hetismij2

The village could have been Spakenburg, or Urk, or Marken, or even Volendam.
Sakenburg is close to me, and I like it a lot. During the summer they have Spakenburger days every Wednesday which are interesting to visit. It is hard to get to by public transport though.
Urk is a former island on the edge of the Ijsselmeer, also well worth a visit.
Don't aim to visit either on a Sunday though.

thegirlandme

Volendam is the only name of those listed above that I recognize. That doesn't mean the rest aren't where we were. My recollection is that of a 10 year old that went where her parents took her. I had no idea where I was and when. We toured the Netherlands in 4 or 5 days and my dad was the type that had us going from morning until we couldn't hold our eyes open. He does not even remember the village (no help there).

We will be fortunate to have access to vehicles with free gasoline so we can drive wherever we so choose!

Do any of you know anything about the Rhine river tours? I recall doing one as a child and being bored silly. However, I had seen just about ever chateau there was to see in France by that point so seeing more that just happened to be located on the side of a river were really unimpressive. I am not certain my daughter would share the same sentiment. She has seen the Biltmore House, but that is about it. Any suggestions as to a trip to the Rhine that would only require one hotel night?

Russ

Rhine River tours: The river cruise is only part of the experience - the more interesting part is checking out the villages and castles. This suggestion for two villages and two castles includes never-destroyed Marksburg Castle:

www.marksburg.de

1.) Take the train from Arnhem to Bingen, the southern end of the scenic Middle Rhine. On most days, there's a 9:07 train to Cologne (arrive 10:45.) Suggest you pause in Cologne for a look at the incredible Cologne Cathedral and a quick bite to eat at the station. Then catch the 11:53 train to Bingen (one change of train in Koblenz, arrive in Bingen at 13:43. (Standard adult fare for Arnhem-Bingen is 69€ for most trains, but if you can pinpoint the date, a cheaper fare, as low as 39€, can be had at the German Railways site: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en )

2.) Walk to the KD boat dock and catch the 14:30 boat north. Cruise to St. Goar for the best part of the river (takes 1.5 hours.) Your DB (German Railways) train ticket doubles as a 20% off coupon.

Schedule: http://www.k-d.com/en/kd-scheduled-cruises/
Regular fares: http://www.k-d.com/en/kd-scheduled-c...se-rates/#c620


3.) Drop bags at hotel in town. St. Goar has the most scenic setting of any of the Rhine villages - 3 castles are visible from the docks. Still time to see Rheinfels Castle if you want to (self-guided): http://www.st-goar.de/17-1-rheinfels-castle.html

4.) Day 2: Take a morning train south for a visit to Oberwesel or Bacharach (5-10 minutes south of St. Goar.) Return to St. Goar for lunch, fetch bags. Ferry across to St. Goarshausen (ferry runs all day) and walk north to the station there (a few minutes.) Take the train to Braubach for Marksburg Castle tour (you can leave bags with the TI office there, as there are no lockers.) Take train back to Arnhem in evening.

This day's train ticket could start in St. Goarshausen and end in Arnhem with a stopover scheduled in Braubach - you might schedule a 3-hour stopover for the tour and a meal.

The morning jaunt to Bacharach or Oberwesel and back to St. Goar requires a ticket of course but ought to be pretty inexpensive - about 7€ round trip for the two of you to Bacharach, less to O'wesel.

St. Goar accommodations: http://www.st-goar.de/612-1-.html

Russ

Of course, if your gas is really free, you should just drive the route above instead. The ferry mentioned is a car ferry. Not sure about parking in Cologne though, and in St. Goar, you'll want to park at your hotel first then take the train to Bingen to begin your cruise.

TommieG

Arnhem also has a wonderful zoo: http://www.burgerszoo.com/

And if she likes theme parks, there are plenty of that in the Netherlands. The biggest, most famous and yes also most expensive is de Efteling in Kaatsheuvel. Smaller ones are Hellendoorn in Hellendoorn (they have a new water slide park opening), Ponypark Slagharen in Slagharen, Drievliet near The Hague etc.