I am planning about two weeks, maybe a little more, in Amsterdam area next spring. Primary goal to see the flowers. Probably about 4/20 to 5/5 or so. We would also like to see Brussels. Others on this chat line have steered me toward Brugge. In Brussels, should we stay in Central, or Uptown? Can I drive around to all these places? (I've driven ok in Italy and France.) How long would a drive from Antwerp, Eindhoven, Arnhem, Apeldoorn back to Amsterdam take.

Driving times: <BR>Antwerpen to Amsterdam: about 2 hours <BR>Eindhoven to Amsterdam: about 1.5 hours <BR>Arnhem to Amsterdam: about 1 hour 15 minutes <BR>Apeldoorn to Amsterdam: about 1 hour 15 minutes <BR>20 April to 5 May is an excellent period to see the flowers. You probably already have De Keukenhof listed as one of your trips. I would recommend you to go to National Park De Hoge Veluwe (near Apeldoorn) as well. Great park (you get free bikes to cycle around) and one of the best museums in Europe, the Kroller Muller Museum. (see: www.kmm.nl) <BR>Also visit the flower auction in Aalsmeer (20 minutes South of Amsterdam) in the early morning. Nice cities to visit are Delft, Leiden, and The Hague/Den Haag, and even Rotterdam if you like modern architecture. <BR>30 April is Queens Day (celebration of the Queen's Birthday, a public holiday) in the Netherlands. If you like huge crowds and street parties, go to central Amsterdam. If you like nice family style local events, go to a smaller city/town. <BR>In Belgium, Brugge is beautiful but very touristy, Gent and Antwerpen are very nice real cities, and Brussels has great food and nightlife. <BR>You can drive around in all these places, but traffic can be confusing and parking can be difficult to find and very expensive. Public transport is excellent and more convenient if you only want to visit the cities and bigger towns. <BR>Have a nice time! <BR>

Bill, <BR>We did a similar trip the last two weeks of April this year. Our focus was a combination of history and seeing the fabulous flowers. The history focus had us spending a little more time in Belgium then you may want to ( Bastogne, Ypres). We only spent one night in Brussels and found that to be plenty. We stayed near the Grand Place and found that to be an excellent location for our purposes. <BR> <BR>We spent two nights in Delft which we liked very much and went to the Keukenhof Gardens from Delft. We stayed at the Bridge House Hotel in Delft and would highly recommend it--small, nicely rehabbed, huge room, marble bathroom and enthusiastic young owner. Keukenhof is fabulous---you can easily spend a full day there. We also went to the Hague and found it to be a very nice small city. <BR> <BR>We did spend two nights in Bruges and we enjoyed it. In April it was touristy but not overwhelming and wandering around the small canals was very special. <BR> <BR>One word of advice on Queen's Day---it is truly one big party and Amsterdam shuts down in terms of access to the airport etc. We were leaving on Queen's Day and our journey to the airport was an adventure in itself. <BR> <BR>As far as driving, do it for the time you will not be in Amsterdam. We made sure we had seen what we wanted to outside the city before we checked in. We dumped the car as soon as we could. Parking is very difficult, the city is manageable by walking and although we did not use it, the public transportation is supposed to be very good. Having a car for our time between Brussels and Amsterdam was a big plus in terms of flexibility. Have a wonderful time!

Bill, <BR>Definitely make some time to go see Brugges. It is a beautiful, quaint place which has retained its old European charm. <BR>I went there last Feb. - it was cold, but it still looked lovely, so I imagine it would be even prettier with the flowers and trees in bloom. <BR>This forum is where I came to learn about Brugge and I'm so glad I went. It was everything everyone said it was and more. <BR>Also went to Brussels, which is a big city with a few sites to see. I've been to lots of big European cities, so it wasn't a big thrill for me, but do go and spend at least 1-2 days there to see some sights. I would spend more time in the charming little towns of Belgium if I were you. <BR>We stayed at the President Hotel in Brugge - it was outside the city but it had a shuttle that took you right into the city. No need for a car. Don't think you need one in Brugge as well. Walking and taking the bus is easy. <BR> <BR>I rec. staying at Hotel Der Tuinen in Brugge - a charming B&B run by a family with good, clean rooms (ask for one overlooking the canal) and a great breakfast. Again, this was rec. by others on this site. <BR>Let me know if you need other info. <BR>Sorry, have not seen Amsterdam (yet...!) <BR> <BR>Good luck!

I did a similar trip in May this year, but only stayed one week. We traveled exclusively by trains and other pub. transportation, which went well. I don't want to repeat what has already been said, and would agree with most of it. We did not enjoy Den Hague much. IMO it lacked the charm of other cities that have been mentioned, but that is b/c it is differnt and it does have some international importance. We stayed in Haarlem, Brussels, and Brugge. We like Haarlem, and really enjoyed the Teylers Museum, which is small compared to Amsterdam museums, but wonderfully eclectic. The Keukenhof is nearby and was stunning, even for a non-gardener like myself. Brugge was well worth it. Touristy, but for a good reason. Delft is an enjoyable town to explore w/ a great town square. In Brussels, we stayed a block away from the Grand Place. We really liked the location, though it might be difficult to park a car. (We stayed at the Hotel Opera: tiny rooms, but great location). Brussels is spread out. Brugge is an easy 50 min train trip from Brussels, but we took taxis from the Brugge station to the Hotel Coreandier (which was close to the Market square and which we really liked). Something else to consider is a trip to the coast (11 min. from Haarlem). As midwesterners we don't get to see the ocean enough and it was a nice quick jaunt.