sophiefriedman

menachem, this is great information, thank you!

menachem

I don't know when you are going. If it is in summer, there are so many places where you can go that are just outside of Amsterdam (or Haarlem, or Utrecht, or Delft, or The Hague) that are just gorgeous.

For instance, this is Botshol, a peat lake. It's 15 km outside of Amsterdam: rent a bike at Bijlmer Arena and cycle through the Hoge Dijk reserve along the Waver river to Botshol, rent a rowing boat there, take a picknick and spend an afternoon on the water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWWRelGPXWk

Also, not many people know this, but if you travel to The Hague Central Station, you can rent a bike right there, and cycle towards the coast via a string of gorgeous estates dating from the 18th century.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXFPfpyrBKw

I understand if people want to make the most of Amsterdam or only think of Zaanse Schans or Keukenhof if they want to do excursions. But these places are so glorious, they're not busy and they're so easy to get to.

again if you need guidance, also for an afternoon on bikes somewhere, let me know. Happy to show you around.

sophiefriedman

@menachem, thanks for the great suggestions and kind offer! I'll let you know what we decide, but a boat and picnic sounds absolutely lovely, good for young and young at heart.

PalenQ

Or you could take a train via Haarlem to Overveen, rent cycles there and go cycling towards Zandvoort through the Waterleidingduinen.>

Or head south of Haarlem and bike on side roads thru the heart of the Dutch flower fields, with pulchritidinous blooms all summer-miles and miles - bike to Leiden - return the bike at the Leiden station if possible or if not put it on the train and go back to Haarelm (though you need to buy a Fiets ticket I believe.

Q for Menachem -if you rent bike at Haarlem train station can you return it at other stations, like Leiden?

Used to be able to but that was several years ago.

Another great active excursion that I believe menachem wrote about - take train to Rotterdam then rent bike and take it on the ferry to Kinderdijk and ride thru the biggest conglomeration of old behemoth windmills in NL-or just walk from the boat dock to Kinderdijk:

https://www.google.com/search?q=kind...HVgpCEsQsAQIGQ

menachem

Pal, Sadly, no, you need to return your bike where you rented it. Just a note on the tulip fields between Haarlem and Leiden: this is in bloom only for about 2 weeks. Growers cut off the heads of the tulips quickly: they're after the bulbs, not the flowers. So it's really a matter of being fortunate in the timing: a cold spring will push it back towards late april, a warm spring and it might be in the last week of march, or the first week of april. Even a few days can make the difference between cycling in a real life Mondrian painting or a tour along empty fields.

Indeed, easy enough to put your bike on the train, but you need a ticket for that from a ticket machine that might not accept US credit cards. (a chip and pin issue)

Kinderdijk is easy from Rotterdam, as you rightly point out. Beyond Kinderdijk, and still within an hour's biking are the Alblas and Graafstroom rivers and the historic polder landscape of Alblasserwaard.

I think I mainly wanted to point out that a lot of biking in NL is done for recreational purposes. The biking you see in Amsterdam is strictly utilitarian, but go outside the city and you'll see a different picture. And of course the countryside is geared towards enabling all this leisure activity. Lots of places where you can stop for coffee, incredibly good signage, so you don't even need a map to get around and beautiful cycleways (the green on white signs) through very scenic areas.

Sometimes I encounter barge/bike groups, far out in the countryside. The amazement at what the countryside has to offer to cyclists, so near major cities, is always universal.

Kinderdijk: see the cycleway?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozQLW6-xhYE

kja

Chiming in a bit late, but…

I’d want 2 weeks for Prague / Vienna / Budapest. With 10 to 12 days, you could, I think, do two of them. Your call on which, but if ART museums are among her priorities, I’d be sure to include Vienna. SOooo many wonderful art museums!

Madrid also has wonderful museums, and lots of side-trip options that can easily fill the time you have. I was glad to spend 2 nights each in Toledo and Salamanca, but some people visit them as day trips. And you have other worthy day trips – Segovia, Avila, etc….

Amsterdam has some glorious museums, and although I haven’t spent any time worth mentioning outside of the city (yet), it is my understanding that many places that can be reached within an easy day trip or overnight trip from Amsterdam also have some extraordinary small museums, along with some lovely strolling streets, historic houses, etc.

Hope that helps! I envy you and your mother this time together.

sophiefriedman

Thanks, kja! I feel lucky to have a great mum who likes to travel with me.

Christina

I enjoyed Delft as a day trip from Amsterdam, I went by train and then just walking while there.

I really enjoyed the cheese market in Alkmaar, also, it is only certain days so you need to plan (Friday, I think). I can't remember how I got there but I'm sure there is info (def. public transportation).

this is a good website with tourist info of all kinds
http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visitin...-cheese-market

specifically (and I did enjoy the town otherwise)
https://www.kaasmarkt.nl/en/

sophiefriedman

@Christina, I am mad about cheese. Thank you for this suggestions!