nanlynn

HI, This is my first post on the Forums. I have several questions about an upcoming trip to NL in June with my 85 year old Mom. We are both from the US. She understands a little Dutch; I do not. Our main reason for going is to see the towns where my late Dad and grandparents/relatives were born and raised. These areas are: the peninsula that contains the town of Alkmaar; specifically the northernmost part near Slootdorp; and the Groningen area. I have never been to the NL. Mom has been there a couple of times. Mom is doing OK for her age, but I know she won't be able to walk very far before needing a break. I do not want to rent a car, so public transit it is. Our tentative itinerary is: fly in morning of June 18, make our way to Amsterdam, see an easy site or 2 while waiting to check in to hotel, stay in AM. Day 2, make a day trip to the Slootdorp area, return to AM. Day 3, day trip to Groningen area, either return to AM or stay in Groningen. Day 4, Day trip to Rotterdam/the Hague. Back to AM to sleep. Day 5 and 6, site see in the City of AM. Day 7, fly home.
My questions:
1. Does it make sense to stay all days in AM, or should I consider a town like Leiden on Day 4, or Haarlem on the other days instead of AM (I hear outer towns may have cheaper hotel rates)?
2. Will I be able to access more remote areas near Slootdorp via bus? We want to do a little wandering: find the house he was born in, the shop where he worked, etc. Maybe a Uber driver is a better idea for this?
3. I have read the threads about travel insurance but still am a bit confused. Please clarify: would I just get trip insurance for the non-refundable parts of the trip? I don't want to get refundable plane tickets since I doubt I will be back to Europe for a number of years and therefore would not have any use for a refundable or changeable ticket. Or am I thinking about this wrong? I am wondering about emergency medical and repatriation coverage as well, just in case Mom has a major medical emergency and we need to get her back to the US (no major conditions at this time).
4. I welcome comments about the itinerary.
5. The hotel selection is a bit overwhelming. Can you give a few suggestions on decent hotels that are within 5 or so minutes walk from a bus or train station, that are in a safe area, that don't have steep stairs, on a budget of 80-110 Euros per night? We are up for B&B or quirky lodging too.
6. In light of our itinerary, what is the best option for purchasing train/bus passes? AM travel ticket? City pass? Point to Point tickets?
Thank you so much for the help!

menachem

Hi! What a great trip, and with your mum too.

For Slootdorp, take any train to Anna Paulowna station and arrange for a taxi from there. Slootdorp has a Midsummer Celebration, here's the info. [email protected]
You might want to contact them, also tell them your mother is coming to visit.
Around Slootdorp and Wieringen in general are not areas for wandering by bus: there are a few trunk lines to and from Den Oever and Den Helder and that's it. So for that you would need to have a car. But perhaps you can base yourself in Alkmaar, or even in Anna Paulowna which has a couple of nice B&B's.
If you want peace and quiet and reasonable hotel prices, Amsterdam is not the city for that. Haarlem would be better, but since you are going North, Alkmaar would be a great base for you, also for a visit to the island of Texel.
Your hotel reqs re Amsterdam: I'd say they're very difficult to fulfil for that price. Maybe look for B&B's in the general vicinity of Amsterdam, but see above.
Within Amsterdam your well served by buying travel passes. All trams are step free, metro stations are accessible, most buses are step free. For train travel just ordinary point to point tickets. Dutch trains can be very crowded at peak times, so maybe buy 1st class tickets for not that much of a surcharge and know that you have a seat.

Your excursion to Groningen is unrealistic.

hetismij2

It takes between two and two and a half hours to reach Groningen City by train. If you want to visit one of the smaller towns or cities in the Province it could be really difficult by public transport, and really expensive by taxi. If you are determined to visit then stay at least one night there, and drop a day from Amsterdam. You will be jetlagged so need to slow down a bit. Have a whole day between Slootdorp and Groningen. Perhaps get the train straight to Groningen on arrival, spend Day 2 there and get a train to Amsterdam late afternoon. There are direct trains from Schiphol to Groningen every hour, (currently at 9 minuutes past the hour) and ones where you need to change in Zwolle (currently at 39 minutes past the hour. The change is easy just walk across a platform to the train on the other side.


Buses in much of the Netherlands no longer accept cash money, only payment by OV chipcard or a chip and PIN bank (not credit or ATM only) card. You can buy a couple of anonymous OV cards and put some money on those for buses. Just buy tickets for the trains, it costs slightly more but saves you having to have a lot of money loaded onto the OVcards.

You need insurance for your mother, and for your self. Healthcare, repatriation, cancellation, the works. Healthcare here is excellent and should anything happen you will be well cared for, but you will be expected to pay, though no where near US levels it could still be a lot. If anything happens that you need special transportation back home (or need to transport a body back home - unlikely as that is) you need insurance to cover it. A good insurance company will organise extra accomodation, liaise with health care proffesionals and so on and take a lot of the little worries off you.

Don't worry about not speaking Dutch. Most Dutch people speak English, though perhaps not as well as they think they do .

PalenQ

Yes about going first class on day trip trains to prevent 2nd class being SRO at times and harder to get a block of seats together and first class seats bit more roomy and comfy - menachem and hetismij are Dutch folk who know of what they talk - sites with lots about rail travel - www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Try to void trains during morning and afternoon rush hours.

menachem

Basically, travel after 9 AM and before 5 PM, or after 6.30 PM

PalenQ

menachem - I think you said Dag Retour tickets are no longer around - if so besides buying on line which saves 1 euro I believe over buying at window are there any discounts available like the old Daag Retour (Day Return) tickets?

Dank u wel!

menachem

We always check out the off peak daytickets that are often for sale at Albert Heijn, Hema or Kruidvat. New offers are always announced on www.treinreiziger.nl. You'll have to google translate (good Dutch practice!) Here are the current offers.

https://www.treinreiziger.nl/goedkoop-treinkaartje/

nanlynn

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I am deep into research but hope to have some decisions made very soon!

nanlynn

Thank you menachem, hetismij2, and PalenQ for the replies. Once I get the big decisions made, I think I can relax and enjoy putting together the rest of the trip details. We still have a couple of relatives in the Groningen and Slootdorp areas who may be willing to help us get around while we visit my father's birthplace. The rest will be easy travelling via train, bus, and Uber (I hope!)

menachem

Outside Amsterdam, Uber hasn't much of a presence in the Netherlands.

PalenQ

Dutch trains used to at least have a train +taxi scheme where you could book a taxi from train stations with your ticket.

hetismij2

Not now pal. It was stopped a while ago, and would normally only take you a short distance within the town where you arrived anyway.

I hope your relatives will help you, it would be much easier for you both if they can.

menachem

It's our special pleasure, Pal, to go around the Dutch forums, correcting your out of date travel facts about the Netherlands. A quick google will usually tell you whether your memories are still au courant. Now it's us performing this valuable service for you and for travellers looking for reliable information about getting around NL. But, you can do this yourself, before posting even! It's exciting!

menachem

It's why I included at least someone to contact, even if there were no relatives present. But yes, I agree, do get local help. Where in Groningen do you intend to go?

Adding: you state you'd rather not want to rent a car. But maybe you should not use Amsterdam as a base, and instead, after jetlag and Amsterdam sites, rent a car from Schiphol and head north towards Slootddorp, after that, drive across the Afsluitdijk to Friesland and Groningen. Lots of charming places to stay, especially in Groningen. You could use it for the Groningen rural visit, then drop it off in Groningen city and train back to Amsterdam.

In Dutch rural areas, a car is a necessity, because public transport is so scarce there.

menachem

Except in Amsterdam, where the taxi market is crazy, and taxis (including Uber) get stuck in traffic, so a driver might resort to having you exit a few blocks away from your destination.

nanlynn

Thank you all for the comments so far. So I will rent a car for the travelling to the Slootdorp and Groningen areas. My relatives will not be able to drive us around themselves, but they are willing to help us find information about locations of homesteads, local hotels, etc.. It just will take a little time .
Please comment on the revised itinerary: Arrival on Monday morning. Stay in Amsterdam (or nearby) Monday through Thursday nights. Use the train and bus systems to get around there. Pick up a rental car on Friday at Schiphol for the weekend and travel north toward Slootdorp and Groningen over the weekend, staying in those areas. I like the idea of dropping the car off in Groningen, and will check the rental car places for that possibility. Then train to Amsterdam (or close by) for Sunday night...maybe even stay near the airport for the last night? Fly out on Monday.

Question: Are there car rental places other than at the airport I should consider renting from? Or is the airport my best chance for good selection and pricing?
Another: Are there hotels in or near Amsterdam, Slootdorp, and Groningen that you recommend with a rate range of 75-100 euros a night? I would want the hotels in the Amsterdam area to be close to a bus or train line so it is a short walk to transportation for my mom.

PalenQ

There are car rentals on edge of Amsterdam - look for one on eastern edge and take tram there - were several rentals that I used but long ago but check just on edge of Amsterdam itself.

hetismij2

I would pick the car up at Schiphol - you wil get straight on the motorway system rather than having to fight out of Amsterdam. It probably makes little or no dofference to the price. Hertz have an office in Groningen city, which is closed on Sundays, as are Europcar and Sixt offices.

Is it only Groningen city you want to visit or one of the towns/villages in the province?
There are plenty of hotels near Schiphol which offer a free shuttle service to the airport for your last night.