1

Den Bosch and Maastricht are both nice and charming and characeteristic cities. Of course Maastricht is about 1,5 hours' drive from Den Bosch, so if you don't want to drive to far after your day at the Hoge Veluwe, the choice is easy. In terms of restaurants and shopping I think both are probably equal. Maastricht does have a different 'feel' to it than Den Bosch (it seems more 'foreign').
If you could give us an idea of what you like doing/seeing you would probably get more helpful replies.

BTW: it's UtrechT :-).

2

I'll repeat what #1 says, to emphasize the point. You have to say why you can't decide. What is the issue that's giving you difficulty.

3

Then what's the difference? Figure it out in situ.

have fun/not schedules

4

I agree with Minimi about Maastricht vs Den Bosch; personally I like both, but if you don't mind driving a little further I'm tempted to choose Maastricht and surrounds because it feels more different from the rest of the country than Den Bosch. Perhaps you could cut out Giethoorn to allow yourself more time to see Maastricht and make a short drive around the countryside that surrounds it (e.g. Valkenburg, Schin op Geul etc)

Let me know if you need specific recommendations for Leiden, I've been living there for 15+ years now and know the town quite well if I may say so.

it's UtrechT
Unless you are a local from Utreg, of course ;-)

5

Hi again! Thanks for your answers. We would like to see a typical Netherland city. We are not really interested in museums, just looking for a charming city with an historical centre and nice places for a walk. Also it would be nice a bit of atmosphere for a relax drink or dinner.
Something kind of similar to Brugge or Gent in Belgium ;).

6

@Aribo, I actually am, but I didn't want to bother OP with all that :-).

@OP: both cities would be fine for you, based on your description. Maybe the historical center of Maastricht is a bit larger than Den Bosch. Also, like I said, the atmosphere in Maastricht is 'different' (as in 'less Dutch', but in a good way). I wouldn't say it's a typical Dutch city, but that's why it is a bit like Gent or Brugge (which are Belgian and not Dutch, of course). But Den Bosch is also very charming, it has a lovely historical center and it has plenty of nice restaurants and it's not as far. Check out the websites for both cities and then decide.

7

We would like to see a typical Netherland city
I think you will already find that in Haarlem, Leiden, Gouda and Utrecht. Den Bosch, although a lovely town in its own right, might feel a bit like more of the same thing; Maastricht, on the other hand, has a distinctly different feel, even though it is still undeniably a Dutch town.

Arnhem (Hoge Veluwe)
I am not too impressed by Arnhem myself, I'd consider Otterlo instead as a base for Hoge Veluwe.

8

I will add the point of view of a foreigner .. although in this case the point of view isn't much different.

To repeat the practical point, Maastricht means more driving, more time on the highway rather than walking around somewhere. It is something to consider.

So what is the difference between den Bosch and Maastricht if one has to choose?

For me, den Bosch means "town". It is a place which will give more of a sense of intimacy. It even feels smaller than Utrecht. It is small like Brugge is small, but not so medieval in the architecture, it is important to say. So, a town feel, not so crowded, more relaxed atmosphere -- at least, when I have been there.

Maastricht is "city", somewhat grander in scale. You'll feel like you're in a big place, on the scale between Gent and Antwerp. I think the Limburgers would not want to say their city is typically Dutch. Perhaps for a casual visitor you might not notice what the difference is, but the city is definitely different in atmosphere from the other places on your itinerary.

Aribo raises an important detail here. What are you visiting? If you mean Hoge Veluwe also for the Kroller-Muller museum, then this doesn't have much to do with Arnhem itself, since you can visit the Hoge Veluwe and bypass Arnhem entirely. So, depending on your purposes and order of visit
it might be better to write
'Hoge Veluwe (Arnhem)' or even just 'Hoge Veluwe'.

9

@BthDth: it's funny that Den Bosch strikes you as a town and Maastricht as a city, when Den Bosch is actually larger (it has some 20.000 more inhabitants than Maastricht) and Maastricht is nowhere near on a scale with Antwerp (which has nearly half a million inhabitants, were Maastricht only has 120.000) :-). But having said that: like I wrote above: Maastricht does have a larger center.

10

A typical Dutch town/village?
Difficult IMO.
What's typical Dutch?
Bossche bollen?
André Rieu on the Vrijthof Maastricht?

Maybe this one is coming close. But unfortunately far-away as I assume you're Spanish due to the Madrid-septiembre indications.

11

I think 22 September will be a bit of a strange day... going north, then back south. Isn't it possible to rent a car elsewhere and bring it back in Amsterdam in the end, for a little extra fee?

And isn't Giethoorn closer to Hoge Veluwe than to Den Bosch? (Seems like a lot of driving from Den Bosch... better combine it with Arnhem?).

I really like Nijmegen, but Arnhem is nice too. But I prefer Nijmegen.

Haarlem, Leiden, Utrecht are very nice.

Den Haag is not a picturesque city. It does have some interesting museums but you say you're not interested in those.
You might like Delft better.

Maastricht is indeed quite different from the other picturesque cities.

Some towns you will definitely also love and which are not far from Hoge Veluwe, are the ' hanzesteden ', 7 medieval towns along a river. Very very pretty. I really like small cute Hattem myself, and Deventer also has a pretty town center. Kampen is also very picturesque, very religious though. Zwolle is beautiful but a bigger city.
You may want to stop in 2 or 3 of these towns for a coffee or lunch while you're near.

Have fun!
Cécile
Amsterdam

Edited by: emd_one on Mar 4, 2013 12:21 PM

12

P.S. I notice that you will spend some nights in cities while you're renting the car. Please note that parking can be very expensive in cities. Especially Utrecht.

13

I wonder why you don't spend more nights in Amsterdam. The distances in Holland are so small that going back from Leiden or Utrecht to Amsterdam is no problem.
On your trip to Kinderdijk you should also visit Dordrecht. It is the oldest town in Holland and having a coffee on the "Groothoofd" to watch the shipping on the rivers in that area is interesting.
I find the trip along the river Lek from Kinderdijk to Vianen and then on to Utrecht very scenic. In stead of Gouda you could visit Schoonhoven. In that case park your car in Gelkenes and take the ferry to Schoonhoven.

14

re #9
Yes, it sounds strange, but that's the feeling I get. I think it has more to do with the layout of the center (the 'original' town as it were), rather than total population including the surrounding areas. Maastricht has the larger Maas river flowing by, den Bosch is surrounded by the smaller moat around the old city walls .. etc.

I was trying to find a way to link to the OP's remark about Brugge and Gent as reference. Maastricht falls somewhere between Gent and Antwerp for the feeling of the center, even though both these Belgian cities also have a much larger modern spread around the old core.