Hello,
My husband and I are travelling to the Netherlands in April. We are planning on spending 3 nights in Amsterdam and are wondering what a good day trip would be on day 3, as we would like to see the tulips/windmills, etc out of the city.
Also, do you think a week would be enough time for the 3 days in Amsterdam, and also time in Brugges, Brussels, and Lux City? (so, 3 days in Amsterdam, 4 days in Belgium and Lux?) Thanks.
Just answered the 2 other Q right above. No - one week is OK (still very short) for Netherlands OR Belgium - not both. You will get much more from visiting one country only in a week (even that is very little) - are you from sooo far away that you have to cover all that in one tiny one week vacation?
Remember that Netherlands is soo much in other places than Amsterdam - all the other well known cities, Frisian Islands etc..
If you visit in April the Keukenhof tulip gardens should be open (check [www.keukenhof.nl] for the actual opening period in 2009), you can take a bus from Leiden and explore that town on the way back. Otherwise, take a train from Amsterdam to Leiden and after looking around there, take another train from Leiden to Haarlem - a beautiful train trip right through the tulip fields. Both Leiden and Haarlem are lovely old towns that are worth a full day-trip each, but if you're in a hurry you might squeeze them into one day.
I agree with #1 -- it is perfectly possible to see a number of sights in Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, and Luxembourg within a week, but really, you'd be much better off spending the whole week in the Netherlands, which is blessed with more than enough things to keep you occupied. Personally I'd recommend that you spent five days in Amsterdam (including an easy-to-make day-trip to Leiden and Utrecht -- both less than 40 mins on the train), and then went up to the Frisien Islands for a couple of days. Alternatively, you could spend four days in Amsterdam, catch a train on the fifth day to Maastricht -- a truly stunning town with plenty of cycling opportunities in the surrounding countryside -- before going on to Luxembourg, which is just south of there.
Yes there is plenty to see in the Netherlands (and I am Dutch) but I think it would be very nice to combine it with a city in Belgium. However, why in the world would you want to include Brussels if you have such a tight schedule?? Read this thread about Brussels, Bruges and Ghent.
Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp are all very nice. Antwerp is easiest to reach from Amsterdam. For Ghent or Bruges you need to change trains in Antwerp.
Also, Luxemburg city... why? Sure it's a nice city but not more worthwhile than Antwerp (Belgium) or Maastricht (Netherlands) for example, both of which are easier to reach. If you want to go to Luxemburg (country), then choose a lovely town like Vianden instead, with a nice castle and very steep rising streets. I don't know how easy it is to reach this town by public transport though.
For tulips the suggestions above are good. For windmills consider Zaanse Schans, in Zaandam near Amsterdam. Bus tours from Amsterdam go there, or rent a bike and go there yourself.
For my recommendations on Amsterdam go to my website > Travel > Amsterdam Tips.
Veel plezier,
Cécile
Amsterdam