Netherlands advice
Discussion
We are travelling (me, wife, toddler) to the Netherlands by car late April. Getting the DFDS from Newcastle.
At the moment the plan is to go to Giethoorn, Haarlem and also Keukenhoff.
Any recommendations for where to go / roads or routes we have to see as really want to see the tulip fields etc….
Thanks
At the moment the plan is to go to Giethoorn, Haarlem and also Keukenhoff.
Any recommendations for where to go / roads or routes we have to see as really want to see the tulip fields etc….
Thanks
We have sailed that route a couple of times as a means of getting to Eastern France late June/mid July. It’s a really civilised way of travelling and the food & drink is decent and not rip your eyeballs out (unlike airports).
We once thought about stopping a couple of nights in Edam on the way back but COVID screwed that, then the more we investigated, the more we realised the Dutch really don’t like cars (cyclists have priority at all times it seems). Parking seems to be a bit of an issue and there are speed cameras everywhere. Motorway speed limits reduced to 100km/h during the day, 120km/h after 7:00pm I think.
Is late April not too late for tulip fields? I always thought tulips were in abundance in February/March?
We once thought about stopping a couple of nights in Edam on the way back but COVID screwed that, then the more we investigated, the more we realised the Dutch really don’t like cars (cyclists have priority at all times it seems). Parking seems to be a bit of an issue and there are speed cameras everywhere. Motorway speed limits reduced to 100km/h during the day, 120km/h after 7:00pm I think.
Is late April not too late for tulip fields? I always thought tulips were in abundance in February/March?
Getting round Antwerp is a right p.i.t.a. Think M25 in rush hour.
Getting north/south in NL on the motorway can be a right p.i.t.a. Think M1 on a Monday morning.
Good plan to drive up the coast from Terneuzen instead (N62) and spend your first night at Hotel New York in Rotterdam. Then work from there.
Getting north/south in NL on the motorway can be a right p.i.t.a. Think M1 on a Monday morning.
Good plan to drive up the coast from Terneuzen instead (N62) and spend your first night at Hotel New York in Rotterdam. Then work from there.
Tinker2 said:
We are travelling (me, wife, toddler) to the Netherlands by car late April. Getting the DFDS from Newcastle.
At the moment the plan is to go to Giethoorn, Haarlem and also Keukenhoff.
Any recommendations for where to go / roads or routes we have to see as really want to see the tulip fields etc….
Thanks
As someone else suggested you could go to Edam or Volendam. At the moment the plan is to go to Giethoorn, Haarlem and also Keukenhoff.
Any recommendations for where to go / roads or routes we have to see as really want to see the tulip fields etc….
Thanks
Enkhuizen and Marken are nice too and all close to each other and the Zuiderzee
Keukenhof is open until early May. If you drive around either the N208 or N206 close to Lisse - you're driving through the tulip fields on either side and there are places to stop of look at the bulb fields.
Nice nature reserve called Vogelenzang - good, authentic pancake place in the car park area and then walk it off through the reserve seeing the birds and deer.
You could also if you fancy a day at the seaside drop down to Katwijk, Noordwijk or given this is Pistonheads - Zandvoort
halfpenny43 said:
As someone else suggested you could go to Edam or Volendam.
Enkhuizen and Marken are nice too and all close to each other.
You could also if you fancy a day at the seaside drop down to Katwijk, Noordwijk or given this is Pistonheads - Zandvoort
Mrs Sideways is Dutch , so I spend time there visiting family. These are all excellent suggestions. Enkhuizen and Marken are nice too and all close to each other.
You could also if you fancy a day at the seaside drop down to Katwijk, Noordwijk or given this is Pistonheads - Zandvoort
The Louwman motor museum is the best I’ve visited and is a must, in my opinion.
It's not quite on your route, but https://apenheul.com/ - Monkey world in Apeldoorn.
It's amazing - most of the monkeys aren't in cages, they're next to you, jumping on you, playing etc. All are quite small species, so it's not intimating like going to Gibraltar!
I went 16 years ago, and still remember it fondly. Definitely want to take my kids there, as and when we do a family trip to Holland.
It's amazing - most of the monkeys aren't in cages, they're next to you, jumping on you, playing etc. All are quite small species, so it's not intimating like going to Gibraltar!
I went 16 years ago, and still remember it fondly. Definitely want to take my kids there, as and when we do a family trip to Holland.
Flitsmeister is the Dutch waze equivalent - Has speed cameras, average areas, mobile cameras etc.
The roads are for transit, not enjoyment and you'll certainly feel that - Though it is quite a nice change as things tend to flow nicely. Avoid driving into town centers where possible, Parking tends to be limited and expensive, and some traffic calming can be quite aggressive (Big bumps, especially if you're fully loaded with passengers & cargo!)
Gouda is worth a visit if you're there when the cheese market is on.
Lelystad has a nice air museum if that's something you are interested in, as well as a small oval racetrack that occasionally operates autosolo like events
- Interesting place to visit when you think it was only reclaimed in the 1950s.
If you can plan your route to take you over the Markerwaarddijk & Afslutdijk, It's worth doing as they are rather surreal - The Afsluitdijk has a small monument / viewing / cafe area that is worth stopping by quickly.
The roads are for transit, not enjoyment and you'll certainly feel that - Though it is quite a nice change as things tend to flow nicely. Avoid driving into town centers where possible, Parking tends to be limited and expensive, and some traffic calming can be quite aggressive (Big bumps, especially if you're fully loaded with passengers & cargo!)
Gouda is worth a visit if you're there when the cheese market is on.
Lelystad has a nice air museum if that's something you are interested in, as well as a small oval racetrack that occasionally operates autosolo like events
- Interesting place to visit when you think it was only reclaimed in the 1950s.If you can plan your route to take you over the Markerwaarddijk & Afslutdijk, It's worth doing as they are rather surreal - The Afsluitdijk has a small monument / viewing / cafe area that is worth stopping by quickly.
As mentioned the Louwman is a fantastic museum. Scheveningen is nice with a great pier but I prefer the more relaxed vibe of Noordwijk with its chilled out beach bars, I’ve stayed there several times. Near to Noordwijk is Leiden which has canals running through the middle, with a great Natural History museum including a real (ie not casting copy) T-Rex skeleton. Between the two towns is a small European Space Agency museum which is a good couple of hours if you’re into that kind of thing - good for kids too.
Have fun - I love the Netherlands.
Have fun - I love the Netherlands.
Don’t know your planning, but there are nice flower fields near Zeewolde as well.
Living in the Netherlands, last year I went there for the first time. Not crowded as maybe lesser known area.
Loads of fields.
Looked up my pics and I see I was there on the 23rd of April.
Pistonheads pic was taken:
Living in the Netherlands, last year I went there for the first time. Not crowded as maybe lesser known area.
Loads of fields.
Looked up my pics and I see I was there on the 23rd of April.
Pistonheads pic was taken:
Book Keukenhoff in advance and it's best to get there early, it gets very busy from mid morning on. There's also quite a few bulb farms you can visit, eg https://detulperij.nl/ where they have loads of small plots with different mixes of bulbs growing and will sell a pack of those bulbs, or you can pick your own flowers and pay by the stem. Several more in the area, can find out which other one's we've been to if you're interested.
Assume you're doing the boat rental at Geithorn, if not look in to it, well worth it. There's a computer games museum somewhere near there which is worth a visit if you have a wet day, they have an entire hanger full of all the arcade machines from my youth
As well as the above Zeewolde suggestion, there's also loads of flower fields up around Alkmaar and Den Helder.
You mention Haarlem, if you like your beer the Jopenkerk and Uiltje brewery are worth a visit, and Haarlem has one of my favorite museums, the big collection of 18the century scientific instruments at https://www.teylersmuseum.nl/
Trams and busses, are now tap in/out with a debit card which may make getting around towns a bit easier for you.
Don't forget it's a 100kph speed limit until 7pm.
Oh and maybe consider https://www.madurodam.nl/en in Den Haag as very toddler friendly.
Assume you're doing the boat rental at Geithorn, if not look in to it, well worth it. There's a computer games museum somewhere near there which is worth a visit if you have a wet day, they have an entire hanger full of all the arcade machines from my youth
As well as the above Zeewolde suggestion, there's also loads of flower fields up around Alkmaar and Den Helder.
You mention Haarlem, if you like your beer the Jopenkerk and Uiltje brewery are worth a visit, and Haarlem has one of my favorite museums, the big collection of 18the century scientific instruments at https://www.teylersmuseum.nl/
Trams and busses, are now tap in/out with a debit card which may make getting around towns a bit easier for you.
Don't forget it's a 100kph speed limit until 7pm.
Oh and maybe consider https://www.madurodam.nl/en in Den Haag as very toddler friendly.
whilst up north, fort bourtange is well worth a day trip.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bourtange
back around rotterdam, zierikzee is a highlight
be careful with your speed wherever you go, especially with variable limits. cameras are either difficult or impossible to spot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bourtange
back around rotterdam, zierikzee is a highlight
be careful with your speed wherever you go, especially with variable limits. cameras are either difficult or impossible to spot
shirt said:
whilst up north, fort bourtange is well worth a day trip.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bourtange
If you're a runner, there's a Strava segment of the walls, we had to go and run it a second time after my Mrs discovered she was the 3rd fastest woman on the segment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bourtange
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