Big trip to the Netherlands - advice appreciated

[AndrewE]

Being based in Utrecht you will have Gouda on the doorstep. It's another typical Dutch town with plenty of traditional architecture in the centre. Could easily be fitted in with other trips.

and you will be sure to get Gouda cheese with Cumin there! We love it, but it's usually difficult to find [elsewhere!]

 

[Cricketer8for9]

And mine.

You can easily spend a whole day in the railway museum. A special train runs to and from the central station right into the museum. And the city centre, with the sunken canal and canal side cafes and flower market, is a delight. I would recommend climbing the Dom tower for the views, and walking around the canal that encircles the city walls - or taking the boat trip. And going to see the Mint, and the nearby windmill and lift bridges. And........

We did in May. Went there as a middle aged couple to indulge my railway interest. Arrived at 10 left at 5. She had at least as much fun as I did.

Somewhat offbeat, but near Utrecht is Kasteel de Haar. Ruined medieval moated castle rebuilt in a mixture of neo-gothic, neo-Palladian and 18th century French styles. Totally bonkers but amazing nonetheless.

 

[DanielB]

Somewhat offbeat, but near Utrecht is Kasteel de Haar. Ruined medieval moated castle rebuilt in a mixture of neo-gothic, neo-Palladian and 18th century French styles. Totally bonkers but amazing nonetheless.

Actually, it's even located within the Utrecht municipality. From Vleuten station a direct bus (111) to the castle is available, but the nearby village Haarzuilens (on bus route 127) is also nice and a short walk from the castle.

 

[Lost property]

You are spoilt for choice really. Maastricht is a must, you could also stop off for a look around in Roermond, likewise Venlo for crossing into Germany. Utrecht is a good choice for a base.

But, do remember to indulge in the essential condiment....frites and mayo ! (nothing like the UK rubbish and an acquired taste that will live long in your memory)

 

[Belperpete]

But, do remember to indulge in the essential condiment....frites and mayo ! (nothing like the UK rubbish and an acquired taste that will live long in your memory)

Ah yes, ask for vinegar with your frites and you are likely to get a roll of the eyes as they mutter condescendingly under their breath "English!".

Another difference important for a first timer is that in the UK, a café is where you go for a cheap meal (think Beale's café in EastEnders). Whereas in the Netherlands, a café is likely to be just that: a place to get a coffee, not to eat a meal. Most cafes have a very limited food offering. Although in some places, you may also go there for a smoke....

But these kinds of differences are what makes going abroad so special!

 

[Amalie]

Hi there, long time reader of this forum, but decided to chime in for once.

If you’re interested in architecture, I would very much recommend one small museum in Amsterdam called “De Dageraad”. The museum itself is tiny, but the real highlight is the architecture walking tour that comes with it around the surrounding neighborhood where you’ll see and learn about the Amsterdam school of architecture from the 1920s-30s. There is also a larger museum of the same subject called Museum Het Schip, kind of out of the way from the usual tourist spots. Although I personally liked the smaller one better.

If you’re eating (Dutch) fries with mayo, do note that there there is sometimes the choice of Belgian mayo which is more rich, tangy, and ever so slightly sour. In Limburg I only ever get my chips at the absurdly unhealthy but delicious Reitz in Maastricht, which have their own in-house mayo and cook their chips in beef tallow. Valkenburg might also be interesting to visit in Limburg.

 

[Spamcan81]

The railway museum in Utrecht is well worth a visit if that’s your thing.

 

[Howardh]

I agree with visiting Haarlem, a typical (and beautiful) Dutch town/city but surprisingly out of the way for tourists.

Thinking of flying London City > Rotterdam and then train northwards, in July, maybe staying near Sloterdijk where the chain hotels have quite reasonable prices (just looked) maybe it's out of the "business" season and into the holiday season, so there isn't the demand?

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Actually, it's even located within the Utrecht municipality. From Vleuten station a direct bus (111) to the castle is available, but the nearby village Haarzuilens (on bus route 127) is also nice and a short walk from the castle.

Yes, we got the bus from Vleuten, though walked back.

 

[MarcVD]

consider visiting Antwerp in Belgium, which isn't too far and a nice place. Easy train ride from Rotterdam or Breda

And you get to visit the station - probably unique in the world - with trains stacked on 3 different levels...

 

[Howardh]

And you get to visit the station - probably unique in the world - with trains stacked on 3 different levels...

St Pancras?! Agree with visiting Antwerp's station, a magnificent building.

 

[J-2739]

Hi again, many thanks for all of your wonderful suggestions; I have had them in mind whilst finalizing a basic itinerary, and now I feel ready to share its current state with you all! Bearing in mind that this isn't overly prescriptive, allowing for a degree of flexibility between the principle attractions:

MONDAY

• Arrive into Schiphol at about 17:30. Allow roughly an hour for border procedures and baggage
• Catch an InterCity (IC) into Utrecht - possibly my first VIRM!
• Check in at hostel
• I'm probably tired! Spend the evening strolling the streets and possibly a bite to each at a restaurant

TUESDAY - Amsterdam

• Amsterdam day! Breakfast at hostel, aim to be out before 8am
• IC to Centraal
• Out of the three key museums in the city, I think the Van Gogh Museum would resonate the most
• Visit the Museum Het Schip (thanks @Amalie for this recommendation!)
• Roam about a bit by foot and by tram/metro

WEDNESDAY - Rotterdam
I had looked at Rotterdam as an inspiration for one of my masterplanning modules at university, so this is kind of a revisit of this.

• Breakfast again, then IC to its very interesting Centraal station; might spend a chunk of time here
• Peek at the Groothandelsgebauw
• Walk the Lijnbaan
• Wander around Delfshaven
• Visit the Museum for Architecture, Design and Digital culture
• Explore the Markthalle (which already looks stunning in pictures)

From hereon, the itinerary gets a little insane...

THURSDAY - South (and a bit of North) Holland

• Very early start; would not even mind leaving before 0630 for this
• IC to Den Haag, stopping off at Gouda - maybe a little early for the cheese market, but still plenty to see on foot
• End up at Den Haag Centraal and check out the station architecture wonderfully described by @ainsworth74 on his own voyage
• Spend some time walking around the Plein, making my way towards the coast for some dramatic photography and sketching
• Statenkwartier
• Kunstmuseum
• Stadhuis
• Tram down to Delft and back - New/Old Church
• Transverse the old railway line up to Amsterdam, stopping at Leiden and Haarlem (more photos and sketches of its impressive station building)

FRIDAY - Cross-border craziness

• Very early start
• IC to Heerlen, which I only recently discovered is home to the striking Glaspaleis, which is bait for a sketcher!
• Arriva cross-border, first towards Aachen (for some German trainspotting), then back towards Maastricht and Liege

SATURDAY - Going north

• Get a Sprinter to Naarden, which looks delightful and compact to walk about
• Continue up the planned city of Almere
• IC to Groningen, stopping at Zwolle for trainspotting/a wander

SUNDAY - Utrecht

• Pretty chill; explore the city more in depth
• Railway Museum - catching the special train
• Rietveld Schroderhuis - a bit of De Stijl architecture
• If I have time/run out of things to do, tram/bus up to Amersfoort

MONDAY - North Holland

• IC to Alkmaar; another wander
• Sprinter to Hoorn, then IC to Enkuizen, another wander before connecting with the 16:45 ferry towards Stavoren
• Heading east to Leeuwarden to briefely immerse myself in the Frisian culture before getting a late train back to Utrecht

TUESDAY - Gelderland

• Arnhem
• Nijmegen
• Zutphen
• Deventer
• [I still need to decide some activities in these cities, but I don't think it will be as intense as the days prior]

WEDNESDAY

• Exhausted!
• Take off at 13:05

Simultaneously this list seems like quite a lot, and yet misses a few things out. Do you think this is a realistic itinerary for an architecture and transport lover, or do you think it is worth cutting it down to maximize the benefits in a select few cities? I would also like to make a short visit to Antwerp, even if just to gawp at the Centraal station. How might I be able to weave this into the tight schedule?

I am seriously considering buying an Interrail Benelux pass for the 8-days as suggested by @dutchflyer (excluding travel to and from the airport). I was looking up on NS' journey planner, and single tickets seem add up considerably for the longer trips (returns not available), although on some days, there appears to be a PriceTime Deal that gives a nice discount; does one need to buy an e-ticket to access these benefits, or is contactless card sufficient enough?

Finally, it would be cool to rent out a bike for one of these days and ride about, but it looks a faff to try and rent an OV-fiet, needing a Dutch bank account. Any alternatives?

 

[Dan_Lockton]

Visit the Museum Het Schip (thanks @Amalie for this recommendation!)

It's really interesting (and if at any point you take the train west from Centraal towards Haarlem and Den Haag, you can see Het Schip clearly from the railway—it's right next to it—which apparently was intentional so visitors would see this new social experiment). But: the tours in English are only at certain times (otherwise in Dutch), so maybe check.

Interrail barcodes work the ticket barriers at NS stations fine, from my experience.

I'd really recommend renting a bike to explore Utrecht—it's been a revelation living here and cycling. There are lots of bike rental places in Utrecht aimed more at tourists, other than the OV-fiets that need an NS flex pass. In fact I think near Bunk on Vredenberg there are at least a couple, and there is one under the Hoog Catharijne mall that is kind of opposite Bunk. If you're interested in infrastructure, the bike parking under Utrecht Centraal is one of the largest in the world and is fascinating just to look at, although the new one under Amsterdam Centraal is more interesting architecturally. Worth also noting that the canal outside Bunk was a dual-carriageway road until only a few years ago, so a really good example of the changing planning priorities.

On the double-decker trains, the top deck is my preference for interesting views. I would recommend getting the NS app, particularly for information about delays and engineering work. The 9292 app is also useful for journey planning.

In Rotterdam, if you go the the Markthal, leave 20 minutes or so to explore the small museum in the Piet Blom cube houses https://kubuswoning.nl/ which are just across the plaza (you won't be able to miss them).

It sounds like a very exciting trip!

 

[J-2739]

It's really interesting (and if at any point you take the train west from Centraal towards Haarlem and Den Haag, you can see Het Schip clearly from the railway—it's right next to it—which apparently was intentional so visitors would see this new social experiment). But: the tours in English are only at certain times (otherwise in Dutch), so maybe check.

Interrail barcodes work the ticket barriers at NS stations fine, from my experience.

I'd really recommend renting a bike to explore Utrecht—it's been a revelation living here and cycling. There are lots of bike rental places in Utrecht aimed more at tourists, other than the OV-fiets that need an NS flex pass. In fact I think near Bunk on Vredenberg there are at least a couple, and there is one under the Hoog Catharijne mall that is kind of opposite Bunk. If you're interested in infrastructure, the bike parking under Utrecht Centraal is one of the largest in the world and is fascinating just to look at, although the new one under Amsterdam Centraal is more interesting architecturally. Worth also noting that the canal outside Bunk was a dual-carriageway road until only a few years ago, so a really good example of the changing planning priorities.

On the double-decker trains, the top deck is my preference for interesting views. I would recommend getting the NS app, particularly for information about delays and engineering work. The 9292 app is also useful for journey planning.

In Rotterdam, if you go the the Markthal, leave 20 minutes or so to explore the small museum in the Piet Blom cube houses https://kubuswoning.nl/ which are just across the plaza (you won't be able to miss them).

It sounds like a very exciting trip!

I am using the old line eastbound on the Thursday as I make my way to Amsterdam from Den Haag; perhaps I can see it from here? Cheers for the heads up regarding English-speaking tours, for which I'll definitely look out for.

I just looked up on Street View the comparison between 2009 and 2022 of the canal by my hostel, and agree that this is a very positive step. On the Sunday, it would be worth seeking out any rental shops to get around Utrecht by bike, and compare with my very mixed experience in Cambridge!

Thanks for reminding me about the cube houses; we studied these as a precedent case, so how these escaped my mind, I don't know. Just another crazy sight to find in Rotterdam!

 

[Bemined]

I am seriously considering buying an Interrail Benelux pass for the 8-days as suggested by @dutchflyer (excluding travel to and from the airport). I was looking up on NS' journey planner, and single tickets seem add up considerably for the longer trips (returns not available), although on some days, there appears to be a PriceTime Deal that gives a nice discount; does one need to buy an e-ticket to access these benefits, or is contactless card sufficient enough?

PriceTime is off-peak only, so on weekdays you can only travel between 9:00 - 16:00 and between 18:30 and 6:30. And your planned journey must be completed within that time, so you cannot catch a 6:25 train to claim this deal (which is possible with NS flex off-peak discount). So it might limit your planning a bit. If you want to travel during the peak as well interrail is probably the cheapest, off-peak NS flex costs €120 for unlimited off-peak travel for one month, which even if you only use 10 days is typically cheaper than paying for individual trips. And with that you can catch that 6:25 train if you are up for it, although you must actually catch a train, it is not allowed to enter the station at 6:25 and first have breakfast behind the gateline and take the 7:00 train.

 

[philg999]

If you want to travel during the peak as well interrail is probably the cheapest, off-peak NS flex costs €120 for unlimited off-peak travel for one month, which even if you only use 10 days is typically cheaper than paying for individual trips. And with that you can catch that 6:25 train…

Is NS Flex available to UK residents though? Don’t you need an IBAN which supports direct debits and a Dutch address to which they can post the personalised OV card?

 

[DanielB]

Is NS Flex available to UK residents though? Don’t you need an IBAN which supports direct debits and a Dutch address to which they can post the personalised OV card?

It should be possible from abroad, but you'd usually first need to order an OV-chipcard (which is possible from abroad, though you'd need to email OV-chipkaart als they done have the UK as an option in their standard order form. And then for NS Flex you'll need to call customer service to order and indeed have an IBAN supporting direct debits. But one could get an online Revolut account as a workaround for that.

• Catch an InterCity (IC) into Utrecht - possibly my first VIRM!

200% chance I'd say, unless there's some kind of mad changeover of rolling stock. But anything else than VIRM on Schiphol - Nijmegen/Venlo is quite rare.

• If I have time/run out of things to do, tram/bus up to Amersfoort

On a Sunday you can't take the tram to Utrecht Science Park to change for a bus to Amersfoort. You'll have to take the bus instead, but that's a chance to get one of the double-articulated buses.
There aren't that many running on a Sunday, but download the OVinfo-app and look for any bus number between 4201 and 4217 on route 28.
(OVinfo is very useful anyway for realtime departures of buses/trams/metros and route maps)

The 9292 app is also useful for journey planning.

I'd never recommend 9292 as it's known to give awkward options sometimes. With the NS app its also advisable to switch of the other transport in the options, as it otherwise might give routes where your train ticket is not valid.

 

[Bemined]

200% chance I'd say, unless there's some kind of mad changeover of rolling stock. But anything else than VIRM on Schiphol - Nijmegen/Venlo is quite rare.

Not quite, the peak-only intercity service Rotterdam - Schiphol - Arnhem partially runs with SNG due to a shortage of intercity stock. So make sure you take long enough to collect your bags so you don't catch the 17:54 sprintercity service

 

[Trainbike46]

Not quite, the peak-only intercity service Rotterdam - Schiphol - Arnhem partially runs with SNG due to a shortage of intercity stock. So make sure you take long enough to collect your bags so you don't catch the 17:54 sprintercity service

I hadn't realised that the IC stock shortage was that bad!

I thought it was just the ICD services that were dealing with stock shortages atm

 

[Bemined]

The peak-only Amsterdam - Enkhuizen services also run with sprinter stock, as a large part of the Rotterdam / The Hague - Utrecht shuttle services. Although that will be different during the period in question, as Rotterdam - Utrecht service will be extended to Driebergen-Zeist during the Amersfoort closure which probably results in different rolling stock on that service.

 

[Trainbike46]

I guess the rest of the ICNG and the DDNG can't come fast enough!

I'm still hoping the DDNG will (partially) be built in Newport, though that is definitely off-topic

 

[johncrossley]

If you are interested in dedicated busways (but not guided ones) then there are plenty of good ones in the Netherlands. It is probably the best country in Europe for bus priority. Especially around the Schiphol airport area.

 

[DanielB]

If you are interested in dedicated busways (but not guided ones) then there are plenty of good ones in the Netherlands. It is probably the best country in Europe for bus priority. Especially around the Schiphol airport area.

I'd say Almere is a better example, which the OP is already visiting. Utrecht has also an extensive busway network, with the one from the city centre to the Jaarbeurszijde bus station being more like a rollercoaster going down first to cross under the railway tracks, making a sharp turn left afterwards and then going up crossing a bicycle tunnel and down again into the bus station.

Not quite, the peak-only intercity service Rotterdam - Schiphol - Arnhem partially runs with SNG due to a shortage of intercity stock.

Forgot the 3200 is still running that late.

I guess the rest of the ICNG and the DDNG can't come fast enough!

The shortages are not entirely due to rolling stock shortages outside the high speed line. The fleet has shrunk as the first ICM has retired and some of the ICR is at the end of its life, but the main problem is actually staff shortages in the depots maintaining the IC-stock.

 

[Amalie]

Some additional recommendations based on your itenary:

- I would very very highly recommend visiting the “Van Boijman depot” in Rotterdam. In fact I would somewhat recommend it over the design museum (which is still fantastic!), and I’m a designer. It’s a beautiful building inside and outside, and very interesting as a “museum”. It’s next to the design museum, but, you’ll need to book tickets in advance.

- I’m sure you’re well planned already, but it’s worth mentioning, last time I went there, I also needed to book tickets in advance for the Van Gogh museum. One of the few in country I know which require pre-booking (the other one being the Rijkmuseum Amsterdam and the Rietveld huis).

- Amersfoort is a small but beautiful city, a bit of a hidden gem. There are also some classic Dutch trains parked there which you can see from the station and when traveling from/to Amsterdam, which itself is one of the more prettier Dutch train routes as it goes trough a national park. Construction works may affect this.

 

[Bemined]

When in Rotterdam, a metro ride from Wilhelminaplein to Maashaven gives a nice view over the skyline if you sit in the right side. And the touristy thing to do next would be to take a water taxi to the Euromast.

 

[DanielB]

- Amersfoort is a small but beautiful city, a bit of a hidden gem.

Should the OP need more inspiration: https://www.visitamersfoort.com/en

There are also some classic Dutch trains parked there which you can see from the station and when traveling from/to Amsterdam, which itself is one of the more prettier Dutch train routes as it goes trough a national park. Construction works may affect this.

Those trains will probably not be visible from a train as those are not running when the OP is in the Netherlands. Not sure, but they may be visible from the "Wagenwerkplaats", which is a former goods wagon workshop (originally built by the HIJSM) converted to a residential/office area. Located on the left hand side when exiting the station at the Piet Mondriaanplein-side.

The national park you mention is the Naardermeer, which can be traversed by train as it's not affected by the engineering works in Amersfoort. (the OP is actually doing that on his itinerary when going via Naarden to Almere)

 

[theblackwatch]

So apart from Utrecht - Leeuwarden only the international service Amsterdam - Berlin will be diverted via Zwolle.

Would you be able to expand on this please? Does this mean during the last 2 weeks of July, the Berlin IC services should run from Amsterdam via Almere, Leylstad and Zwolle to Deventer, or is there some other route? This looks quite rare loco hauled track if it is the case. Many thanks in advance!

 

[rvdborgt]

Would you be able to expand on this please? Does this mean during the last 2 weeks of July, the Berlin IC services should run from Amsterdam via Almere, Leylstad and Zwolle to Deventer, or is there some other route? This looks quite rare loco hauled track if it is the case. Many thanks in advance!

That's correct. It's non-stop between Amsterdam and Deventer.

 

[DanielB]

And not only the last two weeks of July, but from the 6th of July till the 15th of August.

 

[theblackwatch]

Many thanks @rvdborgt and @DanielB for clarifying things.