Hi all,
I am planning a tour of NL by car and am trying to plan the route. I will take a few weeks to do this during December as business is slow then and I fancy a trip to other destinations in the country. I am able to be flexible on dates as I won't be catching a flight back to the UK.
So far I have planned to hit:

Amsterdam
The Hague
Leiden
Utrecht
Groningen
Nijmegen
Rotterdam
Alkmaar
Leeuwarden
A few others on my travels: Breda, Eindhoven, Tilburg etc

I am looking for any suggestions and/or experiences you guys have of spending a few weeks on the road in NL. Of course I could always pop over to Germany and Belgium if there is anything (or anyone) specific I should see :) Also keen to know if there are any to drop off the list, or any I should only bother staying for the day.

This would be one hell of a trip report, I just hope I have the strength to take on a few weeks of mongering back to back!!

Thanks chaps

Volendam is nice imho
Quiet sleepy place, Dutch costume worn [ for the tourists ]
Been there a few times, no RLD [ not that i looked] tho

regards

I second Volemdam, it's a nice and unique place to visit; I've been twice; once on a day trip and once spending the night there.

This one is highly subjective, but I also enjoy visiting Deventer. It's not a large city, but it's got a certain charm and niceness to it and I often enjoy just being there for long relaxing hours drinking beers in the sun at one of the many cafes surrounding the large town square, or just walking by the river. It also has a small red light district close to the main square; it's only one street and it unfortunately seems to be getting smaller over time, but it's always fun to check out. I don't know if I can truly recommend Deventer though because my experience feels too subjective, and I'm not really aware of any actual attractions there.

A few years ago, I visited Arnhem, which also has a good zoo "Burgers Zoo" and the open air museum, which contains examples of Dutch houses from various time periods in the Netherlands. It's a really fascinating place to visit.

I can't say too much about your other suggestions; I've been to around half of them, but not often enough to give an thorough account of them. Utrecht has a unique feel to it, though I've only visited Utrecht to look around, and Rotterdam is definitely worth a day for a Spido tour of the harbour and a visit to the Euromast. Den Haag has some cool museums and Mudurodam, which are both worth visiting.

Seeing your list is making me want to see more of the Netherlands; so many places I haven't yet visited. :)

Thanks chaps. Given the country is so small and I have plenty of time (I work for myself), I will most definitely stop by the places you mention. The trip isn't pure mongering, but of course there is an element of that.
I recently got a train down through NL into Germany and I thought what a shame it is that I have only visited Amsterdam and the surrounding areas. I will definitely write a detailed trip report on this which I will write as I go.

I have been toying with the idea of making it down to Frankfurt (and a few places en route), but I wonder if I would be best doing that in a separate trip.. Perhaps I should do NL & Belgium in one trip and save Germany for another time. I have spent a lot of time in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Cologne & Munich but each time has been for business - I rarely get the chance to sample any local "treats"!

Again, thanks for the suggestions.

I would go south of Rotterdam to Zeeland province and pass through Zierikzee (small town with a couple of nice restaurants) before going to Middelburg......great square and a superb albeit small museum.

You can then scoot over to Brugge. I would overnight there. There is lots to see and do there and enough to last a few days. One thing I would do though is go to Damme which is a nice long walk or a fast car ride before heading for Breda and back into Holland.

Maastricht is a superb city IMO.

Just my 2 cents.

Regards Roland

I second Brugge.
My friend says it is Amsterdam without weed, neon or hookers.
I really enjoy staying there.
Memling museum is great, the town is wonderful for walking.
It is the center of Flemish tapstry and lace, if you are into shopping.
Eat at the Golden Shear. TIny family cafe with no more than 18 seats,
some of the best meals I have ever had.
Fabulous beer, and a strange collection of very good billiards halls.
Belgium and billiards. Who knew?

PS...you can visit the windows in Oostende, and meet Sabrina if you are lucky!

Weasel

I just looked at your list again.
How about Alkmaar?
The cheese market is strangely fascinating, the cafes on the square are fun,
and there is always the Achterdam!
If you are open to Belgium,
the Tongren flea market is a blast
and if you like really bad behaviour, the twice monthly Sexslavinnen nights at CIrcle Club in Schoten are worth a trip all by themselves.

Weasel

If you are going to make it to Nijmegen it wouldn't take a whole lot more to make your way across the border into the NRW region of Germany where you will find a wide selection of Sauna Clubs such as Goldentime. They are a fantasy land of girls in lingerie ready for DFK and BBBJ as part of your FS session...75 euros for an hour (after the entry fee). Everyone takes showers after each encounter, so things are squeaky clean.

I'd also second the Sexslavinnen event. I've not made it there personally yet, but I'm on the mailing list, and from the pictures and what I've heard...it's wild!

(Also check my map linked below. Be sure to open the Info bubble. There are more links there for other maps of interest).

I would second both recommendations for Deventer and Arnhem. The former I have visited as a halfway meeting point for a Dutch in law and I to share some smoke and beers while wandering the town. We both consider it quite magical as it still possesses its quaintness as an old Dutch town while not being overcome by the tourist hordes. A nice market on certain days.

Arnhem is the infamous for being the site of the last stand of the British 1st Airborne in 1944. Much history to be found there.

You have to visit Delft for sure. So beautiful and so historical!

I also liked Zwolle - Zwolle museum de fundatie and Zwolle castle are worth seeing.

Have not seen Haarlem in your list - it's so close to Amsterdam - you have to go there - windmills and canals also, but much calmer than the capital and also beautiful.

There is a nice aviation museum near Lelystad - aviadrome - http://www.aviodrome.nl/
It has full real B747-200, real simulator of B737-400 and other interesting planes and expostions. If you're interested in aviation - it's a must-see.

In Rotterdam you can take an excursion through the port and megastructures.

Hoorn has a beautiful marina and some nice places as well.

If you're travelling in cold days (nov-dec) I do not recommend Scheveningen and Noordwijk, otherwise if it's sep or beginning of october - you can go there and enjoy panorama of North sea, wide beaches and good food.

There's also a nice museum in Enhuizen (can be reached by direct train from Amsterdam) - http://www.zuiderzeemuseum.nl/en/234/visit/museum/

Alexatmalta - thanks for the tips, much appreciated! I will definitely add these into the trip (depending on time I have available).
Funny you should mention the aviation museum - I have always loved aviation so the simulator and full 747 are right up my street for a visit!
I will be there in December, probably the two weeks before Christmas, so I will likely hit some of the Christmas markets if I get the time :)

Cheers!

Don't expect too much from the Harleem RLD. If in town it's worth checking out, but a special visit just to see the RLD would be worth it only to ignatzmice completists.

Be sure to check the map below and then click through to George's Harleem map and photos. Some of the kamers are tucked away in places where you might not find them otherwise.

Yeah I went to Harleem for a change one time. During the day/early afternoon there were only a few girls working so didn't bother. Always wondered what it would be like at night. So I would back up this comment about not going for the RLD exclusively.

I can't believe that nobody has suggested Maastricht.

If you have got a car you might want to drive from Leeuwarden to Groningen on the road that goes on top of the dyke.
I also second going to Bruges and also taking a detour to the excellent RLD in Antwerp.

bb69

Thanks, guys. This is all great advice and I will try and work as much of it into my schedule as possible. When I have worked out the final plan I will post it so you can see where I'll be and when.
After that of course I will be posting a trip report which I will write as I go.

Can't wait to jump in the car, stick the music on and get out of the UK for a few weeks! There is something so peaceful about the Netherlands (from my limited exposure to it aside from Amsterdam) and I think it will be an excellent way to forget about the immense stress I have been under at work... I think there will be a few visits to a few Kamers to help with that :)