How should we travel in Amsterdam to see the flowers? Going next April.

Answered by Francois A. Dumas , Blokker, Netherlands

The flower (bulbs) fields are obviously outside of Amsterdam and you'd need a car, motorbike, or maybe a tour bus to visit them.
Since the fields are blossoming only a VERY short time nowadays (they cut the flowers off almost a day after they fully blossom!), the fields are much more dispersed through the countryside these days.
And of course, it also greatly depends on the weather WHEN they are at their best.

As for 'ease of driving', that pretty much depends on your skills and experience. Driving in Europe is in general more difficult because everything is faster and narrower here.
On the other hand drivers are still in general better skilled than in the US and do less unexpected things.

A car in Amsterdam is a waste of money though and a hindrance.

Answered by a Localyte , The Hague, Netherlands

Hi there,

I'm sure you'll have a great time with your mom, in Holland in April. Besides the flowerfields there is the Keukenhof www.keukenhof.nl (available in english) This year the Keukenhof celebrates it's 60th anniversary
Theme: USA, New Amsterdam/New York, 400 years! A special shuttle service is available from Schiphol Central Station and Leiden central station to the Keukenhof, see website!)

On April 25th the annual flowerparade "Bloemencorso" of Lisse will take place. A 40km parade. For details please see: http://www.bloemencorso.info/index.asp?lan=en It's a big event in the area, and nice to see!

As for Amsterdam, I will leave the advise to the Amsterdam experts ;)

Delft is nice, but I'm no expert there either (yet) Maybe this will be useful: http://www.delfttoerisme.nl/eng/index.shtml The village of Gouda might be nice for you to visit, too! Like Alkmaar, it has a history in the cheese business, with special markets etc. http://www.vvvgouda.nl/index.php?id=13&lang=13 http://www.vvvgouda.nl/vvvgouda_eng/hartvangouda_eng.php

As for the windmills, a nice place to go see them is Kinderdijk. http://www.kinderdijk.com/ . Near Rotterdam.

A nice tour could be: Keukenhof, Delft, spend the night there in a nice hotel, then next day Kinderdijk, Gouda in the afternoon and back to Amsterdam. If that is your 'home' during your vacation. How long will you be staying in Holland?

Hope this helps, enjoy Holland in April with your Mom,
Reina

PS I'd go for public transportation to see the flowers, the windmills, Delft etc. Trains are running frequently in the area. traffic on the roads in this area is terrible (traffic jams etc) If you need information about public transportatbion, please holler me!

Answered by Katja Salzmann , Hoorn, Netherlands

Well i had the best experience when you go by train from amsterdam to alkmaar, from there you step on the train to Hoorn and from hoorn there goes a train back to amsterdam.
Yes, you've been reading right, a long trainride is the best thing,,,the train rides through the fields and you visit two of the nicest cities in noord holland.

Answered by Eva Hopstaken , Breda, Netherlands

Hire a bike and ride along the fields. I would suggest the following route Lisse, Voorhout, Noordwijkerhout, De Zilk and Hillegom. It's about 30 - 35 km. A perfect distance for a daytrip! GPS available.

Answered by Paul Inglis , Amsterdam, Netherlands

Do not take a car into Amsterdam. You may not park on the street without a permit, and a permit is extremely expensive. Parking at a parking station will cost 2 to 4 Euros per hour, but that's still cheaper than a parking permit. Transport in Amsterdam is very good.

You can get to any major town in the Netherlands by train from Amsterdam.

There is a Windmill in Delft, but it is not always open to the public. However, there is a Windmill in Leiden that is open to the public virtually every day. Leiden is about 30 minutes from Amsterdam by train and is well worth visiting as it is quite historic.

Answered by Scott Roane , Amsterdam, Netherlands

If you want to 'do it yourself' you can take a train to Lisse from Amsterdam Central station. Takes about 30 minutes. You can then rent a bicycle at Lisse station, with a route card and then you can cycle yourself through the bulb fields.