London and Amsterdam

[PowerRangers]

Me and my female friend are going to London in November. We are are to spend a few days there, then find our way to Amsterdam.

We are looking for cool clubs to go to in London. Also, I know you can either plane, train, or ferry yourself to Amsterdam...has anyone done this? Any advice would be appreciated. Our trip will last about 9 days in total (including flight b/t US and Europe). We are flying out from Amsterdam.

Other than Starbucks and areas that are known for red traffic lights, what is there to do in the Netherlands?

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
Also, I know you can either plane, train, or ferry yourself to Amsterdam...has anyone done this? Any advice would be appreciated. Our trip will last about 9 days in total (including flight b/t US and Europe). We are flying out from Amsterdam.


[/ QUOTE ]

I have taken the ferry and flown between Amsterdam and London.

Flying is faster and cheaper. You can get one-way fares on bmi for as little as £30 each. And when you show up at Schiphol (great airport) you are a 15 minute train ride from Amsterdam Central Station.

The ferry is of course longer, and at first glance no cheaper. You need to also take longer train rides on both sides because the ferry leaves from Harwich, so you have to get there from London. You end up in Hoek van Holland, near Rotterdam south of Amsterdam.

However, the ferry has some advantages. First off, it is longer, but you can do it overnight. This effectively saves you the cost of a room that night. You can do a "Rail & Sail" on the Stena line for two on Nov 15 with an outside facing cabin for £125. Now when you start to compare that to flights plus a room for the night, not so bad.

Plus, the ferry trip in itself is an experience. And the train ride in Holland in the morning goes past windmills, farms, etc. Wrong time of year for the flower fields between Leiden and Haarlem, unfortunately.

As far as touristy stuff in the Netherlands, Amsterdam offers good art museums. The van Gogh museum has a great collection spanning Vincent's short but brilliant career. The Rijksmuseum (national gallery) features masters like Rembrandt (Nightwatch alone worth seeing), Vermeer, van Eyck, etc., as well as things you might not expect like a very cool dollhouse collection.

The Anne Frank house always has a long wait to get in, and is a downer, but there is no doubt it makes an impact and can be worth seeing.

Touristy as it may seem, taking a canal tour is a good idea. Even ignoring the standard narrative from your guide, you get to experience moving through the city on the canal. It was the way to get around for hundreds of years, and the trip helps you understand why. Plus, many of the canal boats offer all day passes, and this can help on a day when you want to hit multiple spots in the city.

I suggest also renting bikes for a day and either staying around Amsterdam, or better yet biking around outside. Haarlem is a good choice. The local VVV is a AAA equivalent, and can offer you great bike travel routes including where to see windmills up close and cafes to pull in and grab a beer and an snack.

[StevieG]

Another idea, if you take the Ferry, might be to stop in Delft for the day before going on to Amsterdam that night. Delft is an old charming little town on the train route from Hoek van Holland to Amsterdam, famous for the Delft blue pottery.

Good for sight seeing, it is like a smaller version of Amsterdam - the canals are narrower, the gables shorter.

You can stow your bags in lockers at the station, then rent bikes or walk to the scenic stuff. There is the Oude Kerk in the town center, where the Dutch royals are buried and a tower offers great vies of the area. You can also visit the Prinsenhof museum, and see where William of Orange was assassinated, and see the bullet hole in the wall, ever expanding from probing fingers.

Have lunch in town and eat profitjes, miniature pancakes that are more like donuts.

You can tour the porcelain factory, too, but if you do definitely rent bikes, it is a good hike form the town center.

Nightlife won't be great, though, so go back to the train and head to Amsterdam at the end of the day.

[PowerRangers]

Thanks for the advice! I am not sure how the weather is in the winter time though (in terms of biking).

[Maulik]

www.skyscanner.net