I've visited Haarlem which is very close by train, but you could also bike there. It's pretty cool, and much more relaxed than Amsterdam with a few coffeeshops and some museums too. I took a day trip there once in 2006 and visited a couple coffeeshops and the Grote Kerk.
I can second Dusseldorf nice city, only 2.5 hrs ride on the ICE Train. If you book in advance tickets are E19 one way. Had a pretty wild night drinking until 6 in the morning. Haarlem is also a nice little get away, 15 minutes train ride outside of Amsterdam. I would also recommend Den Haag or Rotterdam about an hour train ride south. Den Haag is a beautiful city close to the beach if you are visiting in the warmer months. Give Cafe Cremers a go, nice coffeeshop and bar. Rotterdam is very modern compared to Amsterdam but has some great museums. There is also the Euromast (tower) that offers some amazing views out over the harbor. Bob Marley and Coffeeshop Nemo are both tops and not far from the Euromast on Nieuwe Binnenweg.
Peace,
Balou
Are you stoned? Like a gravel road bitch, like a gravel road!
There's been several threads recently on this ...Haarlem for sure ...to this gringos eyes the Grote Markt is the nicest square in the NL ...(with the obvious "that we've visited " caveat) ...Leeuwarden gets our nod of the best CS scene in a smaller town,like a dozen + of 'em within a square Kilometre ...and Zutphen as the most Golden Agey Centrum -pix found in the sig link ...with a few nice CSes to boot...this site has great reviews of many CSes in the Buitenlands ...driving is no big deal either ...just learn how the traffic circles work . There's one in Friesland which is the equivilant of 2 US Interstate Highways intersecting ...yikes...
edit - heres a great link should anyone be curious about Zutphen
We traveled through the Netherlands with a Dutch rail pass. The Netherlands is a wonderful country to explore. The Tolerance sculpture in Hilversum, Hans Brinker statue in Spaarndam, Muiderslot castle in Muiden. Here are some links to help you with planing.
Apart from Haarlem for the CS and a stroll round. I have been Zandvoort mainly to chill on the Beach in the Summer which always goes down well.
I have also been to Hoorn which i only went to have a walk around, it was a nice half a day out and a nice change from being in Amsterdam. I did not hit the CSs there but did have a look for them in true stoner style. Nice place with some pretty buildings, nice harbour with tons of boats (Old and New), plenty of places to eat and drink. I would go again just for the pleasure of being in a quiet littl place. 30 mins (ish) by train cant remember the cost of the ticket but its on the rail site.
Here is what I found thus far - I will look into your suggestions too - I really appreciate the time it takes to answer these random questions. Some of you really went all out with links - I appreciate that
there is a sauna place too - might be nice to detox - not sure if you "have" be "naked" not sure if hubby will go for this one - but love your impressions if anyone has gone http://www.saunavanegmond.nl/faciliteiten
Keukenhof was beautiful. I went there during the third week of May 2009; I think it was the last week of their season so make sure they will still be open. It seems that the best time to visit there might be in April as when I was there you could tell that many of the tulips were done - but there was still lots of beautiful flowers. It's easy to get to as well - train to Leiden then you can purchase a ticket right there at the station that cover admission and return transport. It's just a short bus ride from there and on the way back you can walk into the center Leiden which was beautiful as well and easily worth the trip on its own merits. If you really want to do a flower thing and Keukenhof is closed, you might consider a bike ride through the bulb fields. I have not done this myself but read about such a trip on www.andyinamsterdam.com. He took a train to Haarlem, then rented a bike at the train station and went from there. Pick up some munchies and add some smokeables and it sound like a great afternoon to me In any event, I hope you and hubby have a great time. My first trip was quite magical - I hope yours is too.
Utrecht was nice. Not that far (like 30 minutes). Cool cafe called the Culture Boat there. It's a boat that's moored and they sell weed like a coffeeshop.
Also went to Zandvoort. It's a small town on the North Sea coast. Can be easily combined with a trip to Haarlem. There's a nice coffeeshop in Zandvoort called Yanks. Nothing special I guess, but not crowded at all and it's nice to walk on the beach after smoking!
I was wondering about if would still be worth it after tulip season - Hoping to get a nice day stroll the gardens - pack a lunch and some smoke and have a lovely day looking at flowers.
I was wondering about if would still be worth it after tulip season - Hoping to get a nice day stroll the gardens - pack a lunch and some smoke and have a lovely day looking at flowers.
It is very, very touristy and I think time would be better spent elsewhere if he flowers are well past their peak.
In any event, I hope you and hubby have a great time. My first trip was quite magical - I hope yours is too.
