# Amsterdam, Bruges and the Rhine Valley **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354 "2018-02-22T18:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/21 "2018-03-20T19:45:53Z")
Now that this thread is a little stale I hope you don’t mind my deviation… My wife and I are going on a Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Basel the end of August. Our schedule is such that we have to head home at the end but want to spend some extra time there on the front end. At this point we need to first decide how many days and whether we want to just hang in Amsterdam the whole time or venture elsewhere. AirBNB looks to have many reasonable options so we will probably go that route. We expect to have future opportunities to see Europe so its not like we need to take advantage of this chance to see other cities. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/22 "2018-03-20T23:15:03Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > My wife and I are going on a Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Basel the end of August. Our schedule is such that we have to head home at the end but want to spend some extra time there on the front end. At this point we need to first decide how many days and whether we want to just hang in Amsterdam the whole time or venture elsewhere. There is lots and lots and lots to see in Amsterdam. There’s the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, and the Hermitage for starters. The Anne Frank house is sobering. Do check out the National Maritime Museum. Unfortunately, schools in Amsterdam don’t go back until 2nd Sept so it will be crowded. Dammit, I need to go back. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/23 "2018-03-20T23:28:03Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > There is lots and lots and lots to see in Amsterdam. There’s the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, and the Hermitage for starters. The Anne Frank house is sobering. Do check out the National Maritime Museum. Unfortunately, schools in Amsterdam don’t go back until 2nd Sept so it will be crowded. > > Dammit, I need to go back. Yeah, I was just rereading this thread and remembering the two years I lived just outside of Brussels in the village of Leefdaal. I remember Leuven/Louvain, Liège, Oostend, etc. I worked for an American company with offices in the tiny town of Paal, not too far from Hasselt in the eastern part of the country. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/24 "2018-03-22T06:55:15Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > \<…\> > One thing I would miss unless you’re determined - Waterloo is a big manmade hill in the middle of nowhere. Why? The mound in Waterloo was built right after the battle to act as a memorial to the allied victory. The order to build it came from king Willem I of the Netherlands (what today is Belgium was at the time part of the kingdom of the Netherlands), and was created on the spot where Willem, prince of Orange (later Willem II of the Netherlands) was wounded by a musket ball during the battle. It was built between 1820 and 1826. Supposedly, from the top of the mound you have a panoramic view of the whole battlefield. Regarding the OP, if you are spending enough time in the Netherlands, I would like to suggest that you visit the following hidden gem: the world’s oldest working planetarium. Information in the link below. > **[The world’s oldest working planetarium](https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180320-the-worlds-oldest-working-planetarium)** > > Dutch amateur astronomer Eise Eisinga might have left school at 12 years old, but he built an inch-perfect model of the solar system in his living room. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/25 "2018-03-22T16:45:19Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > One thing we did in Bruges that really stands out is we rented bikes one day and rode on bike paths along canals through the countryside outside of town. It’s dead flat, since you’re next to a canal, so very easy, and you can ride to several small towns/villages, stop, and wander around. That was definitely one of my favorite days in Belgium. I did this, not outside Bruges, but outside Amsterdam. Best day of the trip. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/26 "2018-03-22T21:52:32Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Now that this thread is a little stale I hope you don’t mind my deviation… > > My wife and I are going on a Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Basel the end of August. Our schedule is such that we have to head home at the end but want to spend some extra time there on the front end. At this point we need to first decide how many days and whether we want to just hang in Amsterdam the whole time or venture elsewhere. > > AirBNB looks to have many reasonable options so we will probably go that route. We expect to have future opportunities to see Europe so its not like we need to take advantage of this chance to see other cities. > > Thoughts? I need to ask a question based on your question - where did you find Air B&Bs in Amsterdam? It’s banned there so the closest I can find is in a distant suburb or completely different town, and not close to public transport, and I can’t find any hotels remotely close to affordable for me in Amsterdam itself. ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/27 "2018-03-23T00:27:19Z")
Well, there’s always [Bob’s Youth Hostel](https://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/netherlands/amsterdam/8238/). I’m not sure I’m recommending it based on my 1990 stay, but it sure was memorable. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/28 "2018-03-23T01:19:58Z")
Yeah, I stayed in hostels in the 90s but now I’m old and disabled I really need my own room and own bathroom. But thanks anyway 🙂 Plus i need no stairs and no need for a car. I’ve been looking pretty far afield for a couple of months but the prices for anything like that are waaay more than I’ve paid in similar cities and most places seem to be booked up anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/29 "2018-03-23T02:22:45Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > OK, a couple recs for Ghent. Is it easy to get to Ghent from Bruges by train and about how long would it take? We could drive, but I’d prefer taking the train if it’s easy and relatively quick. I can’t help you with that, but I’ve been to both Bruges and Ghent twice, and I preferred Ghent _vastly_ more. Don’t let transportation be an obstacle! ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/30 "2018-03-23T21:29:50Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I need to ask a question based on your question - where did you find Air B&Bs in Amsterdam? It’s banned there so the closest I can find is in a distant suburb or completely different town, and not close to public transport, and I can’t find any hotels remotely close to affordable for me in Amsterdam itself. I just did another search and found some I think. I guess I need to become more familiar with the city soon and get this figured out. It does seem like the central area is empty of rentals and the cost is more than I had thought. So is there another option for B and Bs other than AirBnB?? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/31 "2018-03-23T21:42:59Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > I just did another search and found some I think. I guess I need to become more familiar with the city soon and get this figured out. It does seem like the central area is empty of rentals and the cost is more than I had thought. > > So is there another option for B and Bs other than AirBnB?? [homeaway.co.uk](http://homeaway.co.uk) (I don’t know if there’s a US site) has some properties that are a bloody long way from Amsterdam but in interesting locations that are OK if you can cycle well. There are also a few hotels by the airport that are cheaper than the centre. For me they’re still not very good because we’re going by train and the train fares on top make it too expensive again. I’m looking in Haarlem as well as Amsterdam. It has a very quick train connection to the centre of Amsterdam and looks like a place that’s worth visiting in itself. Zaandam is the other nearby place that has a fair few air b & bs but it has essentially nothing to see or do in itself, so would be awkward for evening meals. I still can’t find anything though - air b & bs and that generally aren’t disabled accessible (in Western Europe, that is) so I usually stay at chain hotels, but there are very few of them in Amsterdam and MAN they’re expensive. I mean in the last few years I’ve stayed in Paris, Brussels and Stockholm in high season and Amsterdam is not only far more expensive but all the rooms are like tiny prison cells. And I stayed in an actual former prison cell in Stockholm but that was more spacious than these! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/32 "2018-04-19T15:02:42Z")
Not that anyone really cares, but we’ve updated our plans to include Ghent, as suggested by multiple people in this thread (we’re removing a short jaunt to Delft to make room). Thanks for the recommendations - much appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2018, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354/33 "2018-05-13T02:01:35Z")
It’s May. Are you back? (See? We do care!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amsterdam-bruges-and-the-rhine-valley/809354.md?page=1)