What is close to Amsterdam

Next summer we are going on the Koningsdam out of Amsterdam. We have been there several times so was thinking of visiting another country instead of being in Amsterdam for 2-3 days prior to the cruise. We go in July,

Not sure if it makes sense but Belgium or Germany??? Not sure how far away they are and if it makes sense. Have never been to either place. If there is a better or smarter place we are open to suggestions.

Hope some of you out there can help us out.

Thank you

Not sure if it makes sense but Belgium or Germany??? Not sure how far away they are and if it makes sense.

But you know how big they each are, don't you?

Next summer we are going on the Koningsdam out of Amsterdam. We have been there several times so was thinking of visiting another country instead of being in Amsterdam for 2-3 days prior to the cruise. We go in July,

Not sure if it makes sense but Belgium or Germany??? Not sure how far away they are and if it makes sense. Have never been to either place. If there is a better or smarter place we are open to suggestions.

Hope some of you out there can help us out.

Thank you

Take the Eurostar train into Brussels. (Travel time approximately 2 hours 20 minutes) Delightful city and definitely worth two-three days of your time.

Every other year, the Grand Place in Brussels is covered with a carpet design made of flowers. I know 2016 is the year for this display. Unfortunately, I think the display takes place in August.

I am aware they are big but figured it was worth going somewhere instead of hanging out in Amsterdam. Even Brussels sounds great.

Was thinking of the Rhine river area in Germany. Is this doable? Any other suggestions??

I am aware they are big but figured it was worth going somewhere instead of hanging out in Amsterdam. Even Brussels sounds great.

Was thinking of the Rhine river area in Germany. Is this doable? Any other suggestions??

From Brussels you have Ghent...a wonderful town and from there you have Brugge and also Antwerp. If you can spare 5 or 6 days, that area of Belgium is wonderful to savor.

One of my favorite cruise ports EVER is Brugges (spelled many different ways). It is a delightful place, has canals with boat rides, and I just loved it. I don't know how far it is from Brussels, but it would definitely be worth a day spent there.

One of my favorite cruise ports EVER is Brugges (spelled many different ways). .

That's the way my boss used to spell it, and you don't argue with the boss. ;)

But I'm retired now, so there's just two ways :D

Brugge is the Belgian way, Bruges is the French way.

Bruges is a popular place for a port-of-call at Zeebrugge, (cruise ships often call it Bruges or even Brussels :rolleyes:), so perhaps worth saving for a port-of-call visit there.

Gotta say Brussels isn't my favourite city, I rate it pretty boring & always keep to the ring road when passing through.

The Rhine Valley is great but you really need to be quite a way up-river, from Koblenz up-stream - and it's over 3.5hrs by car on fast autobahns just to get to Koblenz. If you're going to that trouble, take the Mosel River up from Koblenz hugging the river all the way beyond Piesport to Trittenheim, then cut across country to delightful Heidelburg, then down the Rhine to Nierstein, cut the corner to Bingen then follow the Rhine back to Koblenz before going back on the fast autobahns to Amsterdam.

But that's getting on for 1000 miles, about 12 hours driving, much of it scenic. So needs three days.

Are you even looking to rent a car?

Or stick to rail?

JB :)

:) Within 1.5 hrs by air, or slightly more by train :

all of the above mentioned places : plus - Paris, Edinborough, Vienna, Innsbruck, Munich, Zurich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, and my favourite, where we are headed in September after our Silhouette Baltic cruise : Venice.

So many places, so little time, not enough credit card.........:p.

K

We would want to fly to a destination and spend approx. 3 days and then fly over to Amsterdam to pick up our cruise ship HAL Koningsdam. Vienna, Prague, Budapest we will see when we on River Cruise. Paris been there so maybe Krakow, Berlin or Brussels

A good selection from ken.:)

But I think I'd delete Frankfurt and Zurich, they're both pretty boring mainly-modern commercial cities.

Zurich.

Only for its airport, then drive out into the Alps - lots of beautiful & spectacular Alpine passes like Grimsel, Furka, Susten, St Gotthard, Neufenen. all traffic-free because trucks & through-traffic uses the much newer motorways & tunnels. Lucerne is beautiful & makes a good base, it's less than an hour's drive from Zurich.

Frankfurt.

An oft-told story, probably untrue.

A British Airways pilot got lost on the taxiways of the airport & was tersely reprimanded by the airport ground-controller.

The pilot's reply - "Sorry, I've only flown here once before - that was in 1944 and I didn't land" :D

JB :)

Since you posted this on the 2 european boards I replied there.