Going to Amsterdam next year

[floridababa]

Catching a cruise but have been to Amsterdam several times. We were thinking of seeing another country first. Any suggestions? We usually get in 2-3 days prior to a cruise and could fly into maybe Belgium, Germany, Brussels and then flying into Amsterdam the night before the cruise. Any ideas?

[John Bull]

Probably a city because otherwise you'd really need a car for touring.

Amsterdam (Schipol) is a hub, so a wide range of cities accessible by direct flights - though I've not checked the following suggestions, all of which are inland & away from cruise ports.

 

Berlin? Well worth several days - interest in WW2 and the Soviet era. The Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Jewish Memorial, sections of the Berlin Wall (one stretch along the river turned into murals by famous artists), Checkpoint Charlie, intriguing differences (still) between East & West Berlin. Plenty of art, culture, museums, nighlife too.

 

Krakow? Lovely quiet & historic little Polish town centre, intriguing deep salt mine to explore, short van ride for an all-day visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau - very sobering & not easily forgotten.

 

Prague? In the Czech Republic, very historic & my favourite city from behind the Iron Curtain.

 

Vienna? Still on my bucket-list.

 

Paris? Of course, and probably the simplest flight logistics.

 

Before I (or anyone else) adds too many others, some of those are far from ideal October - March.

So when's your cruise?

 

JB :)

Edited July 30, 2015 by John Bull

[Twickenham]

Catching a cruise but have been to Amsterdam several times. We were thinking of seeing another country first. Any suggestions? We usually get in 2-3 days prior to a cruise and could fly into maybe Belgium, Germany, Brussels and then flying into Amsterdam the night before the cruise. Any ideas?

 

Well, my first reaction is that I wouldn't be flying to Amsterdam, I'd be taking the train - so I'd be looking at what is an easy train ride from Amsterdam. Certainly Brussels would be, and would be worth a couple of days.

[orchestrapal]

Perfect stop from the U.S. Is London and on BA to Amsterdam it would be a free stop.

[floridababa]

We are going in July.

There is no way that we could drag luggage on a train.

London we visited last year and spent 3 days there.

[orchestrapal]

We are going in July.

There is no way that we could drag luggage on a train.

London we visited last year and spent 3 days there.

 

Three days in London is like one poppy seed....

Brussels on the other hand is a three day City.

[floridababa]

What about flying into Cologne and seeing the Rhine river and a few other things and then either flying to Amsterdam or attempting the train??

How easy is it to navigate the train? We usually have 2 luggages about 45 lbs each and 2 carry-ons. Would we be able to get on the train easily? Would there be an elevator at both train stops to get down or up with luggage? Is it a fast train?

[Twickenham]

What about flying into Cologne and seeing the Rhine river and a few other things and then either flying to Amsterdam or attempting the train??

How easy is it to navigate the train? We usually have 2 luggages about 45 lbs each and 2 carry-ons. Would we be able to get on the train easily? Would there be an elevator at both train stops to get down or up with luggage? Is it a fast train?

 

It would be a direct high-speed ICE train between Cologne and Amsterdam. Check The Man in Seat 61 for info on European trains, and particularly his

.

 

Really, train travel in Europe is quite easy. Another big advantage to consider is that Amsterdam Centraal station is much closer to the cruise port than Schiphol airport, thus making the transfer quicker and simpler.

[Ine]

Why not fly to Zurich, Switzerland. From there you can make daytrips to a.o. Interlaken (and see the lakes) and/or into the mountains like St. Moritz or Davos.

From Zurich there are frequent flights to Amsterdam.

[Globaliser]

There is no way that we could drag luggage on a train.

Why not? It's no worse than dragging luggage around an airport.

[stipmom]

I am flying into Brussels in May, spending a few days there including a day trip to Luxembourg ,and then taking train to Amsterdam.We have now done train travel in Europe pre or post cruise 3 times with large suitcases and have not had a problem.

[VMax1700]

Dublin?

Aer Lingus fly Orlando to Dublin. Plenty of other options if you take indirect flights. 5 flights a day Dublin to Amsterdam.

2/3 days would be ideal to see Dublin in comfort.

[mom23guys]

We are flying into Munich this August then getting a quick KLM flight to Amsterdam. There were train changes. With the suitcases we thought it would be too much.

[RMLincoln]

Have you considered Reykjavik on IcelandAir? It's a free stop over for up to 7 days.

 

We did 3 full days there last year and it was grand. Very hospitable city, easy walking to most sites and excellent transfers to and from airport. They are very tourist friendly. Many stop at the Blue Lagoon either on their way into town (arrivals are usually early morning) or before their afternoon departures. Their half and full day tours to the outlying areas are excellent. Enjoy, m--

[Hlitner]

If you have ever wanted to spend time in Paris, that also works well. A direct train from Paris to Amsterdam is about a 3:20 ride and they have some very nice trains on this route. Another city that DW and I really enjoyed is Antwerp (Antwerpen) which we found to be a fun place with enough to keep anyone busy for a couple of days.

 

If you like to drive then your options expand in a big way. Just driving around Holland and perhaps dipping into Belgium can be a lot of fun.

 

Hank

Edited August 1, 2015 by Hlitner

[tomvet]

Dublin?

Aer Lingus fly Orlando to Dublin. Plenty of other options if you take indirect flights. 5 flights a day Dublin to Amsterdam.

2/3 days would be ideal to see Dublin in comfort.

 

I agree that Dublin would be an option.

 

Whatever you decide pick an airline that flies to Amsterdam through their hub e.g. SWISS via Zurich, Air France via Paris, SAS via Copenhagen. Make the hub your stopover and usually for no extra charge.

 

The other option is to fly KLM and make Amsterdam your stopover for the duration of your cruise and then either before or after cruise head to your desired location! This would be a good option if you wished to visit Eastern Europe e.g. Moscow.

 

Just remember many airlines do not allow free stopovers if it involves back tracking.

[tomvet]

Have you considered Reykjavik on IcelandAir? It's a free stop over for up to 7 days.

 

We did 3 full days there last year and it was grand. Very hospitable city, easy walking to most sites and excellent transfers to and from airport. They are very tourist friendly. Many stop at the Blue Lagoon either on their way into town (arrivals are usually early morning) or before their afternoon departures. Their half and full day tours to the outlying areas are excellent. Enjoy, m--

 

A fab idea!

[John Bull]

Have you considered Reykjavik on IcelandAir? It's a free stop over for up to 7 days.

 

We did 3 full days there last year and it was grand. Very hospitable city, easy walking to most sites and excellent transfers to and from airport. They are very tourist friendly. Many stop at the Blue Lagoon either on their way into town (arrivals are usually early morning) or before their afternoon departures. Their half and full day tours to the outlying areas are excellent. Enjoy, m--

 

Iceland??? :eek:

 

No way would you find me on a cruise going that far north.

Nor would I contemplate a holiday there.

 

But as a "different" stop-over for a couple or three days?

Volcanos & hot springs & glaciers ?

With a nice warm aeroplane at both ends ?

And no extra flight cost for the stop-over ?

 

Good thinkin' RML :cool:

 

JB :)

[floridababa]

Wow thanks for all of the ideas. I think we like flying to Cologne and then train to Amterdam. Still nervous but it would be smarter than flying too Amsterdam