2 days in Amsterdam

[MickeyP]

We are doing the Rhine and have 2 days prior to it in Amsterdam. Would a train trip to Paris be a good idea or to London? Options are open and we'll do mini tours in Amsterdam anyway. Any thoughts?

[LHT28]

You could spend 2 days just in Amsterdam alone

Take a trip to one of the small towns outside of the city

I am not sure how long it takes to get to Paris or London by train but I would think it would eat up 2 days in travel time quickly

[Globaliser]

Would a train trip to Paris be a good idea or to London?

No. You're in Amsterdam. You only have two days. Why not try to see of Amsterdam?

 

It's a bit like saying "I'm visiting New York City for two days. Would it be a good idea to do a train trip to Washington?"

[Ine]

Plenty to see and do in and around Amsterdam.

Check this discussion on cc:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1711655

[KirkNC]

I agree, even with the fast trains you will spend a lot of our two days in trains or train stations going to London. Amsterdam has some great museums (Rijksmuseum, Dutch Resistance & Van Gogh Museum), the Anne Frank House not to mention some great walking tours thru town.

[skisteamboat]

Agree with the advice to remain in Amsterdam. Lots to do and see. I recommend an evening canal cruise as something different provided you get one with wine and good dutch cheese.;)

 

Cheers

[cruisin'tex]

Plenty to see and do in and around Amsterdam.

Check this discussion on cc:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1711655

 

Thanks for link....will be in Amsterdam summer of 2013

[KCcruisin07]

Enjoy Amsterdam. We did the canal cruises and Van Gogh Museum, as the Rijkmuseum was closed. Also I saw the Anne Frank Museum while my husband tracked down some Belgian waffles. (Be sure to get reservations.)

We met a CC group in an Irish bar (sorry, I can't remember the name). If we had had more time, we would have visited some of the small towns nearby. We took the trams everywhere and really enjoyed our trip!

[dogs4fun]

I agree with previous advice ... see Amsterdam. Lots to see there. If you are interested in a quick trip out of Amsterdam, I would recommend Zaanse Schans (can be reached by bus or train in under an hour). There you will find working windmills, quaint houses, etc. You can see it in half a day.

http://www.zaanseschans.nl/

jill

[Chris Holland]

Going to London or Paris takes up too much of your time. It takes almost a day to get there and another one to get back. Amsterdam has some nice highlights and I would also recommend to visit the fisherman's village Volendam. This is definitely worth a visit. If you intend to stay in Amsterdam, make sure to make hotel reservations well ahead of time. It is my experience that hotels are often fully booked.

Enjoy Europe!

[agabbymama]

We did a day tour from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Markham. It included a stop at a cheese farm, really interesting to see how the cheese was made. We booked through viator dot com. We were on a large bus with about 40 other people.

 

We also did a train trip to Alkmaar (big cheese town) on our own. And depending on time of year, Keukenhof Gardens is also doable on your own by train. Delft is another destination we did on our own on the train.

 

You will really have to problem eating up two days in Amsterdam. We were so busy traveling around, the museums either weren't open when we left or closed when we got back, so will have to do those another time.

 

Have a great trip and ENJOY Amsterdam!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Amsterdam is a wonderful, beautiful city. Enjoy it, and do Paris another time. We have stayed there twice for close to a week, and only managed one day-trip out of the city in all that time.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Just to add that the art museums alone could take up most of two days.

[hubofhockey]

Amsterdam is a wonderful, beautiful city. Enjoy it, and do Paris another time. We have stayed there twice for close to a week, and only managed one day-trip out of the city in all that time.

Hopefully, the OP will take your advice. Two days in Paris is not enough to get a really good feel for the city or even see the basics. If OP had more time, Amsterdam, Paris, and London make for a good group of cities to enjoy a good land (non-cruise) vacation. High speed train from Amsterdam to Paris is 3 hours and 15 minutes and Paris to London is 2 hours and 15 minutes. We plan on doing this in the summer of 2014.

[4774Papa]

No. You're in Amsterdam. You only have two days. Why not try to see of Amsterdam?

 

It's a bit like saying "I'm visiting New York City for two days. Would it be a good idea to do a train trip to Washington?"

Agree, two days is not enough to see Amsterdam. Why waste all that time traveling to Paris.

When I was there, I took a canal boat cruise, a tour to the Zyder Zee, visited the Rijksmuseum (great Rembrandt's there), Rembrandt's house, the Ann Frank House, walked through the red light district (just to see). I missed the Van Gogh museum, which I didn't have time for.

[newlaxfan]

Spend the time in Amsterdam!! I spent four days there this summer and could easily spend another week there. (Actually considered going there over the Christmas break, b/c I was so fascinated by it...!!)