Amsterdam outskirts holiday advice

[Givemestrengthorvodka]

Hi all, we are staying at Duinrell next summer and taking the car over. After our week there we want to stay somewhere else for 3 nights that has good parking, easy access into Amsterdam centre and is a nice town in itself to visit. Any recommendations as we are clueless? Thanks!

We have friends who stayed at Landal Volendam and we went to visit them. It looked lovely and took less than 30 mins to drive from the city centre.

When exactly are you going? I know you said summer but if its early summer - e.g. end of April beginning of May you could look into staying in one of the towns in the bulb region. There are many that are fairly close to Amsterdam and usually on a direct train line. Plus they are often quite pretty, pleasant towns and if you are there before the tulips are cut its really nice - even the train ride alone from Leiden to Amsterdam has some lovely views of fields. But even a week later all the flowers are deadheaded so the time really matters.
But all the little towns round Leiden are nice and time of year IMO (and Leiden also)

Naarden vesting is lovely and unusual as it's a fortified town. Some nice restaurants, lovely walks and a museum. And only a few mins in a taxi from bussum station which is about 30 mins to Amsterdam.

Are you 100% about taking the car? We stayed in the Hague and honestly it was easier and more pleasant to visit Amsterdam by train than to stay there. We wished we hadn't bothered with the hotel bit in Amsterdam.

Also travelling around by train is very easy and not like train travel in the UK at all.

Leiden is really nice - almost like a mini-Amsterdam with a windmill and canal trips. It's a short train journey into Amsterdam or short car or bus journey to the coast.

I came here to say Leiden too. Really lovely place.

www.visitleiden.nl/en

Another vote for Volendam. It's a pretty fishing town around 30 mins by bus to the centre of Amsterdam.

Leiden and Edam are both really nice.

Volendam? Then you could go to Marken.

We've done Duinrell a couple of times - drove over.
We also went to Leiden and I did a day out to Amsterdam with my oldest DS - but did that by train!

Last time we went we stayed at the Ibis across from the station. It has a car park

Efteling!! What age are you the dc, can't go to Netherlands without visit there!

I lived in Den Haag for ten years and actually preferred it to Amsterdam. Restaurants, galleries, walks, beaches are all there and you can jump on a train to Amsterdam/Leiden/Rotterdam so easily.
It's also really close to Duinrell.

Thanks everyone, these suggestions are great. I'll have a look at these locations to come up with a shortlist.

We are going early July so too late for the tulips unfortunately.

Plan is to find a hotel in a nice town within half an hour of Amsterdam. We can leave the car in the hotel car park and get a train/bus into Amsterdam. If anyone can recommend a specific hotel that fits that bill then please feel free to suggest! Had a look at the Ibis in Lieden but they don't do family rooms so would have to get two so have ruled that one out. Thanks everyone :)

Haarlem is a lovely town and only 15 minutes or so by train to Amsterdam.

Or if you're planning to go at a warm time of year, Zandvoort. The beach there is incredible.

Den Haag is lovely

Also agree - the Hague is heaps nicer than Amsterdam! Efteling is brilliant, but if you are already doing Duinrell I can understand then wanting to do some culturally stuff rather than another theme park. Although, if you are in the Hague there is a small but really nice traditional theme park there that's good for a days visit - Drievliet. Like a smaller Alton Towers with less queues and wasps