Base City in The Netherlands-Other Than Amsterdam

[sierratravel]

In October I’ll be transiting through The Netherlands for a week, on my way from the U.S. to Kenya. My late wife and I have spent weeks in Amsterdam, so I don’t really want to spend another week there. I’m looking for a smaller, non touristy town/city that can be easily reached by train from Schiphol. I’ve seen Leiden mentioned, as well as Delft. It would be wonderful if the city had an opportunity for bird watching that I could reach without a car. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Marta]

I have lived couple of times in The Netherlands for work. The first time I was Den Haag (The Hague). It isn't very touristy but very international since there are many consulates and embassies. The Royal Palace and Binnenhof (parliament building) are also in Den Haag as are several good museums (Mauritshuis). We found it had great train connections. I think it would be very good for birding because of the near by dunes which are accessible by city tram and bike along with the pier at Scheveningen. It is also close to Delft (via local tram) but it is closer to the ocean and dunes.

I also lived in Leiden which is also a interesting town. It is more of a college town. We didn't go to the dunes and shore as much as we did when we were in Den Haag.

I did a quick google search and Den Haag sounds good. The AI also brought up a company that specializes in Birding which had some good suggestions and photos. https://www.birdingnetherlands.com/

 

[sierratravel]

Martha, thanks for the suggestions. I've added Den Haag to the list of cities I need to look at. Coincidentally I have a friend who worked in Den Haag for 10 years and loved it. So thanks for reminding me.