Hello!
Olen lõpuks tagasi Hollandi reisi teise ehk viimase osaga! Sellel korral jagan oma muljeid meie ööbimispaiga linnast Utrechtist ja lilleparadiisist Keukenhofist!
Have fun!
Asukoht:
Utrecht ja Keukenhof, Holland
Utrecht ja Keukenhof, Holland
Reisi kestvus:
Uterchtis olime iga päev (4 täispikka päeva), kuid linnaga tutvusime põhjalikumalt ainult ühel päeval. Keukenhofis viibisime pool päeva.
Uterchtis olime iga päev (4 täispikka päeva), kuid linnaga tutvusime põhjalikumalt ainult ühel päeval. Keukenhofis viibisime pool päeva.
Sihtkohta reisimine:
Utercht: Meie tee Utrechti algas juba lennujaamast, kui võtsime sinna suunduva rongi. Nagu ka eelmises postituses mainitud, olid rongid kõik kiired ja mugavad ning probleeme nendega ei tekkinud. Üheotsa pilet maksis täiskavanule 8.80€ ning sõit võttis aega umbes pool tundi.
Keukenhof: Sinna minemiseks on tegelikult päris palju võimalusi, kõige paremini on süsteem lahti seletatud nende enda ametlikult kodulehel SIIN. Keukenhofi saamiseks tuli meil sõita Utrechtis esmalt tagasi rongiga lennujaama ning võtta sealt buss nr 858. Kuna piletite süsteem oli veidi segane ning üritasime järjekordades seismist vältida, siis ostsime eelnevalt ära juba Keukenhofi bussi+ Keukenhofi sissepääsu kombo piletid, mille hinnaks täiskasvanule on 24,50€. Bussiga sõidab lennujaamast sihtkohta umbes 30-50 minutit, oleneb kellast ja rahvamassist.
Utercht: Meie tee Utrechti algas juba lennujaamast, kui võtsime sinna suunduva rongi. Nagu ka eelmises postituses mainitud, olid rongid kõik kiired ja mugavad ning probleeme nendega ei tekkinud. Üheotsa pilet maksis täiskavanule 8.80€ ning sõit võttis aega umbes pool tundi.
Keukenhof: Sinna minemiseks on tegelikult päris palju võimalusi, kõige paremini on süsteem lahti seletatud nende enda ametlikult kodulehel SIIN. Keukenhofi saamiseks tuli meil sõita Utrechtis esmalt tagasi rongiga lennujaama ning võtta sealt buss nr 858. Kuna piletite süsteem oli veidi segane ning üritasime järjekordades seismist vältida, siis ostsime eelnevalt ära juba Keukenhofi bussi+ Keukenhofi sissepääsu kombo piletid, mille hinnaks täiskasvanule on 24,50€. Bussiga sõidab lennujaamast sihtkohta umbes 30-50 minutit, oleneb kellast ja rahvamassist.
Kohalik eripära:
Kogu Hollandi reisi vältel tuli meil maadelda pangakaardi süsteemiga, nimelt ei aksepteerinud paljud poed (isegi toidupoed) Mastecardi (miks?- sellest me lõpuni aru ei saanudki), sealjuures oli sularahaautomaate eriti raske leida (mõnikord on need olemas toidupoes), seega varuge kaasa sularaha!
Utrecht: Utrecht on mõnus linnake, Amsterdamist umbes pooletunnise rongisõidu kaugusel, minu jaoks oli tegemist justkui Amsterdami pisema, vaiksema ja ilusama versiooniga, kui vähegi võimalik soovitan just sinna linna võtta ööbimise, sest just sellest linnast sain mina selle kõige mõnusama Hollandi kogemuse.
Keukenhof: Lilleaed on külastamiseks avatud vaid 2 kuud aastas ehk märtist maini, hetkel on see juba suletud, järgmine võimalus külastamiseks on 21.märts-19.mai 2019. Meie käisime seal aprilli lõpus ja just sellel hetkel olid enamus lilledest õide puhkenud. Parim aeg külastamiseks on hommikuti enne 11.00 või pärast kella 15.00 ning kolmel esimesel nädalapäeval, sest siis on rahvast kõige vähem, kindlasti oleneb palju ka ilmast, näiteks meie külastus juhtus olema reedel, umbes kella 13.00-14.00 ajal ja super ilusa ilamaga, seega oli kohal ka väga palju rahvast ning sinna minnes seisime bussi järjekorras umbes tund aega (hoolimata sellest, et pilet oli ostetud, kõik seisvad samas järjekorras), Buss sõidab välja 14 korda tunnis, seega võite ette kujutada, kui palju inimesi seal oli. Keukenhofis on võimalus tellida ka endale tulbisibulaid, otsest müüki ei toimu, sest sibulad kasvavad alles põllu peale, kuid see-eest saab vaadata suurt albumit, valida endale sealt meelepärased ning täita tellimisleht, sibulad peaksid kohale jõudma umbes augustis, 5-10 sibula hind jäi 10-25€ vahele. Kahjuks Eestisse sibulaid ei saadeta, sest väidetavalt ei jõua need omanikele kohale, vaid pakid saadetakse tagasi, siiski on enamus Euroopa riikidesse ja USA-sse neid võimalik tellida, arvatavasti ka teistesse riikidesse. Samuti hoiatati meid nende eest, kes üritavad kevadel müüa tulpide sibulaid, need sibulad pidavat juba liiga vanad olema niiet neid ei ole mõtet osta!
Kogu Hollandi reisi vältel tuli meil maadelda pangakaardi süsteemiga, nimelt ei aksepteerinud paljud poed (isegi toidupoed) Mastecardi (miks?- sellest me lõpuni aru ei saanudki), sealjuures oli sularahaautomaate eriti raske leida (mõnikord on need olemas toidupoes), seega varuge kaasa sularaha!
Utrecht: Utrecht on mõnus linnake, Amsterdamist umbes pooletunnise rongisõidu kaugusel, minu jaoks oli tegemist justkui Amsterdami pisema, vaiksema ja ilusama versiooniga, kui vähegi võimalik soovitan just sinna linna võtta ööbimise, sest just sellest linnast sain mina selle kõige mõnusama Hollandi kogemuse.
Keukenhof: Lilleaed on külastamiseks avatud vaid 2 kuud aastas ehk märtist maini, hetkel on see juba suletud, järgmine võimalus külastamiseks on 21.märts-19.mai 2019. Meie käisime seal aprilli lõpus ja just sellel hetkel olid enamus lilledest õide puhkenud. Parim aeg külastamiseks on hommikuti enne 11.00 või pärast kella 15.00 ning kolmel esimesel nädalapäeval, sest siis on rahvast kõige vähem, kindlasti oleneb palju ka ilmast, näiteks meie külastus juhtus olema reedel, umbes kella 13.00-14.00 ajal ja super ilusa ilamaga, seega oli kohal ka väga palju rahvast ning sinna minnes seisime bussi järjekorras umbes tund aega (hoolimata sellest, et pilet oli ostetud, kõik seisvad samas järjekorras), Buss sõidab välja 14 korda tunnis, seega võite ette kujutada, kui palju inimesi seal oli. Keukenhofis on võimalus tellida ka endale tulbisibulaid, otsest müüki ei toimu, sest sibulad kasvavad alles põllu peale, kuid see-eest saab vaadata suurt albumit, valida endale sealt meelepärased ning täita tellimisleht, sibulad peaksid kohale jõudma umbes augustis, 5-10 sibula hind jäi 10-25€ vahele. Kahjuks Eestisse sibulaid ei saadeta, sest väidetavalt ei jõua need omanikele kohale, vaid pakid saadetakse tagasi, siiski on enamus Euroopa riikidesse ja USA-sse neid võimalik tellida, arvatavasti ka teistesse riikidesse. Samuti hoiatati meid nende eest, kes üritavad kevadel müüa tulpide sibulaid, need sibulad pidavat juba liiga vanad olema niiet neid ei ole mõtet osta!
Majutus:
Nagu juba eelnevalt mainitud ööbisime sellel korral Utrechtis ning lausa ainult meie päral olevas korteris/ majas nimega Pauwstraat Apartment. Iseenesest jäime ööbimispaigaga väga rahule, omanik oli tore, maja oli ilus, kuid minu jaoks veidi kulunud väljanägemisega (pildid bookingus on üsna tõesed), toad jooksid läbi kolme korruse (all köök, 2. korrusel elutuba, 3 korrusel magamistuba ja vannituba) ning asukoht oli super, kesklinnas ja väga lähedal rongijaamale (umbes 5-10 minutit kõndmist), samuti olid lähedal toidupood ja erinevad söögikohad. Majas oli olemas kõik vajalik: rätikud, köögitarbed, osad maitseained, föön jne. Siiski tuleb arvestada sellega, et majas asuvad trepid on järsud, seega väikelastele ning neile, kellel on käimisega probleeme ma seda kohta ei soovitaks, lisaks sellele on majal paberõhukesed seinad, seega on kõike väljaspool korterit väga hästi kuulda, meie puhul näiteks ühte üpriski lärmakat naabrit. Siiski olin ööbimiskohaga pigem rahul, kuigi ma ei ole kindel kas hinna ja kvaliteedi suhe päris paigas oli.
Vaatamisväärsused:
Utrecht: Minu jaoks on Utrecht täpselt sellise paraja surusega linn, kuhu igale poole saab kõndida jala, vähemalt peamiste vaatamisväärsuste juurde, kuigi inimestel on erinevad huvid, siis meie jõusime linna nö läbi käia poole päevaga. Kindlasti minu kõige lemmikumaks kohaks oli Dom torn, kuhu iga tunni tagant toimub ka ekskursioon, ilma selleta torni ei lastagi, pilet täiskavanule maksab 9€, siiski pean tõdema, et vaade torni otsast polnud just midagi erilist. Ilus oli ka Dom kirik, lisaks sellele toimuvad ekskursioonid ka sama kompleksi juurde kuuluva maa-alustesse käikudesse, kus peaks olema säilmed erinevatest sajanditest, kuid kuhu meie sellel korral otsustasime mitte minna, pilet sinna maksab täiskasvanule 11€. Nii torni kui käikude pileteid on võimalik osta seal samas asuvast turistipoest (seal asuvad ka väikesed kapikesed kuhu on võimalus oma suured kotis jätta, sest torni neid kaasa ei lubata) või SIIT ja SIIT! Mulle jäid silma ka kaks vahvat muuseumi, kuhu me küll ei läinud, aga mis tegelikult tundusid täitsa põnevad, nendeks olid raudteemuuseum ja Miffy muuseum, mis on pigem mõeldus lastele. Miffy on lõbus jänku tüdruk, kes on joonistaud Hollandi kunstniku Dick Bruna poolt, ma eeldan, et Miffy on midagi sarnast Hollandi lastele nagu meile on Lotte, Miffy on saanud Hollandis nii kuulsaks, et tema kujutisi võib näha igal poole, Utrecthis isegi valgusfoori peal.
Keukenhof: Keukenhof ongi ise üks suur vaatamisväärsus, tegemist on pargiga, mis asub suurel alal (meil kulus umbes 2 tundi, et seal rahulikult kõndida), ning peale tulpide leiab sealt ka mõnigaid teisi lillesorte.
Söögikohad:
Utercht: Utrechtis on söögikohti väga väga palju, eriti just kesklinnas, kust leiab igas variandis ja suuruses kohakesi. Meie esimeseks toidukohaks ostus Domi torni lähedal olev Bagel&Beans, kust sai osta soolaseid sõõriku võileibu, mitte just me lemmikkoht- tal ei olnud midagi viga, aga tagasi ma sinna ka ei läheks. Hommikuti tavatsesime süüa ööbimiskoha lähedal asuvas 't Koffieboontije kohvikus või krabasime midagi kaasa rongijaama kohvikutset (PS! Neil on Dunkin Donats!). Kui nüüd söögikohtade peale rohkem mõelda, siis avastasin, et lõunat me selles linnas ei söönuki ja ka õhtusööki jõudsime vaid korra nautida, seda kanaliäärses Itaalia restoranis nimega Ristornate Il Pozzo, nagu kanaliäärsele kohale omane oli seal hinnaklass veidi kallim ja ma pean tunnistama, et minu pastaroog oli üpris kehva, see-eest oli seal aga väga mõnus istuda, teine sarnane Itaalia koht asus põhimõtteliselt otse meie kodu kõrval, kuid tollel õhtul jõudsime liiga hilja sööma (10 või 11 ajal õhtul), seega jõudsime La Cantina di Davidis vaid jooke nautida, koha omanik soovitas meil järgmiseks korraks aeg broneerida, sest rahvast pidavat seal palju olema. Õhtuseks jooginaudinguks soovitan veinisõpradele aga kohta nimega VinVin, tegemist on mõnusa ja hubase kohaga (meie külastuskäigu ajal mängis seal isegi mahedaid lugusid džassbänd), kus veinivalik tundus lai olevat. Väga mõnusaid kohti tundus olevat ka rongijaama lähedal asuva kaubanduskeskuse juures ning Utrechti linnaplatsil, kus enne alkohoolse joogi tellimist tuleb dokumenti näidata.
Keukenhof: Keukenhofis on pargi peale paar toidukohta ära jaotaud, meie einestasime kiirelt umbes pargi keskel asuvas toitlustusalas, kust ostsime keskmisesse hinnaklassi kuuluvad friikartulid, mis olid väga maitsvad! Kuna meil kotte ei kontrollitud, siis eeldan, et sinna võib ka oma söögiga minna.
Nagu juba eelnevalt mainitud ööbisime sellel korral Utrechtis ning lausa ainult meie päral olevas korteris/ majas nimega Pauwstraat Apartment. Iseenesest jäime ööbimispaigaga väga rahule, omanik oli tore, maja oli ilus, kuid minu jaoks veidi kulunud väljanägemisega (pildid bookingus on üsna tõesed), toad jooksid läbi kolme korruse (all köök, 2. korrusel elutuba, 3 korrusel magamistuba ja vannituba) ning asukoht oli super, kesklinnas ja väga lähedal rongijaamale (umbes 5-10 minutit kõndmist), samuti olid lähedal toidupood ja erinevad söögikohad. Majas oli olemas kõik vajalik: rätikud, köögitarbed, osad maitseained, föön jne. Siiski tuleb arvestada sellega, et majas asuvad trepid on järsud, seega väikelastele ning neile, kellel on käimisega probleeme ma seda kohta ei soovitaks, lisaks sellele on majal paberõhukesed seinad, seega on kõike väljaspool korterit väga hästi kuulda, meie puhul näiteks ühte üpriski lärmakat naabrit. Siiski olin ööbimiskohaga pigem rahul, kuigi ma ei ole kindel kas hinna ja kvaliteedi suhe päris paigas oli.
Vaatamisväärsused:
Utrecht: Minu jaoks on Utrecht täpselt sellise paraja surusega linn, kuhu igale poole saab kõndida jala, vähemalt peamiste vaatamisväärsuste juurde, kuigi inimestel on erinevad huvid, siis meie jõusime linna nö läbi käia poole päevaga. Kindlasti minu kõige lemmikumaks kohaks oli Dom torn, kuhu iga tunni tagant toimub ka ekskursioon, ilma selleta torni ei lastagi, pilet täiskavanule maksab 9€, siiski pean tõdema, et vaade torni otsast polnud just midagi erilist. Ilus oli ka Dom kirik, lisaks sellele toimuvad ekskursioonid ka sama kompleksi juurde kuuluva maa-alustesse käikudesse, kus peaks olema säilmed erinevatest sajanditest, kuid kuhu meie sellel korral otsustasime mitte minna, pilet sinna maksab täiskasvanule 11€. Nii torni kui käikude pileteid on võimalik osta seal samas asuvast turistipoest (seal asuvad ka väikesed kapikesed kuhu on võimalus oma suured kotis jätta, sest torni neid kaasa ei lubata) või SIIT ja SIIT! Mulle jäid silma ka kaks vahvat muuseumi, kuhu me küll ei läinud, aga mis tegelikult tundusid täitsa põnevad, nendeks olid raudteemuuseum ja Miffy muuseum, mis on pigem mõeldus lastele. Miffy on lõbus jänku tüdruk, kes on joonistaud Hollandi kunstniku Dick Bruna poolt, ma eeldan, et Miffy on midagi sarnast Hollandi lastele nagu meile on Lotte, Miffy on saanud Hollandis nii kuulsaks, et tema kujutisi võib näha igal poole, Utrecthis isegi valgusfoori peal.
Keukenhof: Keukenhof ongi ise üks suur vaatamisväärsus, tegemist on pargiga, mis asub suurel alal (meil kulus umbes 2 tundi, et seal rahulikult kõndida), ning peale tulpide leiab sealt ka mõnigaid teisi lillesorte.
Söögikohad:
Utercht: Utrechtis on söögikohti väga väga palju, eriti just kesklinnas, kust leiab igas variandis ja suuruses kohakesi. Meie esimeseks toidukohaks ostus Domi torni lähedal olev Bagel&Beans, kust sai osta soolaseid sõõriku võileibu, mitte just me lemmikkoht- tal ei olnud midagi viga, aga tagasi ma sinna ka ei läheks. Hommikuti tavatsesime süüa ööbimiskoha lähedal asuvas 't Koffieboontije kohvikus või krabasime midagi kaasa rongijaama kohvikutset (PS! Neil on Dunkin Donats!). Kui nüüd söögikohtade peale rohkem mõelda, siis avastasin, et lõunat me selles linnas ei söönuki ja ka õhtusööki jõudsime vaid korra nautida, seda kanaliäärses Itaalia restoranis nimega Ristornate Il Pozzo, nagu kanaliäärsele kohale omane oli seal hinnaklass veidi kallim ja ma pean tunnistama, et minu pastaroog oli üpris kehva, see-eest oli seal aga väga mõnus istuda, teine sarnane Itaalia koht asus põhimõtteliselt otse meie kodu kõrval, kuid tollel õhtul jõudsime liiga hilja sööma (10 või 11 ajal õhtul), seega jõudsime La Cantina di Davidis vaid jooke nautida, koha omanik soovitas meil järgmiseks korraks aeg broneerida, sest rahvast pidavat seal palju olema. Õhtuseks jooginaudinguks soovitan veinisõpradele aga kohta nimega VinVin, tegemist on mõnusa ja hubase kohaga (meie külastuskäigu ajal mängis seal isegi mahedaid lugusid džassbänd), kus veinivalik tundus lai olevat. Väga mõnusaid kohti tundus olevat ka rongijaama lähedal asuva kaubanduskeskuse juures ning Utrechti linnaplatsil, kus enne alkohoolse joogi tellimist tuleb dokumenti näidata.
Keukenhof: Keukenhofis on pargi peale paar toidukohta ära jaotaud, meie einestasime kiirelt umbes pargi keskel asuvas toitlustusalas, kust ostsime keskmisesse hinnaklassi kuuluvad friikartulid, mis olid väga maitsvad! Kuna meil kotte ei kontrollitud, siis eeldan, et sinna võib ka oma söögiga minna.
Vaba aeg:
Utrecht: Minu üks kõige lemmikumaid hetki Hollandis oli see, kui otsustasime minna kanali peale kanuuga sõitma, kuna Amsterdam tundus sellise teostamiseks liiga suur ja hirmutav, siis Utertchis olid kanalid just parajalt mõnusad ja vaiksed. Meie rentisime kanuud SIIT, kus tund sõitu maksis ühele inimesele 5€, lisaks sellele anti kaasa kaart, sest kanalil endal ei ole nö õiget rada märgitud ning valesti sõites võib sattuda hätta, meil läks rahulikult sõites umbes 1,5-2 tundi ning raha (sulas) tuli maksta alles peale sõitu, kindlasti soovitan kõigile kanali peale sõitma minna! Utrecht on ka väga roheline linn koos oma paljude parkidega, lugesin, et näiteks Lepelenburg Park on väga populaarne koht, minu lemmik oli aga muusikaülikooli taga asuv Pandof Sinte Marie botaanikaaed.
Keukenhof: Peale tulpide vaatamise pargis, oli Keukenhofis võimalik võtta paadituur tulbipõldude vahele, kuna mul oli sellega teenusega minimaalselt väike kokkupuude, siis ma ei oska öelda kui tore või mitte nii tore kogemus see on, kuid piltide ja video põhjal tundub, et tegemist on üsna mannetu sõiduga, sest tulpe näeb kaugelt ja mitte piisavalt kõrgelt. Kahjuks ei leia ma sõidu kohta infot ka nende kodulehelt, seega ei oska ma ka pileteite saadavuse või hinna kohta midagi öelda. Mina soovitan pigem nautida pargi võlusid, sest tulbipõldude vahele tavainimetsel niikuinii jalutama minna ei lasta.
Ja selline oligi meie Hollandi reis!
Loodan, et saite teada mõne kasuliku infokillu või lihtsalt inspiratsiooni uuteks seiklusteks!
Näeme varsti!
Cheers!
Utrecht:
Keukenhof:
Osa järjekorrast lennujaamas Keukenhofi bussile. 
Hello!
I am finally back with my second part of Netherlands trip! At this time I am sharing my emotions about Utrecht, we also had our accommodation and the tulips paradise called Keukenhof!
Have fun!
Destination:
Utrecht and Keukenhof, Netherlands
Have fun!
Destination:
Utrecht and Keukenhof, Netherlands
Duration of Trip:
In Utrecht we were every day of our trip, so 4 full days, but we checked out the sightseers only in one day. In Keukenhof we were a half of day.
In Utrecht we were every day of our trip, so 4 full days, but we checked out the sightseers only in one day. In Keukenhof we were a half of day.
Travelling to Destination:
Utercht: Our trip to Utrecht started from airport, from where we took a train. As I said in last post, then all the trains were fast and comfortable, so we had no problems with them. One way from Schiphol airport to Utercht main station costed for adult 8.80€ and the ride took around 30 minutes.
Keukenhof: There's actually a pretty much ways how to go there, in HERE is the best review about that. The best way to get from Utrecht to Keukenhof is take a train to airport and then hop to bus nr 858. As the ticket system is a bit messy and we wanted to avoid of standing in lines, then we bought a combo ticket, which included a bus ticket to Keukenhof and the enter ticket, one that kind of combo costed to adult 24,50€. It takes about 30-50 minutes to get from airport to Keukenhof, depends on time and number of people.
Utercht: Our trip to Utrecht started from airport, from where we took a train. As I said in last post, then all the trains were fast and comfortable, so we had no problems with them. One way from Schiphol airport to Utercht main station costed for adult 8.80€ and the ride took around 30 minutes.
Keukenhof: There's actually a pretty much ways how to go there, in HERE is the best review about that. The best way to get from Utrecht to Keukenhof is take a train to airport and then hop to bus nr 858. As the ticket system is a bit messy and we wanted to avoid of standing in lines, then we bought a combo ticket, which included a bus ticket to Keukenhof and the enter ticket, one that kind of combo costed to adult 24,50€. It takes about 30-50 minutes to get from airport to Keukenhof, depends on time and number of people.
About Local Life:
During all the trip we had problems with our pank cards, because a lot of places didn't accept Mastercards (why?- we never found out the main reason) and at the same time it was pretty hard to find ATMs (sometimes they are in food stores), so take some cash with you!
Utrecht: Utrecht is a lovely town, around 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam. For me it was like Amsterdam, but just smaller, more quiet and more pretty, so if you have a change then take your accommodation to there, because in that town I got the true Netherlands experience!
Keukenhof: It's opened only two months in year, from middle March to middle May, so right now it's already closed and the next chance to go there is in next year, when it will be open from March 21 until May 19. We visited it in the end of April and on that moment most of the flowers were in their best shape. The best time to visit is in the morning before 11 o'clock or after 3 pm and in the beginning of the week, because on those times there's less people than usually, I believe that a lot depends of weather, too. For example we visited it on Friday around 1-2 pm and the weather was super beautiful, so there were a lot of people, we waited an hour to get to bus (although we had our tickets, all people needed to stand in line), bus goes out 14 times per hour, so you can imagine how many people there were. In Keukenhof it's possible to order tulip bulbs, there's no hand to hand sales, because the bulbs are still in the fields, but it's possible to check them out from albums and then order them, the bulbs should be sent to home in August. 5-10 tulip bulbs costed around 10-25€. Sadly they don't send them to some countries like Estonia, Russia and Ukraine, I guess there were some different issues, about Estonia they said, that the packs will be sent back for unknown reasons. But it's possible to order them to most of the Europe countries and to US, probably even more places. We also got warned about sellers, who are trying to sell tulip bulbs, don't buy them (in spring time), because those bulbs are old and will not grow!
During all the trip we had problems with our pank cards, because a lot of places didn't accept Mastercards (why?- we never found out the main reason) and at the same time it was pretty hard to find ATMs (sometimes they are in food stores), so take some cash with you!
Utrecht: Utrecht is a lovely town, around 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam. For me it was like Amsterdam, but just smaller, more quiet and more pretty, so if you have a change then take your accommodation to there, because in that town I got the true Netherlands experience!
Keukenhof: It's opened only two months in year, from middle March to middle May, so right now it's already closed and the next chance to go there is in next year, when it will be open from March 21 until May 19. We visited it in the end of April and on that moment most of the flowers were in their best shape. The best time to visit is in the morning before 11 o'clock or after 3 pm and in the beginning of the week, because on those times there's less people than usually, I believe that a lot depends of weather, too. For example we visited it on Friday around 1-2 pm and the weather was super beautiful, so there were a lot of people, we waited an hour to get to bus (although we had our tickets, all people needed to stand in line), bus goes out 14 times per hour, so you can imagine how many people there were. In Keukenhof it's possible to order tulip bulbs, there's no hand to hand sales, because the bulbs are still in the fields, but it's possible to check them out from albums and then order them, the bulbs should be sent to home in August. 5-10 tulip bulbs costed around 10-25€. Sadly they don't send them to some countries like Estonia, Russia and Ukraine, I guess there were some different issues, about Estonia they said, that the packs will be sent back for unknown reasons. But it's possible to order them to most of the Europe countries and to US, probably even more places. We also got warned about sellers, who are trying to sell tulip bulbs, don't buy them (in spring time), because those bulbs are old and will not grow!
Accommodation:
I already mentioned that at this time we had our accommodation in Utrecht. We took an apartment/house called Pauwstraat Apartment. It was a nice place- host was lovely, house was pretty, but for me in some places a bit old (photos in booking.com are pretty truthful), rooms were in 3 floors (on ground floor there was a kitchen, on next one a living room and on last one bedroom with bathroom. Location was super good, in the city center, train station was around 10 minutes walk away, food store and eating places were just around the corner. There was all the necessary things: towels, kitchen things, some spices, hairdryer and so on. But there were also very steep stairs, so I don't recommend this place who have babies or problems with walking. Also the house had paper thin walls, so there was a lot of noise what came from outside, for example I was really bothered by the loud neighbor. Still I pretty liked that place, although I'm not sure was it worth so much money.
I already mentioned that at this time we had our accommodation in Utrecht. We took an apartment/house called Pauwstraat Apartment. It was a nice place- host was lovely, house was pretty, but for me in some places a bit old (photos in booking.com are pretty truthful), rooms were in 3 floors (on ground floor there was a kitchen, on next one a living room and on last one bedroom with bathroom. Location was super good, in the city center, train station was around 10 minutes walk away, food store and eating places were just around the corner. There was all the necessary things: towels, kitchen things, some spices, hairdryer and so on. But there were also very steep stairs, so I don't recommend this place who have babies or problems with walking. Also the house had paper thin walls, so there was a lot of noise what came from outside, for example I was really bothered by the loud neighbor. Still I pretty liked that place, although I'm not sure was it worth so much money.
Sightseers:
Utrecht: For me Utrecht is a town which has a perfect size- you can walk to everywhere or at least to main sightseers. Although people has different interests then for us it took half a day to see everything what we wanted. For sure my favourite place was a Dom tower, where in every hour there's a excursion, without it there's no other option to get inside of that, ticket to adult costs 9€, although I liked that tower from outside then I must say that for me te view from the top wasn't nothing special. I also liked Dom church, beside that there's also excursions to underground passages, which is a part of Dom complex and where is possible to see ruins from different centuries, a ticket for adult costs 11€. Both of the tickets are possible to buy from the tourist shop, which is next of Dom tower (there's also possibility to leave your bags to lockers, because it's forbidden to take them to tower), also you can buy them from HERE ja HERE. I also heard about two museums, where we didn't go, but which seemed interesting, one of them was railway museum and the other one museum of Miffy, the last one is more for children. Miffy is a happy bunny girl, who is created by Netherlands artist Dick Bruna, I assume that Miffy is something like Lotte to Estonian children (it means super popular and local character), Miffy is so popular that you can see her a lot of places, for example on traffic lights.
Keukenhof: Keukenhof is a sightseer by itself- it's a park, which is quite big (for us it took 2 hours to see the most of the places) and besides of tulips there's also some other flowers, too.
Utrecht: For me Utrecht is a town which has a perfect size- you can walk to everywhere or at least to main sightseers. Although people has different interests then for us it took half a day to see everything what we wanted. For sure my favourite place was a Dom tower, where in every hour there's a excursion, without it there's no other option to get inside of that, ticket to adult costs 9€, although I liked that tower from outside then I must say that for me te view from the top wasn't nothing special. I also liked Dom church, beside that there's also excursions to underground passages, which is a part of Dom complex and where is possible to see ruins from different centuries, a ticket for adult costs 11€. Both of the tickets are possible to buy from the tourist shop, which is next of Dom tower (there's also possibility to leave your bags to lockers, because it's forbidden to take them to tower), also you can buy them from HERE ja HERE. I also heard about two museums, where we didn't go, but which seemed interesting, one of them was railway museum and the other one museum of Miffy, the last one is more for children. Miffy is a happy bunny girl, who is created by Netherlands artist Dick Bruna, I assume that Miffy is something like Lotte to Estonian children (it means super popular and local character), Miffy is so popular that you can see her a lot of places, for example on traffic lights.
Keukenhof: Keukenhof is a sightseer by itself- it's a park, which is quite big (for us it took 2 hours to see the most of the places) and besides of tulips there's also some other flowers, too.
Place to Eat:
Utrecht: There's a lot of them, especially in city center, where you can found in different types and sizes places. Our first eating place was near of Dom tower called Bagel&Beans, they served mostly salty bagel sandwiches, not my favourite place- like it was okay, but I don't feel to go back there. For the breakfast we went usually to place called 't Koffieboontije, which was close to our accommodation, or we just crabbed something from train station (PS! They have Dunkin Donats!). When I think about eating places, then it comes out, that we never ate lunch in that town and only once we had a proper dinner, which was in Ristornate Il Pozzo, it was a lovely place next of canal, but it was quite crowded and ment more for tourists, so the prices were quite high, I must say that I didn't like my food, but at least we had a nice seats. Second similar Italian place was next of our home, but as we arrived there pretty late (around 10 or 11 pm), then La Cantina di David was almost closed and we got only quick drinks, the owner of the place recommend to book the place next time, because usually there's a lot of peole. For those who loves vine I recommend place called VinVin, it's such a cozy place, at that time when we sat there they even had a jazz band and it seemed that they have a lot of different vines. The places which were next of shopping mall and train station looked also interesting. I also recommend to go to main square, where are different places, if you want to buy any alcohol drink form there, then take your ID with you, because they will ask for it!
Keukenhof: There's also a couple of eating places, we had our lunch in the middle of the park, where was one of the food areas, I must say that the French fires were pretty good and they weren't very expensive. As there wasn't any bag control, then I assume, that it is allowed to bring your own food.
Utrecht: There's a lot of them, especially in city center, where you can found in different types and sizes places. Our first eating place was near of Dom tower called Bagel&Beans, they served mostly salty bagel sandwiches, not my favourite place- like it was okay, but I don't feel to go back there. For the breakfast we went usually to place called 't Koffieboontije, which was close to our accommodation, or we just crabbed something from train station (PS! They have Dunkin Donats!). When I think about eating places, then it comes out, that we never ate lunch in that town and only once we had a proper dinner, which was in Ristornate Il Pozzo, it was a lovely place next of canal, but it was quite crowded and ment more for tourists, so the prices were quite high, I must say that I didn't like my food, but at least we had a nice seats. Second similar Italian place was next of our home, but as we arrived there pretty late (around 10 or 11 pm), then La Cantina di David was almost closed and we got only quick drinks, the owner of the place recommend to book the place next time, because usually there's a lot of peole. For those who loves vine I recommend place called VinVin, it's such a cozy place, at that time when we sat there they even had a jazz band and it seemed that they have a lot of different vines. The places which were next of shopping mall and train station looked also interesting. I also recommend to go to main square, where are different places, if you want to buy any alcohol drink form there, then take your ID with you, because they will ask for it!
Keukenhof: There's also a couple of eating places, we had our lunch in the middle of the park, where was one of the food areas, I must say that the French fires were pretty good and they weren't very expensive. As there wasn't any bag control, then I assume, that it is allowed to bring your own food.
Free Time:
Utrecht: One of my favourite moments in Netherlands was in the first evening when we went to canoeing to canals, as Amsterdam felt too big and scary for that, then Utrecht was just perfect. We rented our canoes from HERE, where one hour for one adult costed 5€, we also got a map, because in canals there no signs of the right track and going to wrong one may cause some problems. We enjoyed our ride and didn't hurry, so for us the whole ride took around 1,5-2 hours, they will ask money (you can pay only in cash) after the ride, because you never know for how long it takes. So if you have a chance then go to canoeing! Utrecht is a very green town with it's parks, I read that Lepelenburg Park is very popular place, my favourite was Pandof Sinte Marie botanical garden, which is behind the Music University, just perfect place where to sit down and enjoy nice weather.
Keukenhof: There's a chance to take a bout tour to see tulip fields, as we didn't take it, then I have very few infomation about it and I can't say for sure is it a nice thing or not, but as I saw from photos and videos, then it didn't seemed so nice, because the fields are still quite far away and the angle is quite low. Sadly I don't find any information about that tour from the official home page, so I don't know how much the tickets costs. I recommend just to walk in the park, because they usually don't let usual people to tulip fields anyway.
And that was our Netherlands trip!
I hope that you got some knowledge or just inspiration for your next adventures!
See you soon!
Cheers!
Keukenhof: There's a chance to take a bout tour to see tulip fields, as we didn't take it, then I have very few infomation about it and I can't say for sure is it a nice thing or not, but as I saw from photos and videos, then it didn't seemed so nice, because the fields are still quite far away and the angle is quite low. Sadly I don't find any information about that tour from the official home page, so I don't know how much the tickets costs. I recommend just to walk in the park, because they usually don't let usual people to tulip fields anyway.
And that was our Netherlands trip!
I hope that you got some knowledge or just inspiration for your next adventures!
See you soon!
Cheers!
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