sGravenmoer,Nederlands

littlereddevil

I always book the flights first

Ganga

Thanks littlereddevil,with hindsight i suppose that makes sense as accomadation should be plentifull where as the flights will not be.

agrinnall

Whichever way round you do it, make sure your travel insurance is arranged as soon as you've booked anything (or even do it first). You don't have to be on this board for long to see how much money people lose when they are unable to use booked travel/accommodation but didn't bother to take out insurance from the start.

Ganga

Thanks agrinnall,we allready have an annual europe travel insurance as we do not do long haul holidays!

Voyager2002

littlereddevil wrote: »

I always book the flights first

Sensible, but for a trip to the Netherlands I would use ferry (the Hull to Rotterdam service is good value) and train.

pogofish

Even when not visiting family, I've seldom needed to book accomodation for much more than the first night or two any time I've been over.

So I'd probably book the travel first.

martindow

For travelling around it is easiest to buy an anonymous OV-chipkaart

https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/apply-1/which-card-is-right-for-you/tourists.htm

It is rather like an Oyster card but valid on buses, trams and trains throughout Holland. It is different to Oyster in that you touch in and out on buses and trains. You need a minimum balance of 20 Euro for a train journey and a bit less for buses. The actual fare is calculated as you touch out.

It is a brilliant system and as has been said public transport there is excellent. You will need to buy a card for each person.

Ganga

Thanks for that bit of info martindow,will look into that,makes a lot of sense than trying to purchase tickets at the train and bus station as we do not speak or read Dutch,Last time we were in Holland at Maestrick ( sorry if spelt wrong ) everybody seemed to speak or understand English thankfully!

Regards Ganga

eDicky

The normal OV-chipkaart costs at least €7 for the card itself, non-refundable. It can be reloaded with credit as needed and is valid for several years, so good for future trips, useable by anyone. I'm not sure how the temporary card works.

All ticket machines, signs and information on Dutch public transport have English available, and all operatives speak English, often better than many Brits.

paddyrg

Alternative option - how about buying a city break package tour to <nearby big city>? You can use local transport, you can see some of the whole area, and don't have to worry about either flights or accommodation and may get a better deal in a package.