BeNeLux in the winter - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!



Go Back   TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards! > Members Lounge > General Travel Tips, Education, Advice > General Travel Tips and Advice

General Travel Tips and Advice Have you traveled before?- Please share your tips and advice with fellow Tpunks!

Raileurope.com: See Europe by train
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-19-2007, 10:02 AM   #1
noke_travel
TPunk Recognized
 
noke_travel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The North Shore, Boston
Posts: 495
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Send a message via AIM to noke_travel
Default BeNeLux in the winter

Hey everyone-

I decided to take an additional 2 weeks off for my Christmas vacation this year. I have some family commitments in London for the holidays but between Boxing Day and the 7th of January (when I need to be back in London for the flight home) I have free. I was thinking about spending a few days in Adam and then spend a night or two in Brussels.

Has anyone been to Holland or Belgium in the winter? Is the weather managable? Is it too wet? Also, are all the shops/bars/restaurants closed during this time?

any sugguestions for nye would also be appreciated.

Anyone that's traveled to or lived in holland during the winter, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks,
Jeff
__________________
"An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young. -Oscar Wilde

"I showed them...I'm still alive." Homer Simpson
noke_travel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-19-2007, 11:13 AM   #2
joe7f
No one regrets traveling
 
joe7f's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 2,056
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Send a message via AIM to joe7f Send a message via Skype™ to joe7f
Default

I think Amsterdam and London are the similar during the winter. I flew from sunny Madrid to Amsterdam and as we broke below the clouds it was like I was descending into a cloudy depressing "hell-hol". My advice, stick to Spain, Italy, Greece etc

I was in Munich in February and most everything was open despite the crummy weather.

--Joey
__________________


Countries visited: USA, Netherlands, Norway, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain (and Gibraltar), Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, UK, Japan, Canada , Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, Andorra, Croatia, Montenegro

Next up: Mongolia, China

"I sought trains; I found passengers" - Paul Theroux

Help Travelpunk's continued existence with a small donation
joe7f is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-19-2007, 06:33 PM   #3
marc873
Tpunk Senior Moderators
 
marc873's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: in transit
Posts: 2,063
Thanks: 3
Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts
Default

I would skip Brussels and go to Brugge. If you don't mind the cold Scandanavian weather, you will have a good time there. I also heard that new years is fun there, but I haven't been for new years. I don't think that you will find shops closed either. People travel to these places year round. There just won't be any nice sunny warm cafe tables for you to enjoy!
__________________
When an adventure ends you can never go back, never relive it, never hope to feel the same emotion. The secret is to not try and go back but to keep searching for new adventure....
marc873 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2007, 01:16 PM   #4
louse
TPunk Recognized
 
louse's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Canberra
Posts: 217
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

Ooooh oooh, I lived in Holland during winter, pick me, pick me!! Hahaha
Well, last winter it was actually pretty mild weather. I still found it very cold but yeah, it only snowed twice. And not around christmas. But apparently the year before last it was snowing for new years eve.
If you are thinking new year's in amsterdam... well, maybe you will like it but I thought it was horrible. It was full of obnoxious tourists, absolutely packed out and so dirty and so many drunk people even before midnight. Plus I got groped in the crowd. That is why I always say Amsterdam is dirty. Weird thing is, the Canadian girl I was with was also groped a couple of times and she didn't think it was that strange, she said it always happened to her back home...?!?!! What is wrong with Canada?!?!!
I think all the cool young dutch people head to Rotterdam, although the hague is probably good that night as well. And I heard about something on new years day when all the dutch peopel jump into the river in rotterdam. You should definitely do that
Anyway, just ranting about new years eve, sorry, i'm a bit passionate about that. But in regards to rain... when I was there I thought it rained SO much (after coming from the droughts of Aus) But now I am living in Dublin and it has rained 42 days straight!!! It is unbelieveable. Also I think a kind of a freak occurence even for Dublin but still... yeah, Holland is maneagable in winter, if I could survive it. Just make sure you have a great jacket and boots. We all wear boots in holland, i haven't seen the same type in other countries and in fact people kept staring at my feet when I was wearing them backpacking. Especially in Romania. But they just seem to stare all the time in Romania.
Aaargh I hsould post more often I guess, instead of spiling it all in one post! A bit exciteable sorry. But feel free to ask more questions, if you dare...
louse is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2007, 01:42 PM   #5
omisan
Minister of Offense
 
omisan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: San Fran Disco
Posts: 6,528
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Send a message via AIM to omisan Send a message via Yahoo to omisan
Default

I've been to both Amsterdam and Brussels in the winter - this last winter.

Amsterdam was BITTER F'IN COLD when the wind picked up, but was otherwise just fine. A little rain here and there, like any other time of year - hell, I got more rained on in July there than I did in January.

Brussels was chilly but not at all what I'd consider "cold." My friend who now lives there complains more about the regular rain than about the temperature, and she's from Texas and used to live in Southern California, if that's any indication.
__________________
¿Donde esta Omid? Omi-san wa doko desuka? Ou est Omid? Wo ist Omid?

Find out @ http://omidabroad.blogspot.com

omisan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2007, 02:32 PM   #6
expatben
lover of Germany
 
expatben's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,660
Thanks: 4
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

I've been to the Netherlands during December and went through Belgium. Now, Belgium kicks ass any time of year but its nice in the winter-Marc is right though skip on to Brugge. Then again spend a day or so in Brussels because it has some stuff worth seeing.
__________________
I have been to: Canada, USA, Iceland, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Germany, Sardinia, Switzerland, China, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Morocco.

Do to list: [color=blue][color=black] Australia, New Zealand, Austria India and Bolivia.

[color=blue][i][font=Verdana][color=black]"I'm just another stranger lookin' for the promised land"
expatben is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2007, 06:54 AM   #7
noke_travel
TPunk Recognized
 
noke_travel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The North Shore, Boston
Posts: 495
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Send a message via AIM to noke_travel
Default

thanks for all the advice.
looking at accomidation it seems that amsterdam is packed for new years eve. i enjoy drunken revelry, but from what i read, nye in amsterdam seems a bit like times square in new york (not my thing)

i wouldn't mind checking out another city fot nye. my whole plan was to leave london and avoid overpriced drinks and loads of tourists. so if anyone has any suggestions.

louse- given your netherlands expertise i may be pestering you with questions about holland for the next few months. sorry in advance.
in terms of weather, keep in mind i'm a hardened new englander. 11 inches of snow is just a 'dusting' to me. however, i didn't want to be traveling in shiitty weather the whole trip (not like i can change that though...)
__________________
"An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young. -Oscar Wilde

"I showed them...I'm still alive." Homer Simpson
noke_travel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2007, 03:23 PM   #8
louse
TPunk Recognized
 
louse's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Canberra
Posts: 217
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

Hey, pester away, no worries.
Yeah, I am a sooky Aussie about weather, but it is not just snow that is an issue. The wind is very very strong and also very cold especially when coming off the water, like in Amsterdam or where I lived. And just the icky drizzle all the time.
I'm glad you want to avoid Amsterdam on NYE, good idea. Like I said, Rotterdam or the Hague might be okay, as big Dutch cities, but I am sure anywhere will have something going on. Though keep in mind that like christmas, Dutch people normally stay home for NYE, well despite young people of course- the exception to every rule. Ummmm yeah... well if you want to ask questions that's fine because I can't think of anything I should tell you.
louse is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply






Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:20 PM.



 

Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.2.0 (Unregistered)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121