The Netherlands is a small country and you can do a lot of day trips from Amsterdam. I get tired of the crowds in Amsterdam after a day or two. I like The Hague which is about a 40 minute train ride, Haarlem (about 20 minutes) and Delft which reminds me of a mini less crowded Amsterdam but has a leaning tower. If you haven't visited Brussels, you should. I always enjoy my visits there. Also after seeing the movie In Bruges, I've always thought it would be a place I should visit before I die. If you saw the movie, you would understand that comment Eight days in Amsterdam sounds like a bit too much unless you really like visiting the coffee houses there.