Excursions outside Amsterdam

Many companies offer day trips to towns in the provinces of North Holland, South Holland and Friesland. You can also travel by train or bus. More information is available at the VVV (tourist office). Information about many destinations can also be found here.

If your time is plentiful, consider trips further afield. The Roman ruins in Nijmegen, Catholic churches of Maastricht, gardens of Arcen and caves and hills of Valkenburg are very different from the polder landscape of Holland that is often thought to represent the entire country.

Near Amsterdam

• Aalsmeer
• Alkmaar
• Amstelveen
• Delft
• Edam
• Haarlem
• The Hague
• Keukenhof
• Naarden
• Madurodam
• Marken
• Muiden
• Nieuw Vennep
• Rotterdam
• Scheveningen
• Schermerhorn
• Volendam
• Zaandam
• Zandvoort

The Aalsmeer flower auction is the world's largest auction of horticultural products.

A cheesemarket is held every Friday morning.

Kaasboerderij Clara Maria is a 150 year old cheese farm. Klompenmakerij Ratterman has demonstrations on clog making. Rembrandthoeve is both a clog and cheese farm.

Delft is one of the best preserved cities from the 17th century. It is known for its blue pottery.

Edam is a medieval town which has a traditional cheese market on Wednesday. It is the home of Edam cheese.

The seat of the Dutch government is in the Hague, as is the international court.

A flower park with more than 6 million tulips, daffodils and other flowers.

Naarden is an old fortified town which has been carefully preserved.

The miniature town at Madurodam includes many well-known Dutch sights.

Typical polder landscape can be seen in the area of Marken. It was once a fishing village on the Zuiderzee.

The medieval castle of Muiderslot has paintings and furnishing from the first half of the 17th century. There is an interesting guided tour.

Traditional craftspeople make figurines out of marzipan.

Rotterdam boasts the world's largest harbour.

Scheveningen is a seaside resort.

Schermerhorn is known for its windmills.

The cheese farm Alida Hoeve is located in Volendam. The trip to Volendam shows typical Holland countryside dotted with little canals and windmills. Volendam was a fishing village on the coast of the former Zuiderzee (now Ijselmeer).

Zaanse Schans is a residential area near the river Zaan with wooden houses and windmills from the 17th and 18th century. Traditional production of Gouda and Edam cheeses is practiced at a cheese farm, and a clog-making workshop exhibits clogs and gives demonstrations on making these shoes.

The circuit at Zandvoort is used for national and international car and motorcycle races.

Last modified on August 9, 2001 by leon@yapc.org.
All content copyright © 2001 Yet Another Society, Inc.