Escape to the country
This over 10 hour long tour will take you from the lively city centre of Amsterdam to the beautiful countryside outside the city. Travel from Amsterdam Central Station to the open air museum of Zaanse Schans to see and visit the windmills there before travelling on to Volendam and Marken to discover these traditional fishing villages and some of the products created there. Then get back on the bus to head south, to the Keukenhof gardens. The order of the tour can change.
An open-air museum
A visit to Zaanse Schans means you can get your fill of historical windmills. Over ten windmills line the banks of the Zaan river and the area around them is free for you to wonder around in as it really is an open-air museum. Zaanse Schans is one of the best places to see windmills in Holland.
Volendam is a typical Dutch fishing village and taking a walk along De Dijk and through the harbour area will not disappoint. Here you will visit the Cheese Factory to learn more about how the Dutch make cheese and have a little taste as well. If you are staying in town for lunch, we recommend the freshly caught fish.
Next is the village of Marken, a former island in the Markermeer, now a peninsula. You'll travel between Marken and Volendam by boat, with a scenic, 30 minutes trip across the IJsselmeer. On Marken you’ll visit a traditional clog, or wooden shoe, maker where clogs are still made according to a 100-year-old tradition with steam powered tools. They are surprisingly comfortable as you will be able to try for yourself.
The most beautiful garden in the world
At Keukenhof you can wander along 15 kilometres of footpaths surrounded by more than seven million flowers. The Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands are world-famous, open less than two months a year and the largest flower gardens in all of Europe.
You’ll have several hours to explore the gardens on your own. You can discover a world full of colourful and fragrant flower fields, including 800 different species of tulips, crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and many more in inspirational themed gardens, flower parades and beautiful flower shows. The millions of flower bulbs are planted by hand every year.
