Which excursion in Amsterdam

[dolllover]

We are leaving in a few weeks on a tulip cruise with Avalon and I'm trying to decide which optional excursion to take. One is the castle Muiderslot or an excursion to see the towns of Volendam and Edam. Any help would be appreciated. We will be in Amsterdam a couple of days before the cruise starts but we're pretty booked up seeing other sites.

[dolllover]

Has no one taken these excursions?

[nancyevans]

Have not been to either one but have done some research. Muiderslot looks pretty and geared for families and children. Look at reviews on Trip Advisor.

 

 

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[dolllover]

Have not been to either one but have done some research. Muiderslot looks pretty and geared for families and children. Look at reviews on Trip Advisor.

 

 

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Thanks will do.

[FuelScience]

We haven't done the excursions, but we have visited Volendam and Edam on our own last year. We took a bus to Marken, then rode a ferry to Volendam, and finally took a bus to Edam before returning to Amsterdam. We hit Volendam around lunch time on a Saturday, and it was a mob scene. There were large crowds and we were somewhat overwhelmed. We decided to move on and walked directly from the marina to the bus stop and headed for Edam. Edam was a lot quieter, and we enjoyed walking around the old town and having lunch before catching our bus back to Amsterdam.

 

If we'd had a guide in Volendam, maybe we would have seen a more interesting side of the town that wasn't so touristy. You might check TripAdvisor and get more info on all three sites.

[dolllover]

We haven't done the excursions, but we have visited Volendam and Edam on our own last year. We took a bus to Marken, then rode a ferry to Volendam, and finally took a bus to Edam before returning to Amsterdam. We hit Volendam around lunch time on a Saturday, and it was a mob scene. There were large crowds and we were somewhat overwhelmed. We decided to move on and walked directly from the marina to the bus stop and headed for Edam. Edam was a lot quieter, and we enjoyed walking around the old town and having lunch before catching our bus back to

Amsterdam.

 

 

If we'd had a guide in Volendam, maybe we would have seen a more interesting side of the town that wasn't so touristy. You might check TripAdvisor and get more info on all three sites.

 

Thank you! Also thinking of taking the train to Delft on embarkation day to get out of the city. It's an hour each way. Delft may be super touristy as well. I'm hoping to get out of Amsterdam and see more of the countryside.

[FuelScience]

Thank you! Also thinking of taking the train to Delft on embarkation day to get out of the city. It's an hour each way. Delft may be super touristy as well. I'm hoping to get out of Amsterdam and see more of the countryside.

 

After enjoying Amsterdam for two days pre-cruise in 2015, we went back for a full week in June, 2016. We did a day trip to Delft and really enjoyed it. We visited a small pottery factory there, De Delftse Pauw. We found Delft to be much more peaceful and enjoyable than Volendam. I highly recommend buying a copy of Rick Steves's Amsterdam book or checking it out from your local library. It's a great planning aid. Also, I can send you copies of a document I put together for our group that was touring the city pre-cruise. Email me at fuelscience at gmail dot com, and I'll send you a copy.

[Daisi]

FuelScience, what month were you there? We are going in May, and I was thinking of Zaanse Schans in the morining, and Marken, Volendam & Edam in the afternoon. If they are super busy, maybe we will be looking at other side trips.

[FuelScience]

We were there on a Saturday in mid June. It may be much less crowded on a weekday, but from TripAdvisor, it sees to be a major outing from Amsterdam. Marken and Edam were quiet and relaxed.

[FuelScience]

Here's a quote from Rick Steves's website:

 

The third town of this trio — Volendam — is grotesquely touristy...mix Killarney and Coney Island and then drizzle with herring juice. The town’s promenade is lined with souvenir shops, indoor/outdoor eateries, and Dutch clichés. For a megadose of kitsch, visit the Volendam Museum’s Cigarband House, where a local artist has glued 11 million cigarbands to big boards to create giant images — from Dutch windmills to a sour-looking Statue of Liberty

[gnome12]

FuelScience, what month were you there? We are going in May, and I was thinking of Zaanse Schans in the morining, and Marken, Volendam & Edam in the afternoon. If they are super busy, maybe we will be looking at other side trips.

I think you are trying to do way too much in one day.

[Daisi]

I hear Zaanse Schans is about a 4 hr visit, and so was figuring the other 3 would be about the same time split between them. I've seen bus tours that gave me the idea and they were only 6 hrs total. We will be in Amsterdam for 2 full days (and most of a 3rd, but I'm not planning much that day as we will be trying to get over jet lag), so can do a long day.

[gnome12]

How are you planning to do this? Remember that a bus tour has all the travel built in, and frequently not enough time to see everything. It sounds like you are doing this on your own, so transportation time has to be factored in.

[Daisi]

I've been checking out the bus. We are early risers (4:00 when we have to work), so can be at Zaanse Schans when it opens. It's just something we are looking at, and will depend a lot on the weather. For us travelling, 8-10 hr days are normal.

 

 

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[garf1108]

We used Viator for a few excursions during our recent visit to Amsterdam.

[FuelScience]

I've been checking out the bus. We are early risers (4:00 when we have to work), so can be at Zaanse Schans when it opens. It's just something we are looking at, and will depend a lot on the weather. For us travelling, 8-10 hr days are normal.

 

You might want to take the train. You'll have a short walk from the station, but it's probably significantly quicker overall.

[notamermaid]

I am afraid to say that the German wikipedia calls Volendam a "Touristendorf" meaning a tourist village. I imagine it to be like the seaside places I know from England and that I try to avoid. On a trip where your time is limited I think you might be happier with exploring just one place a bit more in-depth. I enjoyed Groningen but that is a bit far out. To see a bit of the "hinterland" I suggest you have a look at Amersfoort. I have not been there but it has been recommended to me: http://www.vvvamersfoort.nl/en German river cruises take people to Hoorn, so it must have some appeal. It looks quite nice to me: http://www.vvvhartvannoordholland.nl/content/plaats.asp?menu=0028_000126_000000_000000

 

But I am sure Edam is a nice place to see. I like Edam cheese so it is on my bucket list for visiting the Netherlands. :)

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

notamermaid

[mj_holiday]

We did the excursion to Volendam and Edam a couple of years ago. (our choice was that or a canal cruise which we would do on our own). It was enjoyable. We stopped at a windmill for pictures, a cheese factory for tour, we walked through Edam which is a very pretty village and we went to Volendam. Even though Volendam is said to be touristy, it was an interesting village. I enjoyed the info we received from our tour guide.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We also did an excursion/ walking tour of Edam and Volendam and enjoyed both places. I don't remember Volendam being overly crowded or any more touristy than some of the other charming little towns in Northern Europe.

 

 

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[dolllover]

Thanks everyone! Lots of great ideas. I'm really looking forward to this trip.

[Daisi]

You might want to take the train. You'll have a short walk from the station, but it's probably significantly quicker overall.

 

 

Just fooling around with bus routes, and the bus is 40 min to Zaanse Schans, the train 18 with a 17 min walk, so almost the same. I have lots of time to figure this out, and it will be something that will be decided probably on the day we go. We may do Zaanse Schans one day, the 3 villages another...

[ikesyd]

We went to Zaanse Schans, Volendam & Marken on a bus tour when we were in Amsterdam in July 2012. Chose the bus tour(big bus) as the weather had been windy & raining. Found Zaanse Schans very crowded with lots of tourists all trying to get their photo with the windmills, didn't do the cheese tasting there(though we did have an unofficial sample as we walked through!). Had lunch stop at Volandam, yes it is touristy but we walked up a side street to purchase lunch(avoided the suggestions by the guide). Caught the ferry to Marken - would have loved more time there to explore. Went to a clog making & cheese sampling there.

This trip(October) we hope do an independent trip to Kinderdijk (http://www.kinderdijk.com) to see the windmills there. You can catch a train to Rotterdam then travel by ferry to Kinderdijk or train to Utrecht then a bus. This trip will give you the chance to see outside of Amsterdam and also see some windmills.

We will have 2 full days before our cruise starts so we also hope to catch a train to Weesp and hire some bikes and cycle around the area(about 3 windmills), see Muiderslot castle and Muiden - just taking our time and stopping where we like. It will all depend upon the weather.

[gnome12]

Let me throw in another option. I did the historical triangle that goes from Hoorn by steam train to Medemblik, then by steam boat to the outdoor museum at Enkhuisen. I had a museum pass which covered both the steam train ( which is considered to be a museum and has a small musuem at the train station in Hoorn) and the steam boat as well as entrance to the open air museum at Enkhuisen. There were lovely views of tulip fields from the train. I did the whole thing as a day trip out of Amsterdam, and quite enjoyed it.

[laverendrye]

Let me throw in another option. I did the historical triangle that goes from Hoorn by steam train to Medemblik, then by steam boat to the outdoor museum at Enkhuisen. I had a museum pass which covered both the steam train ( which is considered to be a museum and has a small musuem at the train station in Hoorn) and the steam boat as well as entrance to the open air museum at Enkhuisen. There were lovely views of tulip fields from the train. I did the whole thing as a day trip out of Amsterdam, and quite enjoyed it.

 

Good suggestion, especially the outdoor museum at Enkhuisen. I would avoid Volendam and Zaanse Schans like the plague and although Edam is picturesque, it's small and doesn't justify a separate trip. I also agree with the suggestion of a day-trip to Delft, the city of Vermeer and porcelain.

[gnome12]

You can preview the photobook from my trip at blurb.com. search for Tulips & Windmills 2010. (Make sure you use the & not the word "and")The historic triangle pictures are at the end, after all the Keukenhof flower pictures.