We did a one-day trip (packaged tour) from Amsterdam to Marken, Edam, Voldendam and Zaanse Schans (in June 2024). The whole trip was around 8 hours. In this blog, I would like to share my experience with that one-day trip.
During our trip to Amsterdam, we stayed in Leonardo Royal Hotel. To reach the starting point of this day trip, we took a metro from Overamstel station to Amsterdam central station. The metro journey was round 15 minutes. From Amsterdam central station, we walked towards the meeting point ‘De Ruijterkade 151, 1011 AC Amsterdam’ (it’s a 20 minutes’ walk, around 1.3 Kms)
NOTE: It’s not worth taking a Taxi from Amsterdam Central station to the meeting point as the taxi has to cross through some busy roads which has multiple traffic signals.
We had booked this one-day trip in VIATOR. You will receive a confirmation mail at time of booking. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund. Please note that there is a SPANISH tour at 8:30 AM and ENGLISH tour at 9:30 AM. We had opted for the English tour. The Bus and the Guide were ready at the pickup point. There will many buses ready for departure. So please ensure that you are onboarding the correct bus. This tour guide will be dressed in green (jacket) and will have a green umbrella with them.
Please note that bus will start on time and so please ensure that you reach at the right time. Also ensure to have your breakfast before you board the bus as there is no stops in between for the breakfast.
1) Marken:
The first destination was Marken. It’s around 30+ minutes journey from Amsterdam central. After reaching Marken, the guide will take you for walking tour to explore various neighbourhoods. This picturesque fishing village (with less than 2000 residents) is home to beautiful and brightly coloured traditional wooden houses.
The main attractions of this village are its typical colourful houses, gardens, farm animals, small port, canals, wooden bridges, and a church. You might also get a chance to see some residents wearing the traditional costumes. The guide will share all the details and history, while exploring this beautiful village.
You might spend around 1 hour at Marken.
2) Henri Willig Cheese Factory:
After completing the walking tour, you will be onboarding the bus. The next destination in this trip was Henri Willig Cheese Factory. In this factory, staff wearing traditional cheese maker costumes will tell you all about the different types of Dutch cheese as well as demonstrate the cheese making process, and of course, lots of tasting options aswell!
Its an interesting experience, if you are visiting such a factory for the first time. There are also very neat toilet facilities available here. The ticket price for cheese factory visit is already a part of this itinerary.
You might spend around 1 hour at this cheese factory.
3) Edam:
After the cheese factory, you will onboard the bus again and next destination will be Edam.
Here also, you be doing a walking tour. This tour will take you through the centre of the historic city of Edam visiting its most well-known monuments and corners. The guide will share all the details and history during this walking tour. Approximately 7000 people live in Edam. This town is lined by canals, traditional Dutch houses and old-fashioned Dutch bridges.
You will also get a chance to see St. Nicolas Church. It is one of the largest 3-ridged churches in Europe. Please note that Edam Museum is not part of this itinerary.
Edam is famous as the original source of the cheese with the same name. The cheese market was the primary resource of the economy of Edam in the 16th century. Even today, Edam cheese has a large fan base across the globe and Edam cheese stands out for its strong and robust flavours.
The old town centre, within the borders of the old city walls, is nowadays protected by the government. A number of notable buildings survive in good condition.
It was once an industrious shipyard and port, a much smaller version than the Rotterdam port.
Seems like Edam’s Wednesday morning market is held year-round, but is best in July and August, when farmers bring their cheese by boat and horse to the center of town.
You might spend around 1.5 hours at Edam.
4) Voldendam:
You will onboard the bus and the next destination in this itinerary was guided walking tour of the old town and port of Volendam.
Here you will have lot of free time to explore the places, and this is where you will be having your lunch. There are lots of restaurants (lot of Fish restaurants aswell) available in this place. We had our lunch from a ‘Fish and Chips Restaurant’ and it was really nice and worth the money.
Also don’t forget to try some pastries. There are lot of such shops available here.
Volendam, also known as “The Pearl of the Zuiderzee” was a fishing village founded in the fourteenth century, located 20km northeast of Amsterdam. It has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands, and this small town depends on both fishing and tourism.
The best things to do is to walk along its promenade, discover its quaint shops and city centre. For years, Volendam was a small fishing village. However now it is a town that is gaining more and more visitors and eventually become a very important tourist destination. Please note that Volendam Museum is not part of this itinerary. From Volendam it is easy to reach the cosy town of Marken via a beautiful ferry crossing. Ferry trip is also not part of the itinerary.
The town is also famous for its beautiful lighthouse at the easternmost tip of this strip of land on a small sandy beach.
You might spend around 2 hours at this place.
5) Zaanse Schans:
After onboarding the bus, you will continue the trip to the next (and the final) destination ‘Zaanse Schans’.
Zaanse Schans is a neighbourhood of the town of Zaandam. It is a unique part of the Netherlands, full of monumental houses, mills, barns and workshops where people practise traditional crafts.
On arrival you will immediately be greeted with stunning views over the river Zaan. Despite the fact that visitors from all over the world visit this neighbourhood every day, it is good to know that people still live here. The site receives more than a million visitors each year and it’s easy to see why; the neighbourhood is picturesque and gives visitors a taste of traditional Dutch country life away from the hustle and bustle of the major cities.
By the mid-17th century, around 500+ windmills existed in the sides of the river, some of them are still preserved in the Zaanse Schans. The existing windmills here are well preserved and is still working. You have options to enter a windmill and experience its working/functions (comes with an entry ticket). Few of the windmills have interesting names like ‘De Kat (The Cat)’, ‘De Zoeker (The Seeker)’, ‘De Bonte Hen (The Spotted hen)’ and so on.
If you plan to get inside a windmill, I recommend De Kat (the cat) because you can climb up and go outside on the balcony, and it seems to be the highest balcony of all the windmills that have them here. Be warned, the stairs are very very steep (more like a ladder) so you need to be mobile enough to climb up and then climb down again; this is not an easily accessible windmill.
Dutch started building windmills as early as 1,200 A.D for grinding grains. In the 19th century, there were more than 9,000 windmills in the country.
As a part of the itinerary, you will also get a chance to visit a wooden Clog factory / museum. The ticket price for wooden clog factory visit is already a part of this itinerary. In this museum you can learn about the clogs (Dutch traditional footwear). Watch a demonstration of how clogs are made, read about the history of clogs and clogs that are made for special occasions and even buy yourself some clogs in the gift shop if you want.
The clog artisan community at Zaanse Schans has been around since many centuries. The clog is a Dutch icon popular worldwide. Although, not commonly worn by the locals, it is still possible to spot the odd person sporting the clogs, particularly in rural districts.
Don’t forget to take advantage of the great photo opportunities outside as well!
Please note that Zaans Museum and Bakery Museum are not part of this itinerary. There is also a water cruise option available in Zaan River and it is also not a part of this itinerary.
You might spend around 1.5 hours at this place.
You will now be returning back to Amsterdam central which is around 30 minutes from here.
Overall this day tour will take around 8 hours. You will be back in City Center by around 5:30 PM. Please keep in mind that you will be doing a lot of walking in this trip. Be prepared for the same.
As per operator, this tour is not recommended for:
- Travellers with back problems
- Pregnant women
- People with walking disabilities
- People with heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Even though we had booked the trip through VIATOR, it is operated by a company named ‘CAMALEON TOURS’. The tour guide (Angela) and driver were exceptional and friendly. This is a highly recommended tour if you are looking for a one-day trip option from Amsterdam.
