Day Trips from Amsterdam

There are some alternatives of places you could choose from to spend just a day or so out of this Western Europe canal filled city.

Giethoorn

The first one would be the farthest, so you would need to take into consideration all the times and schedules for the transportation, such as the earliest bus or train, and the latest. Giethoorn is a quaint little village with beautiful canals which are quite different from the ones we would meet in any other big city in the Netherlands, unique houses, and you could willingly rent a boat for around 20 euros per hour. You would need to steer the boat on your own, and some of them it can fit up to 6 people. Hence the more, the merrier, the cheaper. Make sure to catch the train to Steenwijk, then a bus to the actual place. A bit long and slight more complicated than other day trips, but it would be well worth the effort.

Den Haag

The governmental center of the Netherlands, or also known as The Hague, offer some quite interesting activities, which are also free of charge, that’s just around 50 minutes from Amsterdam by train. The first option could be to visit the Peace Palace. The Peace Palace is a striking well-kept administrative building in The Hague, which also houses the International Court of Justice. However, you would need to make sure that the Palace would be open for tours inside, yet to merely take a stroll outside the palace would still be great.

The second choice is to visit the Beach of the Netherlands. The weather in the Netherlands does not always go your way, so you would need to make sure that the temperature is warm enough, and not go through the winter season. The beach is one of the famous beaches in the lowlands, and it is accompanied by nice restaurants and a pier at the edge. Maybe you could also try the renowned Kibbeling or Herring dish there.

Zaanse Schans

Craving windmills, wooden shoe factories, and making Dutch cheese? Well, it would be hard to find them in the city, but you could go a bit out of Amsterdam to Zaandam, just a simple bus or train ride away. The area is free of charge, yet some attraction would need you to pay, yet overall, a typical Dutch experience would be all covered by Zaanse Schans.

Volendam

Volendam is Another quintessential Dutch village to visit whilst you are in the country, and also, only not more than half an hour away from Amsterdam. In addition to the unique looking houses and cheese factories, there is also the harbour and the renowned place to take a picture with traditional Dutch clothes.