Amsterdam in The Netherlands has only recently been overtaken by Krakow, Poland as the most popular weekend break destination for UK tourists. That fact aside, this city with a population of less than a million, receives a lot of tourists from all over the world. Amsterdam recorded a 6.5% increase in hotel stays for the first two months of 2019 and is expecting over 17 million overnight stays this year.
For anyone who wants to escape the crowds of Amsterdam proper, it makes sense to explore the areas and towns outside of the city center. Less than one hour from Amsterdam are fascinating historic towns like Edam, Volendam and Zaandam, where the Czar of Russia came to learn about shipbuilding and Claude Monet stayed and made 25 paintings. Access to these towns by public transport is easy and inexpensive. If you’re planning to visit more than one place, an Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is valid on all public transportation for one, two or three days starting at €19.50. Another excellent way to navigate the scenic countryside near Amsterdam is by bicycle, electric scooter or by Twizy, a tiny electric car.
The Zaanse Schans - 15 minutes by train/40 minutes by bus from Amsterdam Central station
Just north of Amsterdam, the The Zaanse Schans is an eighteenth-century village with traditional houses that are still private residences, windmills, warehouses and workshops. A word of warning, although outside of Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans is one of the Netherlands’ top tourist attractions but it’s well worth seeing. The region around Zaanse Schans was was an important industrial area in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with hundreds of windmills producing linseed oil, paint, snuff, mustard, paper and other products.
In addition to strolling past the quaint houses, cute cafes and shops in The Zaanse Schans, be sure to visit the Zaans Museum that houses both the original chocolate and biscuit factory of the early twentieth century, where the original machines are still churning away and one of the 25 artworks Claude Monet painted while in the area,”The Voorzaan and the Westerhem” (1871).
Zaandam - 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam Central station
Zaandam provides another fascinating glimpse of the country’s past. While not as picturesque as Zaanse Schans or Edam, it has great historic and cultural significance as a major shipbuilding area because of all the windmills available to saw the wood. During the seventeenth century golden age of shipbuilding, two ships were launched in Zaandam every week. This inspired the Czar Peter of Russia to come incognito in 1697 to learn about shipbuilding as Dutch shipbuilders were considered the best in the world. The original wooden house where the Czar stayed can be visited within a small museum that shows his very modest living quarters. The house is one of the oldest wooden houses in the Netherlands and the second-oldest museum (after Teylers Museum in Haarlem). Apparently the Czar’s identity was soon revealed and like a modern day celebrity, he was pestered and followed around, leading him to curtail his visit after only eight days and head to Amsterdam to complete his shipbuilding training. Nearby, Claude Monet’s studio, that he rented for four months in 1871, is now a foundation with reproductions of the 25 paintings made by the artist in Zaandam. Monet was so taken by the landscape, the hundreds of windmills and colorful wooden houses that he enthused “there’s enough here to paint for a lifetime.” Tours of sites visited by the artist, many of which were immortalised in the paintings he created during his stay, are available with the affable Jacob Reitsma.
Inntel Hotel, Zaandam handily located near the train station has an impressive façade. The structure, designed by designed by architects Molenaar en van der Winden is a stacking of various traditional houses that can be found in the Zaan region, with a blue house as a tribute to Claude Monet as it was one of the artist’s favorites in the area. Blue House (painted by Claude Monet), Hogendijk 87. This house was painted by Claude Monet during his stay in Zaandam in 1871. The house isn’t blue any more, but plans are to change it back. After sightseeing, drop in for a beer at The Blacksmith on the Hogedijk near the harbor, a small pub in the old workplace of a blacksmith.
Almere - 35 minutes by train from Amsterdam Central Station
Almere (Dutch for “old sea”), the youngest city in The Netherlands, is on land reclaimed from the sea in the 1980s. Located in the province of Flevoland (the world’s largest land reclamation project), Almere was built on land that was reclaimed from the sea in a feat of Dutch engineering. Now, more than 40 years later the area has been developed into well-planned residential areas with parks, lakes, modern infrastructure, parking for over 6,000 cars underground and excellent transport connections. Many of the buildings were designed by well-known architects so a walking tour is a must. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas designed the eight-screen movie theatre, Kinepolis, in the town center, a casino was designed by the late British architect, Will Alsopp and another Brit, David Chipperfield designed a social housing complex that features rooftop gardens. Other buildings of note are a beautiful library, a feng shui theatre by a Japanese architect, and an aluminum apartment building in the shape of a wave.
Edam – 35 minutes by bus from Amsterdam Central Station
Edam, known for its famous cheese, on the bank of the Markermeer, north of Amsterdam, is one of the prettiest villages in Europe. With cobbled streets, canals, stone bridges and houses with lovely gardens, Edam is an essential daytrip from Amsterdam. Until 1922, the town hosted a market where local farmers sold their products at a cheese market. Every Wednesday in July and August, this market is recreated, complete with cheese carriers, inspectors, farmers and traders. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the past, complete with traditional costumes and music.
Anytime of the year, Grote Kerk, a magnificent cathedral that dates back to the 15th century is worth visiting. It features beautiful stained glass windows donated by various Dutch cities. Edam Museum, in a sixteenth-century house, is packed with paintings, objects and furnishings, presenting a look at the life of a merchant from the Dutch Golden Age.
Also not to be missed in Edam is the quaint Kwakelbrug, a hand-operated drawbridge and a treasured national monument. When we visited, a young man arrived on his bicycle (of course) to manually raise the bridge for a boat to pass through.
The Beemster - 50 minutes by bus from Amsterdam Central Station
The Beemster, a scenic area of farmland, was the first “polder”(land reclaimed from a lake or the sea) in The Netherlands. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site as it was deemed as “an exceptional example of reclaimed land [and] has preserved intact its well-ordered landscape of fields, roads, canals, dykes and settlements, laid out in accordance with classical and Renaissance planning principles.” It encompasses several small villages and hamlets including Middenbeemster, Noordbeemster, Westbeemster and Zuidoostbeemster. This area, with its pretty country lanes, canals and windmills, provides an ideal area for cycling or explore the area in a Twizy, a tiny two-seater electric car.
The most enjoyable way to tour the countryside near Amsterdam is by electric scooter or electric car. We drove a twizy electric car from The Beemster to the windmill at De Breek. There we had lunch and switched to an electric scooter from Rent & Event for a scenic ride from Oosthuizen to Edam along the IJsselmeerdijk beside the Markermeer Lake.
Batavia Stad - 40 minutes from Amsterdam
Combine luxury discount shopping at shopping outlet Batavia Stad with culture and a visit to the Batavialand Museum close to the shopping outlet. Outside the museum is a shipyard and a replica of The Batavia, an 18th-century cargo vessel owned by the Dutch East India Company) wrecked during a violent storm on its way to the Far East in 1749. Travelling to both locations by public transport is easy and inexpensive (€5) via the shopping outlet’s shuttle bus that departs daily from Amsterdam’s River Cruise Port.
