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6 days itinerary in Amsterdam in March feedback

Will be going to Europe for a few weeks with my wife mainly via train and one section, we will be travelling by train and I am wondering if the following itinerary would be OK? Please feel free to add any suggestions, feedback

Here is the itinerary

  • 24th March
    Train Stuttgart to Amsterdam catch train @ 2:28am arrive 10:44am.
    We have booked a special boat canal romantic stay to relax for 2 nights (very near Van gogh museum)
    Check in. Buy in supermarket
    Relax city boat for 2 nights
    Walk at night

  • 25th March
    Walk nearby city + relax boat (suggestion?)
    We are not into museum, history stuffs, (we can't ride bicycles) but more into sightseeing, scenery, photo taking activities

  • 26th March
    Check out 11am & check in nearby (normal hotel) for 3 nights.

    Drop baggage approx 12pm then head to:
    Zaanse Schans windmill

  • 27th March
    Giethoorn day trip departing in early morning

  • 28th March
    Keukenhof (will go on bus tour rather than going ourselves. Duration: 5 hours bus tour departing @ 9am ).
    2pm - Arrive back to Amsterdam and walk in Amsterdam city

  • 29th March
    8am - Head for daytrip to Utrecht day
    5pm - Head back to Amsterdam central station and next destination to Hamburg
    (Will be taking 6:38pm train & arrive 12:15am @ night)

PS: Also, we will want to go for at least one canal tour in Amsterdam and since there are many of them in the central location which one would you recommend to go? Or just any of them will be just good?

Is it recommended to buy some kind of travel pass or holland pass or something based on the activities above? I have Eurail Global pass so majority, if I travel out of Amsterdam, I will be using it

Thanks once again

Posted by
11569 posts

Instead of Zaanse Schaanse, visit Kinderdijk, 19 windmills in place where they worked for years. Train Amsterdam to Rotterdam, Tram7 to watetbus to Kinderdijk. Walking paths among them and one is a museum.
For other towns to visit or stay in look at Haarlem, Delft and Leiden.

Posted by
2487 posts

Giethoorn is quickly getting an over-popular destination. With some bad luck the small village is crowded with coach parties.
Instead go to Hoorn and/or Enkhuizen, both very attractive historical port cities. Easy to reach from Amsterdam on half-hourly direct trains, which take half an hour to Hoorn and another half an hour to Enkhuizen.

Posted by
307 posts

Sounds like an excellent itinerary!
You will enjoy Keukenhof Gradens.
Zaanse shans is nice, especially if you want to taste and purchase excellent cheeses; Kinderdijk windmills are worth trip.
Enkuizen is very interesting and worthwhile.
Posters from the Netherlands are reliable on their suggestions (IMO) as are they are up to date on the latest happenings in their country.
If you are looking for a fabulous dinner, consider Martine's Table.
Enjoy your trip

Posted by
104 posts

Thanks for the comment and feedback guys. Then we might go to Haarlem after Keukenhof since it's on the way back and as much as we love to go Kinderdijk windmills, I don't think we have enough time and plus I heard it's quite difficult to get there opposed to ZS unless we are staying in Rotterdam in which in this case, we will not be for this trip, maybe next time!

Actually, I am thinking whether I should shift the activity on the other way instead? i.e.
Originally was:

  • 26th March
    Check out 11am & check in nearby (normal hotel) for 3 nights.
    Drop baggage approx 12pm then head to:
    Zaanse Schans windmill

  • 29th March
    8am - Head for daytrip to Utrecht day
    5pm - Head back to Amsterdam central station and next destination to Hamburg
    (Will be taking 6:38pm train & arrive 12:15am @ night)

OR should I change it to:

  • 26th March
    Check out 11am & check in nearby (normal hotel) for 3 nights.
    Drop baggage approx 12pm then, take train head to:
    Utrecht daytrip.
    I estimate we arrive @ 1pm
    Come back Amsterdam after sunset i.e. 7pm

  • 29th March
    9am - Bus to Zaanse Schans windmill from my hotel (approx. 30 bus ride)
    5pm - Head back to Amsterdam central station and next destination to Hamburg
    (Will be taking 6:38pm train & arrive 12:15am @ night)

Which one would you think suits us better? Because I am not sure realistically, how long Utrecht & Zaanse Schans is needed anyways?

And for Giethoorn , I assume it's the whole day? Because we plan to depart morning @ 7am and come back at night? Or it's too long since the town is small?

Thanks once again

Posted by
2487 posts

I'd do the Zaansche Schans as a half-day trip on the 26th. It is a 20-min train ride (station Zaandijk-Zaansche Schans) with 4 trains per hour, and then a 15-min walk from the station (see map). With two hours you'll have seen most of it.
Giethoorn is a village, the main attraction of which is a boat trip along the waterways. Not very attractive in bad weather, and with the risk of some bus loads wanting to do the same thing, giving situations as depicted here. I guess the bus trip will take around 2 hours to get you there and another 2 hours back to Amsterdam.
Make it an easy day trip to Enkhuizen. Trust me and others: you'll love it.

Posted by
15781 posts

In a lot of European cities, supermarkets are closed on Sundays.

Posted by
2510 posts

You mention going to Haarlem after you tour Keukenhof, Haarlem is a nice sized town and quieter than Amsterdam with lots to see and do. Great walking, great restaurants and canal boat rides. Are you thinking of going back to your hotel in A'dam after visiting Haarlem? If you are interested in a wonderful restaurant in Haarlem, I can give a recommendation. Flamboyant restaurant. I had a wonderful Indonesian dish there last April.

Posted by
104 posts

Hi tonfromleiden,

I am aware that Giethoorn may be overrated and it's a place my wife has always dreamed of going and we love to drive our own boat as well and that is why we are going during low season and importantly,, we are going on 28th March arriving first thing in the morning like 8am despite 2 hours travel time (which falls on a Thursday) and is not weekend nor holiday, so I guess there will not be crowded? Of course I could be wrong and we are happy to take this risk hoping it's going to be quiet and not many opoeple. Enkhuizen that you suggested looks good as we saw the photos and we might go there as well

By the way, I am wondering if taking a tram for Route 2 is it worth the round trip??
Because I saw on the site saying "According to the the National Geographic Traveler magazine, route 2 in Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful in the world.".

Judy,

Yeah, we plan to go to Haarlem after Keukenhof since its on the way so we will buy that travel pass that includes the tram/train/bus and its on the way anyways since the bus drops you off there. If we start Keukenhof at 8am, I estimate we finish by 12-1pm, so we still have like 6-7 hours of daylight. We will go back to Amsterdam hotel at night which is booked and thanks for the recommendation for the restaurant of Flamboyant restaurant, we will note that down and take it as reference!