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Easter weekend in Amsterdam/Holland

Hi,

We will visiting Amsterdam/Holland from March 24-March 29, 2016 leaving on March 30. Do shops and department stores open during Easter weekend?

We visited Amsterdam for 3 days before, so we are thinking to explore outside of Amsterdam this time.

We are planning to visit the following places:
-Giethoorn
-Rotterdam/Cube House/Kinderdijk
-Keukenhof
-Zaanse Schans Windmill
-De Hoge Veluwe/Kröller-Müller Museum (Possibly Utrecht?)

What would be the best order to visit these places?

We are planning to fly in from Nice on March 24, should we flying into Rotterdam? or Amsterdam? At first I was thinking fly into Rotterdam (but won't arrive until 4pm in the afternoon) and stay in Rotterdam for 1-2 nights then go to Giethoorn and stay there for a night. Or should I fly into Amsterdam (arrive around 11am) and take the train to Giethoorn right after.

Or is there other suggestion?

thanks!

Posted by
2487 posts

Schiphol airport is being served by train, while with Rotterdam airport you first need to take a bus to a nearby metro or railway station. That being said, the country is so small and the public transport so efficient, that it doesn't really matter where you land.
Giethoorn is not being served by the train. It involves a bus ride from one of the nearby railway stationd (Steenwijk or Zwolle). Use http://9292.nl/en# for planning. Giethoorn is getting quite popular with Chinese tourists. It might get crowded.
Consider instead a day trip from Amsterdam to Broek in Waterland combined with the nearby historical harbour town of Monnickendam. All easily reached by bus from Amsterdam Centraal Station.
Kinderdijk is best combined with Dordrecht, another historical city, not getting the attention it deserves. Take the train to Dordrecht have a look around, and take the river ferry from the city centre (»Groothoofd«) to Kinderdijk (use the same http://9292.nl/en# for the schedule). Kinderdijk is the real thing; the Zaansche Schans is a windmill museum with a lot of coach parties and souvenir shops.

Posted by
172 posts

Thanks!

So should we do Kinderdijk and drop ZS?
And is Giethoorn overrated? Is it really flooded with Chinese tourists? Waterland would be a better choice?
Because originally I was planning to stay one night at Giethoorn....

Posted by
2487 posts

Dordrecht and Kinderdijk make a outing you won't regret. It's all the real thing, and pleasantly low key.
Giethoorn involves a lot of travelling (at Dutch standards at least) and I doubt very much whether it deserves an overnight stay.
Waterland is around the corner and, while different, gives you also a taste of rural Netherlands. Monnickendam will also not disappoint. It's still very authentic, from the huge church to the small harbour. Use www.http://9292.nl/en# as your trustworthy public transport guide. It even has a map function to find your bus stop.
If you want one or two days out of Holland (as in: the western part of the country), go to Zwolle, and have daytrips to nearby Kampen and/or Deventer, both nicely situated on the river front, and all three undeservedly - but pleasantly - overlooked by the regular tourists crowds.

Posted by
172 posts

Hi,

Will we have enough time to visit the followings in one day? leaving Amsterdam in the morning...
What would be the best order to visit them?

Kinderdijk
Cube House
Markthal Rotterdam
Dordrecht

thanks!

Posted by
2487 posts

The most practical order would be: train to Dordrecht, bus to Kinderdijk (at the railway station), take ferry back to Dordrecht (ends in city centre), enjoy Dordrecht for as long as you want, get the train back to Amsterdam. If you've got time and energy, get off in Rotterdam to visit the Markthal and/or the Cube House (they're both at walking distance from Rotterdam Centraal station).