We will have 3 full days (4 nights) in Amsterdam in March. We have been to Amsterdam before and will also be joining the RS' Belgium & Holland Tour After Amsterdam.
Our "loose" plan right now. One full day in Haarlen, with visit to Corrie Ten Boom's House.
In Amsterdam we want to revisit the Van Gogh Museum and the Dutch Resistance Museum. The RS Tour includes the Riksmuseum as well as the Anne Frank House.
So, we originally thought we'd head north of Amsterdam to the Zaanse Schans or town of Edam. I've been watching YouTube videos of both places...and I can't decide. In the guidebook, Rick states that it feels "crassly commercial...and you'll be nickel-and-dimed" for the cultural experience.
So...if you have been to the Open Air Museum, I'd love to hear from you. And also, opinion of those who have been to Edam. I like "cutesy" towns. But don't know if both will be crawling with day trippers.
Also, I read that the bus to those places now leaves from the Noord Metro Station. How do we get to it?
Please help me/us decide. Thank you!
Posted by
Tucson, Arizona
537 posts
I went to Zaanse Schans last April on the last day of my Amsterdam area trip. It was so easy to get to from my hotel (located close to Sloterdijk Station) via a short train ride. While it is somewhat commercial, I still had a great time. I haven't been to Edam yet - maybe next time.
Posted by
OP
Southern Oregon
700 posts
Sherry, thanks for your positive experience at the Zaanse Schans. How much time did you spend there? Did you tour any of the windmills?
Posted by
Lake District, England
8684 posts
Noord Metro station is two stops from Centraal Station on the Noord- Zuid metro line M52.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2153 posts
I have visited Zaanse Schanse last August. It’s commercial as Sherry already says, but didn’t spoil the experience.
Trains run every half hour from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans and takes about 18 minutes. You will have to walk an additional 10 or 15 minutes to the entrance. Depending where you start in Amsterdam travel time will be around an hour. You can estimate the total time of this trip somewhere between 4 and 5 hours in case the visit itself is going to take around two hours.
If there is enough wind or is not too strong some of the windmills are at work. Here an overview of what is open or closed. Use the calendar for an overview during the days you plan to visit. Click the name belonging to the symbols for more info.
https://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/plan-your-visit/opening-hours/
Zaanse Schans closes at 5 PM, so best is visiting in the morning and Edam in the afternoon in case you want to visit it too. The bus calls at Broek in Waterland and Monickendam, both are very charming. From Edam you can walk or quicker take a taxi to Volendam. Be warned, the latter is way more commercial. But you can take from there the ferry to much more charming Marken. Buses back to Amsterdam run till midnight.
Will be a very busy day, think you have to skip a few places. Just show you the options.
Posted by
OP
Southern Oregon
700 posts
Isn31c: thanks for Noord Metro’s location. We’ve never been on Amsterdam’s metro line; only tram & bus.
Wil: so helpful to get reply from someone “in-country.” I think we’ll enjoy Zaanse Schanse.” We don’t stick to a rigid schedule. We usually spend more time at places like this than others because we often stop to explore something that catches our attention. Thanks for including the link to the daily calendar.
Since no one has said anything about Edam, we might skip the town. We wouldn’t enjoy rushing through the Waterland towns you mentioned. I mainly wanted to go somewhere north of Amsterdam for the day.