Amsterdam Off the Beaten Path Tips by isolina_it

In tulip season (springtime) flower lovers can take a coach trip to Keukenhof, huge gardens dedicated to tulips. Trips can be booked from companies on the Damrak (around €30), or there is a day-trip by train from Central Station for less.

Not far from Amsterdam, in the former Zuiderzee (now the IJsselmeer) is Marken, an island now joined to the mainland by a land bridge. It still has many wooden houses, and you can still see people wearing local costume, not just for tourists. You should at least visit the harbour. There are organised coach tours (around €25), but for much less money (six strips of a strippen-card) you can take bus 111 from Central Station (times can be got from the public transport telephone information line 0900-9292, €0.50 per minute).

There is a group of working windmills along the river at the Zaanse Schans, as well as museums and a cheese factory you can visit. Take the train to Koog-Zaandijk (about 15 minutes), turn left at the bottom of the steps from the platform, and walk straight on right to the end of the street (about 5 minutes). Turn left, and ahead of you is a windmill at the end of a bridge. As you cross the bridge, you can see the working mills on the left. There is a gate at the end of the bridge, on the left.

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Need an escape from the hectic pace of Amsterdam? Why not plan a day at the Amsterdamse Bos?
It's a huge park on the edge of the city where you can leave behind the hustle and bustle and
chill out in the woods or picnic on huge grassy lawns.

Planted in the 1930s and 40s, the Bos is now a mature forest covering almost 800 hectares.
It offers a diverse range of outdoor pleasures including lakes for boating, wading pools for
the kids, the Openlucht theater presenting outdoor plays and music, a bison reserve, a campground, numerous bike, horse and pedestrian paths (all separate), and a wonderful feeling of being far away from the city.

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If you just want to spend a nice day trip outside, have a visit in the typical nearby villages. We took the regional bus from Central Station, and reached Monnichedam. This is a very nice little village, typical houses, boats on the canal and silent quiet narrow streets. I recommend it as it does not seem to be touristic at all, so what is better to have a drink in a characteristic pub?
After two hours in Monnickedam we took the bus to Marken. I was told about this village being tiny and nice and it was, houses are typical and much more coloured (it looks too much almost fake surrounding, to be true...), but there are more tourists than Monnickedam. Just an advice: dont try to buy bus tickets to the way back here as the post office is closed and souvenir shops dont sell them!). It is very nice from Marken to sit and have a view of the small harbour. From here we took the boat to Volendam (4 Eur, nice 30 min. trip) (see my travelogue). I love Volendam, along the pier you find a lot of souvenir shops (cheaper than A`dam), but the village is kept very realistically typical (unlike Marken) and you find nice little canals, and a market too.

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A few km from A`dam is Muiden. Nice typical village with the river and boats all along. On its edge you find this castle now, after many years, open to the public.
April up to and including October:
Monday to Friday from 10:00 - 17:00
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from 13.00 - 17.00
The Castle can only be visited under guidance. The conducted tours start several times an hour. A tour will take appr. 50 minutes. The last tour starts at 16:00
Getting there:
By car: coming from direction Amsterdam or Amersfoort on highway A1 just follow the blue-white signs indicating Muiden - Muiderslot.
By public transportation:
(1) You can take the NZH Bus Line 136 leaving from Amstel Station at Amsterdam. Departure weekdays and Saturday every hour at 10 minutes past the hour. At Sunday each hour at 31 minutes past the hour.
Or (2) you can take the train to Weesp station and from there take the NZH Bus Line 153. Departure weekdays and Saturday every half hour at 8 minutes to and 22 minutes past the hour

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Website: http://www.muiderslot.demon.nl/english/introduction/

Take your bike and just outside the town the view changes.
green green green and still green and rivers, cows, blue airons and rivelets.

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