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Home - City Guide - Amsterdam - Excursions | ||
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Excursions For information on travelling outside Amsterdam, contact VVV Noord-Holland (website: www.noord-holland-tourist.nl). For a Half Day Castricum: 25 minutes from Centraal Station on the train, this area is wonderful for getting away from it all. Bikes can be hired, for f10 per day, at the train station (tel: (0251) 654 035 for reservations) and maps can be obtained from the station restaurant, before cycling through beautiful woodlands and meadows to reach the dunes. Marken and Volendam: Two of the region's prime tourist attractions, these pretty fishing villages are easily accessible from Amsterdam. Marken is on an island joined to the mainland by a bridge, while Volendam is on the banks of the IJsselmeer. Both have plenty of atmosphere: there are lots of wooden houses and many of the locals still wear traditional dress. Visitors can wander through streets of quaint old houses, dress up in traditional costume and learn how to buy and sell fish at the Volendam fish auction. The outing can be extended into a full-day tour by stopping off for a fresh fish lunch and visiting the Volendams Museum (where one old sailor's collection of over a million cigar bands is on display). Volendam offers a variety of watersports, including excellent windsurfing. Transport is through an organised coach tour or the excellent bus service from Centraal Station. Departure times are available from the public transport information line (tel: (0900) 9292). For a Whole Day Keukenhof and Haarlem: The last week in March to the last week in May is the best time to head for the 28 hectares (69 acres) of the Keukenhof Gardens, Stationsweg 166a (tel: (0252) 465 555; fax: (0252) 465 565), open daily 0900-1800. Admission f15. The themed gardens are filled with tulips, narcissi and hyacinths. Eight kilometres (five miles) north of Keukenhof is Haarlem, where the Frans Roozen Nurseries and Tulip Show, Vogelenzangweg 49, can be visited from late March to late May daily 0800-1800 (July to September daily 0900-1700). Haarlem town centre is a beautiful mix of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century buildings, with two fine museums. The Frans Hals Museum, Heiligland 62, houses paintings by the artist. Also worth visiting is St Bavokerk Cathedral, containing a 5000-pipe organ which Mozart is reputed to have played. |