You will be shown the highlights of our city and places which you cannot see from a boat or by walking. You might not like to visit the red light district on your own. Sit back, relax and let us show you our beloved city, its canals, gorgeous gables, 17th century splendour, its unique museum quarter, its many churches and bell towers and so much more. Or visit the area built by the famous architect Berlage where he created the Amsterdam School.
Duration: 4 hours
If you want to escape the big city of Amsterdam, come with us to the city of Haarlem. In less than a half hour drive you’ll be in a manageable city of 150.000 inhabitant. A city that consistently wins awards for the quality of its lifestyle. Yes, Haarlem gave its name to Harlem in New Amsterdam, or, as we tend to say these days, New York. The social center of old Haarlem is the market square, called the Grote Markt. Once you’re in this central area, everything you probably want to see is within a short stroll.
Saint Bavo Church HaarlemSaint Bavo Church anchors the southeast corner of the market. It’s got an organ inside called the Müller organ. The Christian Muller Organ is the focal point of St. Bavo. It’s 30 meters high and has 5068 pipes. Constructed by Amsterdam organ builder Christian Muller between 1735 and 1738, Handel and Mozart both have played it, Mozart when he was 10 years old.
You could visit the famous Frans Hals Museum which is housed in an old almshouse called the Oudemannenhuis which you can probably fi gure out as the Old Man’s House. The museum contains paintings from Frans Hals and Masters of the Haarlem School in the 17th century. Or go to The Teylers Museum, dating from 1784, is the oldest public museum in the Netherlands. And don’t forget the Corrie ten Boom museum.
This house of the devout Ten Boom family, who hid Jews from the Nazis as part of the Haarlem underground network. You can tour the house to see the hiding place behind a false bedroom wall. After a few hours we will drive you in comfort back to the hotel.
Duration: 4 hours
In the season from the 19th of March until the 10th of May, (please check the dates first to avoid disappointment). We will take you on an unforgettable trip to our national pride, our flower area. We will drive through the stratified fields of daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips of every colour. You will be in the fields taking the best pictures, up close and without people walking through your camera frame.
The highlight of this beautiful area is the exquisite floral garden of the “Keukenhof”, our famous landscaped flower park, where you will see truly spectacular display of Spring flowers. The park is mostly dominated by tulips, but you will also find daff odils, hyacinths and an amazing show of orchids. Inside, the pavilions have exhibitions and theme shows.
There is a great variety of food and drinks available, but the best part are the flowers in combination with the gorgeous landscaping. If you were thinking of buying some bulbs for your own garden, it is best to buy them here because they are top quality and can be sent to you just before planting time. You don’t need to carry them around all the time. After this we will drive slowly back through the fields for a last glimpse before going back to the hotel.
Duration: 4 hours
Volendam is a popular place in the Netherlands, well-known for its old fishing boats and the traditional clothing still worn by some residents. As a result of its completely secluded location, this village preserved its character for six centuries, also because of the tough vitality of the fishermen.
The characteristic small houses, which together with the canals and the drawbridges form the most picturesque spots, present the visitor an atmosphere of geniality and romance. The women’s costume of Volendam, with its high, pointed bonnet, is one of the most recognizable of the Dutch traditional costumes, and is often featured on tourist postcards and posters.
Volendam also features a small museum about its history and clothing style, and visitors can have their pictures taken in traditional Dutch costumes.
Visit the windmill village
Duration: 4 hours
With three still working windmills and a small typical Dutch 40 house community made of green timber. The village is located on the banks of the river the Zaan where you can still see and admire the old way of wind-power to grind grain, spices and artist’s colour. Enjoy the feeling of the wind in your face of the sails when you climb to the top of the windmill. Stroll through this part of the polder, with the small canals. See the making of the old hand made Zaanse chairclogs, have a look in a cheese-farm or a wooden shoe factory.
Visit the Flower Auction in Aalsmeer
Duration: 3 hours
The Flower Auction in Aalsmeer beside the Airport Schiphol is the biggest in the world. Thousands of flowers are daily flown in and out from all over the world and auctioned in the early morning. When visiting the “flower auction“ you will be amazed by the sea of colours passing by to be auctioned.
Come and enjoy the real Dutch countryside
Duration: 6 hours
Come with us on a fascinating trip towards the north. Let us show you how our reclaimed land looks and our constant battle against rising water. Visit with us the beautiful hidden “Broek in Waterland” where in the 17th century a part of the famous V.O.C. fleet was docked. Wander with us through the streets of this real-life open air museum. Meet the spirit of “Neeltje Pater”, the former mayor’s daughter and her fabulous wealth obtained in the overseas spice trade. Then on to see and taste how famous succulent cheeses are made by hand.
See how our favourite working shoe “The Wooden Clog” brought to us by the Romans is hand shaped from a block of wood into a wearable piece of footwear. See the quaint little villages around the IJsselmeer(former Zuiderzee) like “Monnickendam” and the former fisherman’s village of “Volendam” where we might meet some old locals who still wear tradional fishing costumes.
A nice stroll along the scenic boulevard will be hard to resist. A special treat along to way is “Edam” world-famous for its cheese. Let us show you the highlights of this medieval city which is fully restored to its original splendour. And finally we will take you to the “Zaanse Schans”, our famous open-air windmill museum with three working windmills and a small typical Dutch 40 house community made of green timber. The village is located on the banks of the river the “Zaan” where you can still see and admire the old use of wind-power to grind grain, spices and artist’s colour. Enjoy the feeling of the wind when you climb to the top of the windmill. Make sure your camera is ready for action because on this trip you will have many changes for some unforgettable photo souvenirs.
Come and Experience the Old Masters and the Dutch History
Duration: 8 hours
Visit with us ”The Hague” (about an hour from Amsterdam) and discover this beautiful and interesting city, famous for its International Court of Justice, donated by Andrew Carnegie, the well-known American philanthropist. Let us show you around the scenic city centre, where we find our seat of government, and right beside it the Mauritshuis, one of our state museums. This is home of the famous Vermeer painting “Girl with a “Pearl Earring”, and many other old Dutch masters. See with your own eyes how these painters were able to paint with ”natural light”.
And of course there is the Peace Palace, that famous International Court of Justice, our King’s working palace, Noordeinde Palace, the embassies, the upmarket shopping area, and much more. To top that all, we will take you to ”Madurodam”, our miniature city, where you will find all our significant buildings and structures on a small scale. It was built in memory of the resistance hero ”George Maduro”. This is always a treat for the young and old. Then it is on to Scheveningen, Holland’s most flamboyant beach-resort, where it’s nice to stroll along the lively boulevard. Maybe we can persuade you to try one of our traditional snacks, the Dutch herring, a slightly salted delicacy from our own North Sea. As these herrings are brought into our country through the fishing harbour in Scheveningen, this is the best place to try them. There are some excellent places for lunch, especially if you are a fresh fish lover.
From there we go to Delft, world famous for its blue pottery and birthplace of Johannes Vermeer. We will visit one of the factories of the Delftware where you can see how these amazing designs are still traditionally hand-painted before going into the blazing kiln. Then its time to see the old city of Delft, with its unique market square, dominated by the New Church, which holds the tomb chamber of our royal family, and the beautiful solid marble grave of ”William of Orange”. If you are up for it, you can climb its 356 stairs to one of the most spectacular views of the surrounding area. After all this we will drive you in comfort back to your hotel.
Join us on a less touristic flower / windmill tour in our country side
Duration: 6 hours
You will visit the amazing flower fields where you can make lots of photo’s without having to wait in line. Walking around you will not believe your eyes and won’t forget
the smells of our Dutch pride.
The Netherlands are very famous for their water management. We will show you how the people still live beneath water level.
Visit 1 of the 11 still remaining working watermills in Schermerhorn, you can see it from top to bottom. A unique piece of water management from the Golden Age
with the history of the reclamation.
This experience will be unforgettable for everyone. We will make sure of that.
The Veluwe nature park and Kröller-Müller Museum
Duration: 8 hours
These quaint villages were depicted often by the Haagse School of painters, like Breitner, Israel and Mauve. This time we drive east of Amsterdam towards the Kröller Müller Museum set within Netherland’s largest nature reserve, the Veluwe. Here we might encounter some deer or maybe even some wild boar. The museum is located in a unique environment and was a gift to the Dutch people. The collection is large and unique, well appreciated by art- connoisseurs from all over the globe. The large Van Gogh collection is particularly impressive. Get face to face with the famous Potato-Eaters and many more. After having a relaxing stroll through the modern sculpture garden or perhaps take one of the many available bicycles to discover this beautiful area in more detail. We will also show you the amazing hunting lodge, “Hubertus”, hidden on the premises.
Visit Bruges with us, a well spend day
Duration: 10 hours
Let’s go back to medieval times. Come with us on a 3 hour drive to this former European central market place, dating from the 14th century. Enjoy the scenic drive into Belgium, a former part of The Netherlands. Admire the changing landscapes and the picturesque little villages along the way and enjoy the peaceful tranquillity of the Flanders fields.
Well rested, we will arrive in medieval Bruges where the defensive walls and ancient city gates welcome us from afar. As Bruges is truly a walking city, we will leave the car behind and continue our journey on foot. Let us show you the enchanting highlights of this charming, fully restored medieval city, or alternatively, if you choose to go by yourself, we will show you exactly where to visit and how to get there.
While walking around this beautiful old town, its wealth becomes evident, with the impressive market square and little shopping streets where the faint bouquet of chocolate arouses your senses. It is also known for its unique museums, where you can find the only Sculpture of Michelangelo outside of Italy. This marble sculpture, “Lady Madonna with Child” is on display at the “Church of Our Lady” hard to miss because it has one of the highest gothic brick towers in the world which at 120 metres stands majestically above the town. Maybe have a welcome break in between to try one of the hundreds of delicious locally brewed beers in one of the many charming pubs. Or maybe you would like to browse in one of the many charming lace-shops which you will find scattered all over this ancient place. Bruggians will proudly show you the ins and outs of the old preserved craft of lace-making.
A canal tour with one of the specially designed boats will give you a much better insight in past and present and is also a pleasant way to work up an appetite. Bruges is a great place to get some original and tasteful souvenirs which will be greatly appreciated by your friends and family. After all this it’s time to leave those hospitable Belgians behind and commence the journey back to Amsterdam where you can look back on a well spent day with lots of new experiences, and full of freshly made memories.
The Cheese Market at Alkmaar? Arnhem with it’s Bridge too Far? See Maastricht and the famous burial ground at Margraten; come with us to see the masterpiece of the Delta Works in Zeeland. Give us your ideas and we will put them into practice.
ALKMAAR
So much for tradition. Still, the Alkmaar Cheese Market remains a popular tourist spectacle, And there’s plenty to do in Alkmaar after you’ve watched the cheese porters do their Friday-morning ballet at 10 a.m., from early April to early September.
BRIDGE TOO FAR
After the war a Bailey bridge was erected alongside the remains of the bridge. Because it was so low it was impossible for ships to pass underneath and so a higher Bailey bridge replaced it. The Rijnbridge was rebuilt in exactly the same style of the blown bridge and opened in 1948. The bridge was made famous in 1977 in the film “A Bridge Too Far”. The Arnhem road bridge was officially renamed the John Frostbrug (bridge) on 17 December, 1977.
MARGRATEN / MAASTRICHT
This is a place where the 8.302 valiant American soldiers who are laid to rest in our country at the U.S. Military Cemetery in the Netherlands. These men are not mere names on row after row of similar gravestones. They were young men in the prime of their lives, all wonderful and unique Americans whose hopes and dreams for the future would never be fulfilled. They answered the call of duty and gave more than was expected of them. Therefore they deserve the everlasting gratitude of all people who enjoy the freedom for which they gave their lives.
ANTWERP
And the bitterly-won tranquillity of Flanders, the beating heart of Belgium. A two hour drive to the mighty port-city of Antwerp and its Market Square and Cathedral.
BRUSSELS
Come to see the Belgium City of Brussels with its Royal Palace, European Commission Headquarters and as always ther is time to shop or simply enjoy a stroll.
THE DELTA WORKS
For the past 2000 years, the inhabitants of the Netherlands have often had to cope with flood disasters. The name ‘Netherlands’ gives a clue to the problem: ‘Nether’ means ‘low’. It literally means ‘The Low Countries’. When a storm develops and the wind stirs up the waves, the Dutch coastal area can become flooded. The last time this happened on a large scale was just over fifty years ago. Almost 2000 people died following the flood disaster of 1953. Twenty days after the flood of 1953, the Delta commission was inaugurated. The building of the ‘Delta Works’ was such an enormous project, that it was sometimes referred to as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ and not without good reason. If you are interested let us know and we will make your day one you will never forget.
In case you want to spent more time at one of the tours, extra hours can be added. Cost of attractions are not included.
