Amsterdam – Classic or Alternative!

Enjoy a free visit and tour of the famous Gassan Diamonds factory where you can see the process of diamond cutting and polishing. Museum fans are spoilt for choice with great museums such as Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Anne Franks House. For the energetic, explore this unique city on foot with its famous tree-lined canals and preserved 17th century gabled houses. A number of canal cruise options are available including the usual 75 minute cruise or lunch/dinner cruises.

Had your fill of cheese? Is your cupboard too full of clogs? Do diamonds not sparkle for you anymore? Instead of the typical tourist experience, why not enjoy a visit to Castle Muiderslot, Naarden, and a behind the scenes tour of your chosen theatre, concert hall or opera house?

An excursion to Volendam, a pretty Dutch fishing village north of Amsterdam, where the locals still dress in traditional costume. There are plenty of tourist shops and restaurants (try the local smoked eels!) and the possibility to take a local ferry to the nearby island of Marken. Just a short drive from Amsterdam enjoy a cruise and steam train round trip, with a coastal cruise from Enkhuizen to Medemblik and a steam train journey from Medemblik to Hoorn. Be part of a vibrant and stunning living and working community that dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries at Zaanse Schans. It’s packed with wooden windmills, barns, houses and museums and built in the typically Dutch wooden architectural style, relocated here piece by piece since 1961.

Amsterdam has a number of events in the local area. In Spring time the famous Keukenhof Gardens shows off its fantastic flowers (23rd March – 21st May 2017). Keukenhof is only one hour’s drive from Amsterdam and is a wonderful day out. In the winter Amsterdam hosts its annual Light Festival. From December through January the city is awash with light. Walk or sail alongside light sculptures created by leading artists and beautifully illuminated buildings and bridges.