Zaanse Schans, Alkmaar & Haarlem

Overview

What do you think about when we say Holland? Do we hear you say cheese? Windmills? Flat lands? Polders? Keep them coming!  Because if that is what you like, that is what you are going to get on this brand-new daytrip to a few new locations in the Dutch Province of North-Holland. Today we are going to visit the famous colourful windmills of De Zaanse Schans, the Cheese city Alkmaar and the historic city of Haarlem.

Brace yourself for another daytrip full of new discoveries. Instead of visiting only one specific place, this trip can be compared with our classic Polders and Fishing Villages trip, which travels to another part of North-Holland. Not only will we stop at the above destinations, but we will also drive through some of the most picturesque Dutch landscapes full of polders and windmills.

Due to the corona virus situation, the date of this trip is to be confirmed.
You can now pre-reserve a spot by adding your name to the calendar.

Pictures

The magnificent Zaanse Schans is Holland's second most important area of windmills (after Kinderdijk) | © Anton_Ivanov - Shutterstock

Visit each of the windmills at the Zaanse Schans

The Zaanse Schans also boasts a few smaller museums and gift shops.

Enough picturesque and inspiring opportunities for lovely pictures | © hans engber - Shutterstock

We won't be able to capture the sunset since we visit it during the day | © Luigi Trevisi - Shutterstock

Need new shoes? Try these Dutch quality clogs! | © Katarzyna Mazurowska - Shutterstock

The historic city Alkmaar is one of Holland's most beautiful towns | © Neirfy - Shutterstock

The city hall of Alkmaar | © HildaWeges Photography - Shutterstock

The Tower of De Waar in Alkmaar | © vali.lung - Shutterstock

Also Alkmaar has small canals, like many old Dutch towns | © vali.lung - Shutterstock

And canals also means bridges | © vali.lung - Shutterstock

Aerial view on the cheese market, Alkmaar's main tourist attraction. | © GLF Media - Shutterstock

The Dutch take their cheeses seriously | Ivonne Wierink - © Shutterstock

What a gondola is for Venice is the cheese carrier for Alkmaar. | © Max Topchii - Shutterstock

Any cheese you like | © Tatiana Popova - Shutterstock

Our final main destination of the day will be the city of Haarlem | © Marc Venema - Shutterstock

Another historic town with beautiful buildings | © Neirfy - Shutterstock

The Amsterdamse Poort is one of the city's iconic buildings | Neirfy - Shutterstock

The Sint Bavo church in downtown Haarlem | © mary416 - Shutterstock

The St Bavo Cathedral outside of the city center | by Zairon (own work), via Wikimedia Commons

The Pavillion Welgelegen is a government building | by MRoubos (own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Program

As with any Expat Club trip our schedule is carefully designed so we can optimally see all destinations. Still, unforeseen circumstances, such as traffic jams, may influence our program. This rarely happens, but rest assured your host, our guide, the bus driver and the various destinations in Holland will do their best to give you the best possible experience.

07h00 – Departure Place Schuman
08h00 – Highway stop
11h00 – Royal Delft porcelain factory
12h30 – Lunch in Royal Delft (optional)
13h20 – Walk to boat
13h30 – Canal Cruise (not included if booked after 4 September)
14h30 – Guided tour with visit to Oude Kerk / Nieuwe Kerk
16h00 – Visit to Vermeer Centre (with audio guide if booked after 4 September)
17h30 – End of visit & free time
18h45 – Departure
21h00 – Return Brussels

Destinations

Our first destination today is one of Holland’s most beloved tourist hotspots, the windmills of de Zaanse Schans. Located close to Zaandam Northwest of Amsterdam, “the Zaanse Schans is a residential area in which the 18th and 19th centuries are brought to life. Stroll past the bakery museum and enjoy the smell of fresh cookies, or take a look at the warehouse where clogs are made. You should be sure not to miss the cheese factory, pewter foundry and the various windmills. The Zaanse Schans is a unique part of the Netherlands, full of wooden houses, mills, barns and workshops. Make a cycling or sailing trip, browse the shops or treat yourself at the pancake restaurant. A day out at the Zaanse Schans in North Holland is fun and educational.” (source: www.dezaanseschans.nl).

De Rijp, Graft & Schermerhorn
On our way to our next main destination, we will take one of Holland’s most scenic routes through the historic Beemster polder area. Pumped dry in the early 17^th century, this former lake is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will briefly visit the idyllic former herring fisher’s town of De Rijp.

Alkmaar
The city of Alkmaar was probably founded in the 10^th century but received city rights in 1254. Like many other typical old Dutch cities, such as Leiden and Delft, it has a beautiful centre with canals and canal houses, inner courtyards, churches and lovely shopping opportunities. However, what makes the city really famous for is the traditional cheese market, the largest of the country. During our visit to Alkmaar we will of course also witness the negotiating, trading, weighing and carrying of the cheeses. Needless to say, you will also have the chance to taste some of the best Dutch yellow delights.

Haarlem
Although Haarlem is much smaller than Amsterdam, it is the provincial capital of North Holland. It received city rights in 1245, although it took 25 years before a city wall was erected, parts of which still exist. With a population of 161.000, it is also one of the older cities in the Province.

Haarlem has a beautiful historic city center, with stunning churches, city gates, famous museums, hidden courtyards from bygone times, monuments, shops, restaurants and even the beach is just around the corner. The city is known for the painter Frans Hals, and certainly we will learn more about him during a guided tour.

Lunch

More information follows, but needless to say that we’ll find a great spot for having a good lunch 🙂

Transportation

We will be travelling with a comfortable 4* luxury coach from Lauwers Reizen. The seats are configured in Princess Class, which means you will have extra leg space and can recline your seat. This way you can get some extra rest. All seats have footrests as well. There is a (small) toilet on-board and a DVD system with three flat screens, so we can show you a nice movie or documentary outbound and/or inbound journey.