Discover the Netherlands
Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Marken
The three places everyone comes to see, driven in the order that means you are never in the middle of a coach party.
The famous route, done at the right times
This is the day most visitors want, and there is nothing wrong with wanting it. Windmills, a fishing harbour, an island village, cheese and clogs. The problem is never the destinations — it is that four hundred other people are doing the same three stops in the same order at the same hours.
We start at 08:30 and reach the windmills before ten. We eat in Volendam while the coach parties are still at Zaanse Schans. We cross to Marken in the early afternoon, once the causeway queue has thinned. By the time you reach the last stop the day has gone quiet again.
The route, with times
Pickup at your hotel
Anywhere in Amsterdam.
Zaanse Schans
Two hours with the working windmills, the clog carver and the cheese farm, most of it before the coaches land.
The drive to Volendam
Thirty-five minutes across the polder, past fields that sit below sea level.
Volendam
The harbour front, the eel stalls and, if you want it, the photograph in traditional dress. Lunch here. An hour and a half.
Marken
Across the causeway to the former island. Green timber houses on artificial mounds, and a lighthouse walk if the weather is good. An hour and a half.
Edam or Broek in Waterland
Your choice, and this is where the private part pays off. Edam for canals and a market square, Broek in Waterland for painted wooden houses and near-total quiet.
Back at your hotel
Door to door.
What is included
- Private Mercedes V-Class and driver for 8 hours
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Amsterdam
- Fuel, tolls, parking and all road costs
- A fourth stop of your choosing in the afternoon
- Child and booster seats on request
What is not included
- Lunch and drinks
- Windmill and museum entry
- The Volendam–Marken ferry, if you want it
- Gratuity
Questions
Why do you drive it in this order?
Most operators go Zaanse Schans, then Volendam, then Marken, arriving at the windmills around ten with everyone else. We start at Zaanse Schans an hour earlier and reach Marken in the early afternoon when the causeway has cleared. Same three places, different traffic.
Is the boat between Volendam and Marken included?
No, and we usually advise against it. The ferry takes 30 minutes each way and runs to a fixed timetable, which costs you more time than the drive. If you specifically want it, say so and we will build the day around the sailing times.
Can we see a cheese market?
Edam holds a historic cheese market on Wednesday mornings in July and August, and Alkmaar runs one on Friday mornings from spring to autumn. Both can be added, but they replace a stop rather than being squeezed in. Ask when you book.
How long are the drives?
Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is 25 minutes, Zaanse Schans to Volendam about 35, Volendam to Marken 15, and Marken back to Amsterdam about 30. Nothing is a long haul.