During our stay in Amsterdam, we made use of one more offer of the I amsterdam card. For 10€, you can get the Amsterdam & Region card, which gives you access to public transport in Amsterdam and the surrounding area for 24 hours. On the back of the map that comes with the I amsterdam card, you can find 4 destinations, 2 of them accessible with this ticket: Zaanse Schaans and Volendam (which also includes Marken).

Zaanse Schaans

Zaanse Schaans is located in the north-west of Amsterdam, it can be reached from Amsterdam Centraal with bus number 891.
From the bus stop, you can reach the scenic area with many windmills in about 15 minutes.

Make sure to walk in the direction of the platform behind the parking lot for a first panorama!

Zaanse Schaans is a small, traditional dutch village. There are some nice restaurants and an old Albert Heijns which is worth taking a look at but at the same time it seems a little touristic.

From the Zaans you can eventually see the big panorama with the windmills. In summer, the pier (with the yacht in this picture) is a good place to get a refreshment in the river.

Visiting one of the many windmills is a must during your stay here. All of these windmills were built to produce different things like wood in the saw mill or chalk in the paint mill that we visited.

Volendam and Marken

Volendam is a small town at the Ijsselmeer, about 45 minutes away from Amsterdam. You can either go there from the central station or -if you combine both places – with a bus from Zaanse Schaans. Please note, that this busline is a pilot and therefore currently not included in the Amsterdam and region ticket.
Volendam is the perfect destination for taking a bath in the Ijselmeer and getting a dinner in one of the many restaurants at the harbor.

Directly at the harbor you can find many restaurants for a nice dinner

There is also a ferry from Volendam to Marken – free of charge for owners of an I Amsterdam card. Since we arrived late in Volendam, we’ve been too late for the last ferry, we therefore only visited Volendam.

Would you leave the town while being in Amsterdam? How would you like the dutch countryside? Feel free to leave a comment, we are happy to discuss!