Holland Off the Beaten Path: 6 Day Itinerary
Six days is where the souvenir-shop version of this trip finally earns its slot. The 5-day spine already covers Zaanse Schans, Haarlem, Marken by bike, Keukenhof, and Kinderdijk; Day 6 goes back out to Volendam, this time by bus and the seasonal ferry, now that you’ve already seen Marken properly on two wheels. The 7-day version adds a slow morning in Broek in Waterland on top of this one.
Book these before you go
- Keukenhof entry , the priority booking if any of your six days fall inside 19 March to 10 May 2026.
- A Zaanse Schans windmill tour for Day 1.
- A Volendam and Marken tour , useful for Day 6 if you’d rather not plan bus 316 and the ferry timetable yourself.
- A base near Amsterdam Centraal , home for all six nights.
| Day | Focus | Travel time from Amsterdam |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Zaanse Schans, at opening | ~16-18 min by train |
| Day 2 | Haarlem | ~15-16 min by train |
| Day 3 | Marken, by bike through Waterland | ~2-2.5 hrs each way, ~20km |
| Day 4 | Keukenhof (in season) or Kinderdijk | ~45 min shuttle, or ~40 min train + ~30 min WaterShuttle |
| Day 5 | Kinderdijk, or a second Zaanse Schans if out of season | ~40 min train + ~30 min WaterShuttle, or ~16-18 min train |
| Day 6 | Volendam, by bus and the seasonal ferry | ~35 min bus, +30 min ferry (late Mar-Oct) |
Day 1: Zaanse Schans, before the buses
An early NS train from Centraal reaches Zaandijk Zaanse Schans in roughly 17 minutes, EUR 4.20 one-way. Go for opening rather than 10:30am; the mills stay quiet for the first half hour. dezaanseschans.nl lists which mills are actually turning that day.
Day 2: Haarlem
Haarlem is 15 to 16 minutes away, roughly EUR 5-6 one-way, the cheapest and fastest trip on this list. Half a day covers the Grote Kerk and the Frans Hals Museum around the Grote Markt.
Day 3: Marken, by bike through Waterland
Rent a bike near Centraal, cross the IJ on the free ferry, and ride the Waterland cycling route north through Durgerdam and Broek in Waterland to Marken, roughly 20km and 2 to 2.5 hours each way. Return by the seasonal Volendam-Marken ferry or cycle back the way you came.
Day 4: Keukenhof or Kinderdijk
If your trip falls inside 19 March to 10 May 2026, book Keukenhof ahead: about EUR 20.50 online, or EUR 35-38.50 for a shuttle-and-entry combo. Confirm hours on keukenhof.nl . Outside that window, use this day for Kinderdijk instead.
Day 5: Kinderdijk, or a second Zaanse Schans
If Day 4 was Keukenhof, spend Day 5 at Kinderdijk, a UNESCO-listed network of 19 windmills , reached via Rotterdam (about 40 minutes) then the Friday-to-Sunday WaterShuttle or the daily Waterbus, entry roughly EUR 18-19.50. If Day 4 was already Kinderdijk, use Day 5 for a slower second Zaanse Schans visit instead, covering the mill interiors and workshops an opening-time first visit skips.
Day 6: Volendam, the trip you’ve already earned
By Day 6 you’ve seen Marken the quiet way, by bike, so Volendam finally earns its slot as a bonus rather than the point of the trip. Bus 316 leaves from behind Centraal roughly every 15 minutes, reaches Volendam in about 35 minutes, EUR 5.80. From late March through October, the Volendam-Marken ferry runs about every 45 minutes, a 30-minute crossing, roughly EUR 16 return; outside that window the ferry doesn’t run, and bus 315 via Monnickendam is the only way back to Marken by road. Buy the Waterland Day Ticket (EUR 12.50) if Edam is also on the day’s route; it covers unlimited regional buses rather than tapping in fresh each leg.
Is Volendam worth a day trip on its own?
Not really, and this itinerary treats it that way on purpose. Volendam alone is a harborfront of near-identical wooden-shoe and cheese-wheel shops. It earns its place here as Day 6, after Marken already has its proper day on Day 3, rather than as the headline stop most bus-and-ferry itineraries make it.
Why do Marken by bike before doing Volendam by bus?
Because arriving at Marken by bike, past Durgerdam and Broek in Waterland, shows the same village without the tour-bus crowd that the direct bus-and-ferry route brings in. Doing Volendam second, once it’s genuinely optional, keeps the souvenir strip from becoming the centerpiece of the trip.
Buy the Waterland Day Ticket the morning you do Day 6, not after you’ve already tapped in once elsewhere; it only pays off if it covers every leg from the start.