One Week in Holland: An Offbeat Itinerary
Seven days is the full circuit: everything from the 6-day spine , plus a seventh day spent in the one place every cyclist on Day 3 rides straight past without stopping. Zaanse Schans at opening, Haarlem, Marken by bike, Keukenhof or Kinderdijk, the other of those two, Volendam as an earned bonus, then a slow morning in Broek in Waterland to close it out. If a full week of day trips feels like too much, most of this content also nests into the 5-day and 4-day versions, or see the full gateway guide for how all seven stops compare on paper.
Book these before you go
- Keukenhof entry , the priority booking if any of your seven days fall inside 19 March to 10 May 2026.
- A Zaanse Schans windmill tour for Day 1, or Day 7 if you fancy a second, slower visit instead of Broek in Waterland.
- A Volendam and Marken tour for Day 6.
- A base near Amsterdam Centraal , home for all seven 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 7 | Broek in Waterland, a slow morning by bike | ~20-25 min each way by bike |
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, not the standard 10:30am advice; the mills sit empty for a genuine 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 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 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.
Day 6: Volendam, the trip you’ve already earned
By now you’ve seen Marken the quiet way, so Volendam earns its slot as a bonus. Bus 316 from behind Centraal reaches Volendam in about 35 minutes, EUR 5.80. The Volendam-Marken ferry (late March through October) or bus 315 outside that season covers the connection if you want a second look at Marken from the harbor side. Buy the Waterland Day Ticket (EUR 12.50) if Edam is also on the route.
Day 7: Broek in Waterland, a slow morning
Ride back out over the same free ferry and cycle path from Day 3, but stop this time, rather than pass through. Broek in Waterland is a small green-and-white timber village on the Waterland route that almost every cyclist heading straight for Marken skips without a second look. Spend the morning at its pond-like harbor, have a slow lunch, and ride back into Amsterdam by mid-afternoon; keep the rest of the day open as slack for anything the previous six days didn’t go quite to plan on, a rained-out Keukenhof morning or a missed Kinderdijk WaterShuttle among the likeliest.
Is a seventh day in Broek in Waterland worth it over another big day trip?
Yes, if six days already covered the major stops and what’s missing is a slow morning rather than another packed one. Broek in Waterland rewards stopping, not passing through, and it’s the one place on this entire route that a rushed itinerary structurally cannot include.
What should I drop if I only have six days after all?
Drop Day 7. Zaanse Schans, Haarlem, Marken, Keukenhof or Kinderdijk, the other of those two, and Volendam are the six places this itinerary is actually built around; Days 1 through 6 already cover all of them.
Book the Kinderdijk WaterShuttle for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday specifically; it does not run the rest of the week, and a Tuesday arrival means falling back on the slower Waterbus instead.