One advantage of staying in Amsterdam is convenient access to the rest of the province of North Holland. Travelers can choose to visit flower fields, windmills, a castle, or any number of settlements ranging from fishing villages to small, scenic cities. After weighing the options, two destinations made the cut: Muiderslot (AKA Muiden Castle), and Zaanse Schans.
Muiderslot
The town of Muiden, with its population of ~7000, doesn’t warrant a train station, so it requires around 45 minutes, a train, a bus transfer, and a bit of walking to cover less than 15 miles to the castle. The walk goes along the waterfront, with sailboats docked along one side, and a mix of well-kept residences and small businesses on the other. It’s attractive and especially relaxing scenery after spending time in the city center.
The castle is in excellent condition thanks to a thorough renovation at the turn of the 20th century, and that’s led to repeated use as a medieval film set. The original construction dates back to 1370, a time of smaller, simpler structures. As such, it lacks the pizazz of later castles. In comparison to the recent visit to Kasteel de Haar, it was a little underwhelming. Speaking from experience, it’s still large enough for two people to lose each other for a half hour. That could also be due to the lack of a clear path, with options to take more than one staircase or explore in opposite directions on a given floor. Overall, it’s a recommended destination on a sufficiently long trip to the region, but shouldn’t take priority over certain other experiences.
Zaanse Schans
This is actually the name of a neighborhood in Zaandam, adjacent to Zaandijk. The pattern is hard to miss: virtually everything in the area is named after the Zaan river. Zaanse Schans is a popular tourist destination showcasing pieces of Holland’s culture, such as clogs, cheese making, cocoa processing / chocolate, and windmills. It all comes together as a wonderfully entertaining experience that’s not to be missed when visiting Amsterdam.
All Good Things Must Come to an End
After visiting Zaanse Schans on the last afternoon of a month-long journey, there wasn’t much to do before departing early in the morning for the airport. The previous post about Amsterdam already covered the remaining hours, so there’s nothing left to tell. Aside from gathering links to the full collection in a follow-up post, this is it. Thanks for reading!