Netherlands 4-Day Itinerary (Part 2: Zaandam & Utrecht)
Without further ado, welcome to Part 2 of our Netherlands itinerary! In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of our Netherlands Itinerary covering our first two days in Amsterdam.
We’re going to dive right into the two day trips we took from Amsterdam to Zaandam and Utrecht during our quick visit to the Netherlands in November 2021. If you’re interested in learning more about how we planned this trip with COVID restrictions, check out our planning blog.
Netherlands Itinerary (Part 2 - Day Trips from Amsterdam)
The Brief - Trip Highlights:
Day 3 -Zaandam & Amsterdam Noord: Kissing Couple XXXL, Ferry to Zaandam, Inntel Hotel Zaandam, Lagom Grand Cafe, Zaanse Schans windmills, Brouwerij Hoop, Walhalla Brewery & Taproom
Day 4 - Utrecht: Train to Utrecht, Stationsplein, De Bijenkorf, Olliebollen, Hoog Catharijne, canals, Dutch raw herring, Tea Guys
Day 3 - Step into a Fairytale - Zaandam: Ferry, Whimsical Architecture & More Beer
One of Adam’s favorite Dutch expressions is “You're not made of sugar.” This means you won't dissolve in the rain, so get on your bike and go somewhere. This day trip was a true test of that saying - we did 26.16 miles of biking in the freezing cold rain.
This day kicked off with another obligatory croissant and a double shot of espresso from Bakkerij Westers at Hotel Jakarta (where we stayed). From there we hopped on our bikes on a scenic windmill-filled ride towards the F20 ferry station (Hempontplein). It was a grey, rainy, cold, yet peaceful venture on a dedicated bike path of red asphalt (one of many).
We made it to Hempontplein (7.17 miles, ~40-minute ride) and were greeted by the Kissing Couple XXXL. This bright landmark is hard to miss, standing about 28 feet tall. We snapped a quick photo and rode our bikes onto the ferry heading to Zaandam.
The ferry ride is free for cyclists and only takes a couple of minutes to cross the river. The ferry operates 24/7, with rides available every 20 minutes. You can check out the live schedule here.
After departing the ferry, we had a 10-minute ride (1.5 miles) to the Zaandam city center. There was a beautiful parking facility that we used to lock up our bikes - parking is free.
Walking through Zaandam is like stepping into a fairytale - it was unreal. The town has a Disney-like feel to it since everything is vibrant green and orange. These wooden houses (an imitation of real Dutch villages) immediately capture your attention.
The most striking building of them all is the iconic Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam. This eclectic canalside structure is made of 70 stacked houses and is 12-stories tall.
We grabbed lunch at Lagom Grand Cafe, a Swedish-inspired cafe. They pride themselves on “Not too much, not too little, just enough!” The highlights of this dining experience included the perfectly pink Spring Sensation organic hot tea, Turkish coffee, a colorful smoked salmon plate, and bitterballen (Dutch meat snack).
We wandered the many stores of Zaandam after our meal and then made our way to the nearby Zaanse Schans neighborhood. This area is known for its historic windmills and artisan workshops with rare handicrafts such as wooden clog carving.
From Zaandam we biked about 30 minutes (4.3 miles) and essentially froze the whole way there. This is where the real “you’re not made of sugar” saying starts coming into play. Even though the rain had mostly stopped, the temperature dropped and our clothes were damp from earlier. Instead of fully exploring Zaanse Schans, we decided to get as good of a view as we could of windmills from afar and prioritized beer and warmth.
Brouwerij Hoop was our official destination from Zaandam and boy it did not disappoint. We were pleasantly surprised to find a table right near a fireplace - a great spot to defrost our fingers and toes. This craft brewery was gorgeous with an industrial vibe. Immediately we ordered a Blood Orange IPA, Chocolate Porter, and an assortment of Dutch snacks including more bitterballen, lumpia (Indonesian spring rolls), and kroketten (dutch croquettes).
After a shared IPA beer flight, we went on another adventure to Amsterdam Noord. This time it was through the Dutch countryside in the dark for an hour and a half (11.53 miles). As you can imagine, it was an extremely unique experience we’ll never forget. Thankfully, because the cycling infrastructure is impeccable, we had no concerns about riding through the evening like this - never in a million years could we say the same about cycling in the United States. This journey led us to (you guessed it) more well-deserved beer.
Walhalla Brewery & Taproom was our final stop of the day before we did the final ferry and bike ride to our hotel (only 15 minutes away - 1.72 miles). This microbrewery’s mission is to “brew the ales of the gods, bold and magical beers, thirst-quenching and pure.” Their branding and can art are fantastic. Their brewery was opened on a crowd-funding campaign, and they have beers named after Zeus, Loki, and Apollo (just to name a few). How can you say no to that? We enjoyed some fresh brews and locally-sourced snacks - dried sausage and nachos (filled with kaas - Dutch cheese).
Day 4 - The City Utopia - Utrecht: Train, More Canals, World’s Largest Bike Parking, Olliebollen
The final day of our trip was dedicated to another adventure from Amsterdam to Utrecht. Since we weren’t sure how quickly we were able to get back into Amsterdam, we decided to return our e-bikes in the morning to Starbikes Rental. The process was seamless from start to finish with this affordable rental company.
We walked over to Amsterdam Centraal to catch a train to Utrecht. There are trains running everywhere, so you can easily get to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK without having to hop on a plane or travel by car.
If you’re planning to take the train, note that there is the ability to choose between a first and second-class ticket. Aside from the price of the ticket, the biggest benefits of first class include the ability to have more space (great given COVID), wider seats, more legroom, and there are private areas.
Now, this may be TMI, but upon arrival to Utrecht Centraal, one of us (who will remain nameless) had to use the bathroom. Something that is different from America, but common in most European countries, is that there are rarely free public restrooms. This bathroom’s entry fee was €.75. Interestingly enough, we learned after our trip that the machine where you pay spits out a coupon valid for use at the station shops worth €.50. So in the future, we could always put that coupon towards a coffee or snack.
We explored the city center filled with intriguing architecture, a rainbow crosswalk, Hoog Catharijne (one of the largest indoor shopping centers in the Netherlands), and the world’s largest bicycle parking facility called Stationsplein. It’s 12 stories tall and has 12,500 parking places.
Remember our Part 1 blog where we saw the stunning holiday lights of De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam? Lucky us, we were able to get inside there in Utrecht. The Dutch equivalent to Macy’s in America was filled with garlands, disco balls, and twinkling lights. They also had an extremely impressive selection of glass ornaments - we picked up a Dutch windmill to commemorate this trip. Each time we’ve traveled abroad around the holidays we always secure a new ornament for our holiday tree.
An obligatory snack stop was made at an Oliebollen stall. The Dutch translation of Oliebollen is “oil balls.” Clearly, they were fantastic. Deep-fried dough filled with apples and topped with powdered sugar.
We strolled amongst the canals and enjoyed the quiet paths. It was peaceful without the hustle and bustle of cars, mopeds, and tourists. The vibrant fall foliage stuck around even in late November. One of the canals we saw was Catharijnesingel. This was the site of a motorway running through the city center from 1973 until 2010 when the city closed the road to restoring the historic canal.
Our lunch location was Visjes, a lovely little fish shop with a wonderful window view of the city for prime people-watching. Finally got our hands on Dutch raw herring sandwiches and the best fish and chips we’ve ever had.
One of the most popular things to do in Utrecht is to see the Dom Tower, but right now it is undergoing required maintenance until 2024. That just means we’ll have to go back to see it in all of its glory.
After more exploring, we decided to head back to the hotel around 3:30pm given the new COVID restrictions about 5pm early closure of non-essential businesses. On our way, we picked up a bubble tea from Tea Guys and caught a train back to Amsterdam.
To close out our experience we gladly spent some time at Hotel Jakarta, our hotel for the trip. The entire place is a sustainable green oasis that was decked out in holiday lights. Their mojitos are incredible and the menu was filled with Dutch and Indonesian foods like beef rendang kroketten, nasi goreng, and Dutch apple pie. A sweet ending to a quick, yet wonderful adventure.
