Touring The Netherlands
Here is a video with some recommendations for a trip to The Netherlands. These recommendations are for flower farmers and their families.
The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museums are at the top of the “rainbow arch” of the city center. You can take a 16 min bus or a 30 min. walk to the Rijksmuseum from Amsterdam Central Station. If you have a rainy day you could easily spend a full day between these two museums, and they are in close proximity to one another. The walk is nice for stretching you legs after a long flight and it’s a good way to start to get a feel for the city. You can typically order same day tickets ahead online. If you are visiting in January for the opening of the National Tulip Festival— this is where the big public display is. (It is no longer in Dam Square).
On your way there or back, you might stop at the canal flower stalls. They are packed with goods and beautiful to see!
Another day trip could include a visit to the Botanical Gardens (Hortus) and Zoo (Artis) — the green markers on the interactive map. They are in close proximity to each other and within walking distance from the city center.
The adorable Amsterdam Tulip Museum and the Anne Frank House are in close proximity to one another on the other side of the “rainbow arch”, about a 20 min. walk from Amsterdam Central Station. Anne Frank House tickets book up 6 week in advance— so be sure to claim your tickets early. You can also catch a Pure Boats tour nearby.
You might also want to build in a trip to the Amsterdam Food Hall during your visit. It is a large market with different kinds of cuisine from all over the world. My family loved checking it out for lunch one day when I was out working in the countryside.
The whole of the country is rather small. The drive from the city center to Keukenhof gardens in Lisse is about 35 mins. southwest of Amsterdam. Just about any drive through the Dutch country side affords picturesque views of farms and canals. You can also visit the tulip fields at The Tulip Barn when you’re in this area (seasonal).
Northwest of the city is an outdoor history museum of “typical Dutch” buildings and windmills collected from around the country called the Zaanse Schans. It’s a sweet way to get a feel for 17th and 18th century Holland and to see some old fashioned windmills and traditional structures up close.
And then I recommend drivng a little further northwest to do the CoasTulip Experince. It’s great for visitors who love flower farming. This program is a guided tour of the family-owned farms that make up the CoasTulip collection. CoastTulip is known for some of the highest quality cut flower tulips in the industry.
To visit the Aalsmeer flower market: You can take the train from central Amsterdam back to the Schipol Airport. From there you can grab a taxi. There is no direct bus route at this time. And taking buses requires a transfer with walking between stops. I don’t recommend it.
You can also drive to the market. Park for free on roof of the parking garage near the white entrance and follow the signs for “tourist.” Go down the stairs/elevator to the ground floor and look for the visitor’s entrance. The cost is 8 euros.
Be sure to arrive early. The market is alive from 7am-11am. It closes early on Thursdays at 9am. The earlier you arrive, the more you’ll see.
Here is the interactive travel map with all of the points I’ve referenced on it. You can also view the map in a larger format here.