Photo: Laurens R. Krol
Shore Excursions from Amsterdam and IJmuiden
For cruise passengers docking in Amsterdam or IJmuiden. We meet you at the terminal, spend the whole day wherever you choose — windmills, fishing villages, the tulip fields, Amsterdam itself — and have you back at the ship at least an hour before all-aboard.
5.0 on Google 7 reviews- Whole day
- Up to 8 passengers
- Mercedes sedan, V-Class or Vito
Tour highlights
- Met at the cruise terminal — Amsterdam or IJmuiden
- Back at the ship at least an hour before all-aboard
- You choose where to go, with a fixed price for each destination
- Windmills, cheese towns and old fishing villages
- Keukenhof's tulips in spring, Giethoorn on a long port day
- One driver and one vehicle, all day
Where we can take you
Every price is for the whole minivan for the whole day — the first figure for one to four passengers, the second for five to eight.
From the Amsterdam terminal you are already in the city, so a day in Amsterdam only makes sense from IJmuiden.
From the Amsterdam terminal you are already in the city, so a day in Amsterdam only makes sense from IJmuiden.
A day off the ship, without the coach
Most cruise passengers see the Netherlands from a coach seat, on the cruise line’s schedule, with forty other people. This is the same countryside — windmills, cheese towns, fishing villages, the tulip fields — from a private minivan that waits for you, with one driver who knows where the ship is and when it sails.
Depending on your ship, you dock either at the Passenger Terminal in Amsterdam itself or at IJmuiden on the North Sea coast, half an hour west. It makes no difference to the day: your driver is at the terminal when you come off, and the minivan is yours until you are back on board.
How the classic day runs
Zaanse Schans first, while it is still quiet: working windmills along the river, a carver turning a block of poplar into a wooden shoe, and a cheese farm with a tasting, paid on the day.
Edam next — the town that named the cheese, and far calmer than its fame suggests. On Wednesday mornings in July and August it usually holds its traditional cheese market. Then Volendam for lunch on the harbour front, and Marken, the old island village of black timber houses that was only joined to the mainland by a causeway in the 1950s.
Amsterdam last, or first if your ship is moored there: the canal ring and Dam Square on foot, or a museum if you have booked one.
Built backwards from all-aboard
A port day has a hard end, and everything else follows from it. We start from your all-aboard time, take an hour off for the return, and fit the stops into what is left — leaving the last one by 18:30 at the latest. If the ship gives you less time, the day gets shorter: we drop a stop, not the safety margin.
Docking in Rotterdam instead? We run shore excursions from Rotterdam too — Kinderdijk, Delft and The Hague are all close to that terminal.
Where is it?
Photos
Your day
- 08:30
Met at the cruise terminal
Your driver is waiting outside the terminal when you come off the ship. This is the classic day, timed for a ship that docks at eight and sails at half past five — every other destination on this page runs the same way.
- 09:00
Zaanse Schans
The windmill row along the river Zaan, a clog workshop and a cheese farm. About an hour, early enough to beat most of the coaches.
- 10:30
Edam
The town that gave the cheese its name. Drawbridges, quiet canals and the old cheese weigh house — half an hour on foot is plenty.
- 11:15
Volendam and lunch
The painted harbour front five minutes down the road. Herring from a stall or a sit-down lunch looking at the boats.
- 12:45
Marken
Over the causeway to the old island village of black timber houses. Quieter than Volendam, and a short walk round.
- 13:45
Amsterdam
An hour and a half in the city: the canal ring and Dam Square, or a museum if you have booked one. You choose before we arrive.
- 15:30
Back to the ship
Dropped at your terminal at least an hour before all-aboard, with time to spare rather than a race to the gangway.
What's included
- Private Mercedes V-Class or Vito minivan for the whole day
- Pick-up and drop-off at your cruise terminal, Amsterdam or IJmuiden
- Back at your ship at least one hour before all-aboard
- The whole day — we leave the last stop by 18:30 at the latest
- English-speaking driver who stays with you all day
- Fuel, tolls and all parking
- Bottled water and free child seats
Not included
- Museum and attraction tickets
- Food and drinks
Can be added
A museum instead of a village
Want the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum? Book a timed ticket before you sail and we will build the day around it, usually by shortening Edam or Marken.
Tickets paid by you
Traditional costume photograph in Volendam
Full Dutch dress and a printed portrait. Touristy, and worth it.
Paid at the studio
Local guide at the destination
A local guide meets you at the destination and walks your group round for an hour and a half. Request it in advance — it depends on a guide being free that day — and tell us which language you would like. We will let you know whether both are possible.
€199 for 1.5 hours, whole group
Frequently asked questions
Our ship docks in Amsterdam, not IJmuiden. Is it the same?
Same destinations, same driver, same day. From the Amsterdam terminal you pay our normal tour price. IJmuiden is about half an hour's drive further out each way, so from there it is €50 more.
How do you make sure we get back to the ship on time?
The whole day is planned backwards from your all-aboard time, and you are back at the terminal at least an hour before it. Tell us the ship's name and its times when you book, and the plan is built around them.
Will the ship wait for us if we are late?
No — ships do not wait for private tours, only for their own excursions. That is exactly why we keep a full hour in hand rather than cutting it fine.
How long is the day?
All day. We stay with you until you are ready to head back, leave the last stop by 18:30 at the latest, and always early enough to have you at the ship an hour before all-aboard — whichever comes first.
Which destinations need a long port day?
Giethoorn, Efteling and Burgers' Zoo are each well over an hour's drive away. They only work when your ship is in port for a long day. Send us the ship's times and we will tell you honestly whether there is enough of the day left once you get there.
Can we go to Bruges or the Roermond outlet?
Not on a port day. Both are two hours or more each way, which leaves too little time there and too little margin for the ship. They work well as full days from Amsterdam if you stay on before or after your cruise.
Can we fit in the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum?
Yes, if you book timed tickets before you sail — both sell out, the Van Gogh Museum especially. A museum takes an hour and a half or more, so something else gets shorter, usually Edam or Marken.
Can we change the stops?
Yes. It is your vehicle for the day. Tell your driver what matters to you when you meet, and the day is rebuilt around it — within the time your ship gives you.
It is our last day and we are leaving the ship. Can you take us on to Schiphol?
Message us on WhatsApp with your flight time and how much luggage you have, and we will tell you what fits and what it costs before you commit to anything.
Other day trips
Shore excursions — Rotterdam
For cruise passengers docking in Rotterdam. We meet you at the terminal, spend the whole day wherever you choose — the windmills of Kinderdijk, Delft, The Hague, Gouda, the tulip fields — and have you back at the ship at least an hour before all-aboard.
Volendam & Monnickendam
Two old fishing harbours on the water, half an hour from Amsterdam. Fresh herring on the quay, painted wooden houses, and the quieter town most visitors drive straight past.
Efteling
The Netherlands' own theme park, older than Disneyland and stranger in the best way. Fairy tales in a real wood, serious roller coasters, and a driver who takes you door to door instead of two trains and a bus.