Small-Group Holland Tour from Amsterdam: Cheese Farm, Zuiderzeemuseum and Canal Cruise

Visit Alida Hoeve cheese farm near Volendam, learn of Holland’s fishing heritage at Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen, and then enjoy an Amsterdam canal cruise on an exciting full-day tour! In a small group, learn all about Holland’s two famous cheeses – Edam and Gouda – and see traditional clogs made during a crafts demonstration. Head to Zuiderzeemuseum, exploring its reconstructed fishing village with a guide and sampling smoked fish, and then finish the day with a must-do Amsterdam canal sightseeing cruise.

Numbers are limited to 16 on this small-group tour, ensuring you’ll see everything with personalized attention from a guide. Leave your central Amsterdam hotel by luxury minibus and travel for roughly half an hour to a Dutch cheese farm, just outside the town of Volendam, called Alida Hoeve, where the world-famous Edam and Gouda cheeses are made. Dressed in typical Volendam folk dress, the team at the farm will show you around on a tour, talking about their cheeses and the farm’s history. Sit down for a cheese-tasting session, and then learn about the farm’s other craft: clog making! Watch a demonstration and then hop back aboard your minibus.

Travel north to the coastal village of Enkhuizen, and then board a boat for your 10-minute ride across the bay to Zuiderzeemuseum – a unique indoor-and-outdoor museum that documents the area’s maritime history and cultural heritage. Explore indoors at leisure, seeing artifacts like regional dresses, and then head outside for a guided tour. Set up to resemble an authentic Zuiderzee fishing village, the outdoor area contains a church, several houses, village shops, and even a smokehouse – where you can sample traditional smoked fish if you wish.

At the end of your museum tour, enjoy a break to take lunch (own expense) and look around further at your own pace. Zuiderzeemuseum has two cafés, a self-service restaurant and chip stands, so there’s a large selection of food for you to choose from!

Meet your guide at a pre-arranged point, and then hop back on board your coach for your journey back to Amsterdam. Your day then finishes with a canal cruise (lasting an hour and 15 minutes) around the city, passing many of Amsterdam’s A-list sites. Float past attractions like Rembrandt House and the Anne Frank House, before finishing your ride in Stadhouderskade, central Amsterdam.