After a few days in this vibrant city, usually next on the list would be a day trip to Rotterdam, the Keukenhof flower garden or The Hague.

But staying in Amsterdam offers a variety of other day trips for Cheapos. Escape the crowds and mainstream sites by trying one of these five other options just a bike or train ride away.

Our favorite Amsterdam day trips

Haarlem

The original town where New York City’s Harlem gets its name from is a quaint and cute Dutch city. A day can easily be spent wandering the old streets and canals of Haarlem that date back to the 1600s.

Admiring Grote Kerk square with a coffee on a terrace is a must. Corrie Ten Boomhouse is where a family hid hundreds of Jews during World War II. Today, the house is a free museum with a 1940s feel that captures an important moment in Haarlem history. It also rarely has a wait (unlike the Anne Frank House). The Jopenkerk is a popular microbrewery inside an old church. Out-of-towners also come for live music at the Patronaat concert hall. Shopaholics love Haarlem for the endless dress boutiques and department stores, while foodies can appreciate the casual dining from organic vegetarian to Indian and Japanese.

Getting there: Trains from Amsterdam Centraal Station leave a few times an hour. The trip is about 20 minutes one way and a roundtrip ticket costs around €5-€9.

Related: A guide to visiting Haarlem on a budget

Bicycle Trip to Volendam

Vollendam is a tiny place off the coast of the Islomeer lake with an adorable sailboat harbor. You can get there by an hour bike ride through the Dutch countryside with a couple of cheese farms and clog shops open to visit along the way. The small-town strip is dotted with souvenir shops, fried fish stands, ice cream parlors and authentic brown cafes.

Artists like Picasso and Renoir liked hanging out here, and nowadays it feels like a lazy Dutch seaside town. The traditional garb of bonnets and striped vests are usually spotted on a few locals, with a couple of dress-up photo shops in business as well. There is also a ferry here that goes to the Marken peninsula — a somewhat forgotten fishing village with traditional wooden houses and adorable lighthouse.

Getting there: Take the Amsterdam Central ferry across the Ij River to Amsterdam Noord. From there, follow bike path signs to Broek in Waterland (the original town Brooklyn is named after) and continue north to Monnickendam and then Northeast to Volendam. The green bike signs mean scenic, the red ones mean quickest. It takes about an hour each way. Want to bus it? Take number 316 from the north side of Amsterdam Centraal and get off at Katwoude, Hotel Volendam. The trip takes about 25 minutes, and a roundtrip ticket costs €6-€8.

Zaanse Schans is a quaint district of Zandaam with a museum and windmills. Photo: Bert K

Zandaam and Zaanse Schans

The town of Zandaam is famous for its scenic collection of six historic windmills, clusters houses and water landscapes. The windmills at Zaanse Schans here are leftover from its 17th-century heydays as a major milling area for oil, saw, dye and mustard. Most windmills are still open to the public, and some still sell what they make.

The village looks like it never left the 1600s. There is an old Albert Hein market (the major grocer of Amsterdam), a clog factory and a cheesemaker. Tourist buses love to drag visitors on board a day trip, but just go on your own to absorb the historic feel of Zandaam and its surroundings. It’s easier to dodge the crowds that way. Try to catch a boat tour on the Zaan river, it’s a €12 ride running April to September and a great sightseeing perk.

Getting there: The trip is an hour bike ride each way, but it’s best to have a map for the loopy turns. Otherwise, local trains (aka Sprinter) going to Alkmaar from Amsterdam Centraal Station stop at Koog-Zaandijk are about a 35-minute ride. Hop off there and walk along the “dijk” towards the windmills (about 10 minutes). The cost of the train is about €19.50 roundtrip. You can also get there if you purchase an Amsterdam & Region Day Ticket.

The gorgeous Castle De Haar is straight out of a fairy tale. Photo: Ryan Beck

Dutch Castle: Den Haar

One of the best perks about visiting Europe is all of the castles, and the Benelux region is full of them. Just outside of Utrecht is Castle De Haar, a beautiful place open for viewing and hanging around the lush gardens. The oldest parts of the foundation are from the early 1500s, but most of the castle you see today was built in the 1890s by the same architect who designed Amsterdam Centraal Station and the Rijksmuseum. The exterior is a beautiful garden of flowers and trees between a moat and small canal ways. Guided one-hour tours are the only way to see the inside. The Dutch family who owns this property have wined and dined celebrities such as Brigitte Bardot and Roger Moore during their heyday.

Castle details: The gardens are open daily 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., while the castle is open Mon.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. An adult ticket is €20, but if you just want to admire the castle from the outside and wander the gardens, it’s only €8. More info at www.kasteeldehaar.nl

Getting there: Take a train from Amsterdam Centraal to Utrecht Central Station, and change trains to catch the Sprinter to Vleuten on platform 18 (train destination: Den Haag Centraal, not the intercity, but the sprinter). At Vleuten take bus 127 to Kockengen and get off at the ‘Brink’ bus stop in Haarzuilens. From Monday to Saturday the bus departs every hour, on Sundays every two hours (from 12 noon on). It is a 15-minute walk to the castle from the bus stop. It’s about a 60-minute trip in total and the travel costs are about €20 roundtrip.

Only 30 minutes from Amsterdam, Utrecht is well worth the visit. Photo: Olivia Notter

Utrecht

A student town with a healthy dose of canals, cafes and character, a day trip to Utrecht offers a look into life in Holland that’s laid-back and breezy. One of the most unique sights in Utrecht is the old wharfs along the main Oudegracht canal that have been transformed into cafes wither waterside terraces. People come here to wander around the old city center and take a look at the big Dom Church that was destroyed by a storm in the 1600s. It also has budget hotel options if you want to stay outside of Amsterdam.

At night, the cafes bring out the dinner menus with Dutch classics like fish and steak tartar. Check the music listings at Tivoli too, a five-room concert venue that pulls in impressive and popular acts of all genres.

Getting There: Take a train from Amsterdam Centraal to Utrecht Central Station. It’s about a 20-minute train ride and the cost is about €21 roundtrip.

The post Amsterdam: 5 easy and affordable day trips appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

It also makes an excellent destination for budget travelers. It has historic streets galore, impressive Gothic architecture, and plenty of free attractions to keep you busy. Plus, if you have the Amsterdam City Card, entry to a few Haarlem museums are now included. There are also lots of affordable restaurants and tons of fun shopping options.

Best of all, adorable and quaint Haarlem is just a 20-minute train ride from Amsterdam Central station, making it an easy day trip, overnight, or affordable home base for those visiting Amsterdam by day. Some tourists just come for its lower-priced hotels and quiet vibe, then commute by train into “the city” in the morning and evening.

Getting there

The train from Amsterdam Central station is the simplest way to Haarlem, with frequent trips every 10 or 15 minutes. Round-trip tickets cost about €8.20.

Beach Tip: For an extra special getaway, buy a round-trip from Amsterdam to Zandvoort aan Zee for €10.80. This North Sea beach destination is a mere 10 minutes more from Haarlem. Trains go either direct from Amsterdam Central, or include a change in Haarlem. Spend a day in the two areas by starting with a morning beach session and ending with an evening around town. If plans change on the fly, bus No. 81 rides from Haarlem Central to Zandvoort aan Zee in half an hour for about €3.

Related: Pros and cons of the Amsterdam & Region Day Ticket

Catch a ride into town (or just rent your own!). Photo: chelmsfordblue

Things to do in Haarlem

Getting to Haarlem’s center is a 10-minute walk from the station. Exit the bus station side (look for the Starbucks), and head down either Kruisweg or Jansstraat. Either choice spits you right out at the Grote Markt.

Strolling the historic streets and gardens

Jansstraat is lined with enough impressive 17th- and 18th-century homes and buildings to be deemed one of the city’s historic streets. Be sure to check out the 12th-century Janskerk (Jansstraat 40) and St. Barbara women’s hospital, which dates from the 1430s (Jansstraat 54).

Additionally, Bakenessergracht and Spaarne, which run along the river toward the Adriaan Windmill, are two more notable historic streets that are worth a wander. Throughout the city you’ll notice small courtyards around private houses and old buildings. There are “hofjes”, or small gardens, and are open to the public for free to peruse and admire the peaceful vibe and greenery.

Kruisweg is a shopping street full of bakeries and boutiques. Grab some fries at the organic potato shack Friethoes (Kruisweg 43).

Corrie Ten Boom house (free)

Most notably, Kruisweg leads to the home of the Corrie Ten Boom House – a family that helped hide and protect more than 800 Jews during the Nazi Occupation, until they were betrayed in 1944. Named after the family’s only survivor, the home is now a free museum, much like the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, where visitors can walk through the home and hiding areas that resemble its time during the Occupation.

Grote Markt is the center of Haarlem where tourists and locals mix. Photo: zemistor

Main square: Grote Markt

The heart of Haarlem, the central market square (“Grote Markt”), is topped by the massive 15th-century Gothic-style Grote Kerk. It’s only €2 to go inside and admire the soaring stained glass windows, graves in the walls, and the gigantic 18th-century St. Bravo Organ.

This bustling open square is lined with other attractions, including the De Hallen Museum of contemporary art, cafes and restaurants (most featuring “tourist prices”).

The Grote Kerk’s St. Bavo organ is a stunner. Photo: bertknot

Archeological museum (free)

Haarlem’s Archeological Museum is located in the celler of Grote Markt’s 17th-century Vleeshaal (meat hall), and is a small museum exhibiting amazing archeological finds discovered throughout Haarlem, some of which date as far back as the Stone Age (4,000 years ago).

Shopping in Haarlem

Shopping is huge in Haarlem, with dozens of independent shops that range from toy stores to department towers. For fun browsing, try visiting the Grote Market on a Saturday, when the square is overtaken by the farmer’s market or Monday’s clothing market.

The main shopping streets include most of the walkways between Gedeempty Oudegracht and the Spaarne River: Barteljorisstraat, Zijlstraat, Gierstraat and Grote Houtstraat, to name a few. Sales are common (and dangerous!), and most accept credit cards.

Eating and drinking in Haarlem

Looking for a terrace to grab a bite with a view? Try the Botermarkt Square, a quaint alternative to the Grote Market, with slightly cheaper drinks and snacks. It’s also a bit more lively, as the locals prefer the more snug and cozy setting.

Nothing compares to the Jopen microbrewery and restaurant that’s housed in the Jopenkerk church. Choose from more than a dozen beers on tap and bottle, plus feast on snacks like homemade fried bitterballen with homemade mustard that (ordered by the piece, €1 each). The lunch menu is decently-priced; expect a beer and burger for about €10.

Also nearby is Woodstone Pizza and Wine (pizzas around €9), but the real cheapo winners are the authentic Crostino Gelateria, and the massive Albert Hein grocery store with its ready-to-eat salads, sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, and more.

The best sandwich shop hands down is Baguetterie Vlaar, a small nook with fresh cheeses and veggies on soft baguettes starting at €2. The corner department store V&D has a gourmet lunch canteen upstairs on the top floor called La Place (Grote Houtstraat 70). Fruit smoothies, stir fry, salad bar, you name it – all affordable and freshly prepared. To compliment the food, the seating area offers spectacular rooftop views of Haarlem.

Near Grote Markt, Sumo (Riviervismarkt 11) is a well-known Japanese place that offers an all-you-can-eat philosophy. For two hours patrons can stuff their faces with dozens of rolls and Japanese-style tapas, like grilled salmon and shrimp tempura. Lunch starts at €19.50 per person, dinner €24.50, excluding drinks.

Music and nightlife

Going out in Haarlem is a blast for those who enjoy taverns and live gigs. For brown cafes, try the authentic Dutch hotspot In de Uiver just off Grote Markt (Riviervismarkt 13). Belgian beer lovers and pub food goers should try the friendly and atmospheric Café Bruxelles (Lange Wijngaardstraat 16).

Vinos will want to check out the retro chic Vigh (Grote Markt 4), but the glasses start at €5. A top choice for a summer spot on the cheap is the city beach bar and food bungalow De Oerkap (Harmenjansweg 95). A hangout spot with a waterfront view, plus sand and beach chairs for catching sun after work, this is really a local’s bar with a location (literally) on the other side of the train tracks, but it’s worth the trip. Snacks and sandwiches start around €4, and pizza is €10.

The main concert hall is the Patronaat (Zijlsingel 2), a big music hall bringing acts from Pink Martini to Pharcyde and Counting Crows. Next door, the Patronaat café has a smaller stage with local gigs that are more on the pop and jazzy side. For a jazz and blues hangout, musicians and locals hang at the small brown bar and jazz club Café Steils (Smedestraat 21) near Grote Markt.

The family-run Amadeus Hotel is a top pick for budget stays in Haarlem. Photo: Booking.com

Affordable hotels in Haarlem

Compared to pricey Amsterdam, Haarlem offers a great hotel bang for your buck. Several affordable hotels are located right in the middle of town, including the Amadeus Hotel, located directly on Grote Markt, with rates as low as €60. From modern boutiques to charming old-world guesthouses, you can search here to see availability for over 100 Haarlem hotels.

Haarlem also makes a suitable alternative for a home base if the best budget Amsterdam hotels are filled up. Remember, Amsterdam is only 20 minutes away by train!

The post A guide to visiting Haarlem, Netherlands on a budget appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.