A cool day trip and a free boat trip, all from Amsterdam's Centraal Station! And all within 4 HOURS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- As you may know, I had 4 hours in Amsterdam as part of a DFDS 'Mini-Cruise' (my previous video on the channel). This is what I managed to do in that short time. Enjoy the video!
Filmed on Wednesday 8th February 2023.
Hi, I’m Steve, a travel reviewer from Scotland. Join me on my adventures as I discover my own country, often visiting places for the first time, so hopefully it's as much of an eye-opener for you as it is for me! Don't expect expert opinion, just a very honest journey of discovery. Sometimes featuring my intrepid sidekick Alicja, sometimes featuring adventures beyond the borders of Scotland. Enjoy!
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This was a bit of a rushed video as I only had 4 hours in total in Amsterdam, but I certainly continue to learn on my travels and this is a good lesson in reaching a bit beyond the busy city to somewhere that to me feels more authentic. Anyway, hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!
Totally agree on your points Steve me 2 take one them.heautiful wee houses lovley place you visited they do like bikes over there 😀yes great wee video thanks pity you didn't stay longer so you could have enjoyed stay ah well allways next time thanks
Steve, if you ever stay a bit longer in NL i suggest you to go to Terschelling or Texel. It's islands up north.
Totally upto your alley with Ferry, lighthouse, great nature/views, unesco heritage, and possibly combine it with a visit to the historic afsluitdijk or do some mud flat walking (wadlopen in Dutch). It's not uphill for change :)
Last but not least thanks for showing Weesp. Passed it by many times and never felt urged to take a wee stop and explore, but definitely will do that coming months.
I live 5 minutes from Weesp, went to high school there and still do my daily shopping overtheren. Very good you showd the charm of Weesp to the world. It's a nice place to be!
last time i had a 4 hours as well an didn't see much with thanks to ICE trains from Germany - next month im staying for 5 days tour off holland
Let’s give Steve a big round of applause- he just surpassed 50k subscribers.
Thanks so much! Humbled to reach such a dizzying milestone!
👏👏👏👍👍👍
Well deserved dear Steve! Your wee channel is getting better and better!
Yay - deserved 👏👏👏
Very well done, Steve. You deserve it.🫅
I'm watching this on 11 February 2024. Many congrats on over 126k subscribers Steve! Thank you for all your videos! 🙋🇮🇪🏴🙏
Oh! You are making my hart sing, Amsterdam the City were I was born more than 82y ago, and will never be again. Thank you 😍
An absolute pleasure Susan!
Just a tip: Centraal Station in Amsterdam also has a large busstation upstairs with busses leaving every 15 minutes or so some to small towns to the north like Volendam, Edam and Marken in about 20 minutes. These are some really traditional typical Dutch towns on the shores of the IJsselmeer, the big lake that used to be open sea before they costructed all the huge dikes. If you dont feel like the bustle of Amsterdam these towns offer a more layed back experience.
Edam is known for its cheese and its a very old trading town, one of the founding cities of the Dutch Republic back in the 16th century. Volendam is a fishing harbour known for delicacies like smoked eel and kibbeling, basically fried cod but in smaller pieces. On the harbour front youll find many bars and restaurants. Marken is a fomer island now connected to the main land with a dike and the village is so beautifully preserved its almost like an outdoor museum.
And yes, the free ferries are great. My favorite is probably the one to the NDSM wharf. It also departs behind the Centraal Station and it goes to a former shipwharf and industrial area, now the location of big warehouses full with modern art and other weird stuff like a (very expensive) hotel in a harbour crane featuring only 3 rooms. When you are on a budget its a great way to spend half a day or so costing you absolutely nothing and get a bit more of a unique Amsterdam experience.
Fantastic! Thanks so much for enriching the comments section, very useful info for me and other viewers. All the best!
Wee Weesp? Oui! 👍
Yes, one of those beautiful houses on the street with the windmills and a wee red micro car and I would be happy😊. What a scenic place! 😍
Me too Sheila! :D
The Netherlands is probably my favourite country, partly due to the fact that as a railwayman in the UK I get free travel on Dutch state railways (but not on the handful of private operators ). Although they are further away from Amsterdam, Enkhuizen and Harlingen are both well worth a visit.
Oh I'm jealous! I really need to get back over and travel more extensively through this incredible country. And I was thinking of hiring a car initially, but why bother with public transport this good!
@@steve-marsh Unless the car you hired was a Citroen 2CV! But yes you're right about public transport: on the whole it's excellent!
@@steve-marsh they are good, although there are currently strikes in the regional public transport, and they don't do all too well with adverse weather. And a dusting of snow counts as adverse weather, so...
But all trains run at least once every 30', both the slow (Sprinter) and fast (IC) services, in and around the bigger cities often every 15'. One tip: buy your ticket on the website or the app, buying them at the machine will cost you a small fee for the chip card ticket itself. You just scan the QR code to validate/enter the stations. Or you get yourself a smart card, the OV-chipkaart, where you just pay as you go, but that's only interesting if you stay for longer or come more often. Don't forget to check out as well!
@@steve-marsh I'll second the suggestion of Harlingen. We stayed some hours there last time we took the ferry across back in 2002. They had some kind of steam engine show, a whole lot of them standing around along a canal and just puffing away. We also went over the Avsluijtdijk (spelling?) Some day I would like to explore the area, but I'm always in such a hurry to get to Scotland 😉 In all the following years we went on the Eurotunnel instead, but that's another story 😉Next time I'm considering the Stena Line ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich, it's only 5½ hours, which is better for my dog 🐶
@@karlejnarchYour spelling was almost right, it is afsluitdijk 😉
Thanks Steve for your fine comments about our beautiful country and city’s like Weesp
Absolutely gorgeous place, and with public transport like yours, it's amazing what can be done in only 4 hours!
What a beautiful city! That would make a great wee holiday destination. Thank you for exploring all these lovely wee places!
Thanks so much for coming along! The public transport in The Netherlands is just incredible!
Ahhhh... Here we go again, a braw Scottish voice, taking me on a trip I can only dream about !!!
Thanks for all your efforts to entertain us all, and I am looking forward to this video, just as soon as I make a Coffee !!!
Many Thanks !!
Haha enjoy mate! :)
"....and the things I do for you" - The first few I watched were mostly Scottish Rail and really enjoyed 'sofa surfing' along the journey [love travelling by rail in Ireland], but always an enjoyment to travel through Europe and beyond.
These little trips are magic Steve. Cheers.
Cheers Roger!
Weesp looks really lovely. So good that you were able show us such a quintessentially Dutch city!
Cheers Barney. Amazing public transport over there made it possible!
I loved Amsterdam when I visited, such a beautiful city. I spent a week there. What I love about your vlogs Steve is that, unlike so many others, you do things that we "normal" folk can afford to do. On your last video about your mini cruise, I am so like you. When I cruise I always book an inside cabin as it's only a place to sleep & clean up. I would much prefer spending my time wandering around the ship instead of sitting on a balcony. However, to each their own. Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much Curt - and absolutely! The supplement for a window is rarely worth it on a ferry, and whenever I've had one I could barely see out of it anyway, much better up on deck!
I agree with that. We traveled 12,000 miles on an Emirates plane to go on the DFDS ferry. Booked Commodore class (don't tell anyone about it, it is secret) that gets you all free drinks, food, breakfast served in your suite, on a table with a table cloth. 1 double bed one single, a sea view windows. Access to the lounge on the front of the ship. True it did cost about £185 for two, but I certainly got my moneys worth. That wine doesn't drink itself you know. The section of the ship is closed off so virtually no corridor traffic. However if all you want to do is sleep, inside cabins are perfect. Note, you do not get a piano in your cabin. Another note, the yoghurt with breakfast may actually be mayonnaise. Who would put mayonnaise on muesli. Me, and it tastes awful.
I've done IJmuiden-Newcastle and back twice with DFDS as part of a roadtrip through Scotland in 2010 and in 2015. First time we booked a cheap cabin and I felt like I was sleeping in the engineroom. So noisy! I hardly slept all night. Considering I had to drive off the ferry straight into the UK on the "wrong" side of the road I could have really done with a good nights rest... The second time we booked Commodore and I found it worth every cent. Between the comfortable good nights rest, the breakfast served in the room and the Commodore lounge (only on King, Princess doesn't have one) it was great!
Do another, longer Amsterdam and beyond visit! This was a great sample. Amsterdam reminds me of Copenhagen: water everywhere, flat, lots of bicycles! Thanks Steve. 🌞
You are so right! Need at least a week there next time!
Wow what a beautiful mini city within a city. By the looks its the posh place where commuters to Amsterdam live. All those bikes at the train station environmently friendly, puts us scots to shame. Mind we have all the hills. Superb vlog Steve, keep them coming please 👏😍
Aye the hills sure do make cycling less of a pleasure :D
Steve's videos are so interesting because he makes them sound so interesting with a great commentary and also sensible, direct footage that is well edited!
Great job Steve! 👍
Always love to see leaning facades in those old towns. Reminds me that small businesses are really part of our history.
Don't forget, Holland is a swamp, and take that literally. The reason they are leaning is that their foundations are just not strong enough. They piled a lot of long (10-15 m) trees into the ground to fortify the foundations, but after so many years, they start to subside anyways. Or worse, because they're wood, they start to rot. In the mud, they are relatively safe, but when air can get to them, because the water level comes down a bit, they start to rot.
Even new homes, they still have to build foundations like crazy, it's almost as expensive to build the foundations as it is to build the house itself.
Great idea to go out of Amsterdam and see another city. It looks great there. Another nearby city that is very nice and quieter is Haarlem. 15 minutes away by train. My wife and I stayed there a few times. The hotels are much cheaper than Amsterdam so we used just to go to Amsterdam for the day. Will definitely add Weesp to my bucket list. Thanks very much for a very enjoyable and informative video.
Oh Haarlem sound like somewhere I'd like to go too! The public transport over there makes these places so accessible to the city eh?!
@@steve-marsh Yes, such good value, clean and modern trains and usually spot on time too! European countries invest properly in their railways. Just look at the amount of freight still carried and the goods yards that are still operational. Trains are integrated with trams and buses ... I could go on! Big difference between UK and continental railways is that they regard their transport systems as a public service - not businesses where profit for shareholders is the priority. Rant over - sorry! 😅😀
I agree Haarlem is another lovely place to visit
Perfect! A little while out of Amsterdam. You made a good choice in visiting Weesp.
Such a fun day, and nice to be away from the busy city streets!
This video made us very curious about Weesp and so - based on your recommendation we went to visit it and stay there for two nights. It was one of the best decisions we have made this year. Weesp is beautiful. A great place to visit and to stay. Beautiful town. Very walkable. Great cafes and restaurants. A short 25 minute direct train ride from Schipol airport (via the Utrecht sprinter train - SPR). Thanks for the great recommendation Steve. It’s a total gem. If you get a chance you should also check out Dinant in south east Belgium, on the river meuse, close to the Ardennes forest. About 2 hour train journey from Brussels
I am so happy to read this :)
A great little surprise package this video was indeed. You're full of surprises Steve!
Cheers John! The public transport over there is so good, it makes these wee trips possible!
Very artistic, with the Mondrian inspired train interior, to the Van Gogh bridges in Weesp. It really looks a beautiful place, and good to see so many cyclists around. I liked the old Centraal exterior better, and really enjoyed this video. Thanks :)
Thanks Mike! Good spot on the train, I had no idea :D
Hi Steve from Spain. The trams have certainly changed from when we were there last. Amsterdam is certainly a great place to explore either on foot, on a tram or by boat. Enjoy yourself.
Cheers! The public transport in The Netherlands sure made this wee trip easy :)
My Saturday Steve Marsh fix completed. I will be in Scotland for a couple of weeks from next Saturday so I will have a lot of catching up when I return to London.
Have a fantastic trip north mate!
That’s what I love about your Videos. You take us out of the usual high volume Tourist Places. What a beautiful location. It would be so nice to stay there and visit Amsterdam.
Thanks once again 🏴🇦🇺
Thanks Steve once again a lovely video, loved the postman pat car on the ferry, the cafe eaten and drinken 4:54 and the small statue 10:21 just count the number of bikes
Cheers John! Amazing what you can pack into 4 hours when public transport is that good!
You are expanding my travel bucket list by the week! 😊 I love your sense of adventure, and your honesty (sharing the fun & challenges of each journey) encourages all of us to take the plunge and venture out. 😉 Weesp was wonderful.
Thank you SO much Gabriele! Aye, what a wonderful place, so happy with my choice on the day :)
I enjoyed this video of Weesp. Id enjoy strolling through this place on a summers day. Not overcrowded and it looks like a great place to hike around and see the sights!
Certainly worth the short 15 minute journey on the train to Weesp. I think you'll have to go back again and this time with the good lady. I think she'd like it there. Maybe do a wee getaway break to the Netherlands and cover a few towns/cities. They do like their bicycles over there and they all look the same kind of style.
Another great video Steve.
Sound like a great idea Steve, I believe there are a LOT of places like this, and all so easy to get to!
I want one of those little cars! 😮😀😁🙋🏴🇮🇪
Excellently done. You picked a very nice day to visit Weesp. Ideal weather for walking.
I got very lucky with the weather! The public transport is so good there, blown away by it!
👍🏼🎉 What a fun day trip to Amsterdam! I love how you stumbled upon such a charming little city that feels like a smaller version of Amsterdam. The canals, windmills, and old buildings are all so picturesque. And the free ferry ride on the river was a nice bonus! Can't wait for your next video adventure. 🚣♀🏰🌷
Cheers, aye I got lucky to do all this in 4 hours, especially under a perfect blue sky :)
You make the most of life Steve and take advantages of all your trips. Weesp looked like a great place to visit, typically Dutch, as you say, and nice to see windmills. Thanks for taking us along 🥰
Thanks for coming Lynn! :) The public transport over there makes these wee trips so easy!
@@steve-marsh I get that, it makes all the difference. I wish we had better public transport down south and we'd use it more often
Well done Steve another great video Paul in Kent 🎉😊
Cheers Paul! A proper wee gem of a place!
I've been to Weesp and it was an excellent day out. Amsterdam was very busy so it was good to get away from the crowds. I can also recommend Arnhem and Nijmegen.
This would be an ideal please for you and Alicija to visit Steve, an easy week-end getaway and seems a nice, romantic place, I am sure she'd enjoy it.
So true!!! This trip needs to happen!
Lovely Steve
Cheers Paul!
I was in Amsterdam, about 30 years ago, did a tour on a coach from Valkenburgh. Never been so scared - stayed in Dam Square after my boat cruise.
Amsterdam is a lovely place for a visit Steve and I'm glad you love it 😊from Colin in Cardiff
Thanks for taking us to a town that I never heard of !!
Haha me too until this trip! Cheers Michael!
Imaginitive visit 😀
I’m so sorry I never saw this video before my trip to Amsterdam in May. I would have enjoyed my visit far more!
Interesting place,
A Weesper mop is a cookie of almond paste, almonds and sugar. Almond paste with egg yolk and sugar is made into a roll and rolled in sugar. This roll is cut into slices of about three centimeters into round biscuits. This is baked briefly (about 10 minutes) in an oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
What a gem you found Steve and a pity you didn't have more time there. Still you got a free boat trip and that was a bonus.
Aye, definitely need to head back there sometime, so many little places like this dotted around I believe
Loved the restaurant called “eten & drinken”! 🤣👍
Haha yes well spotted! I think we could learn that language eh!?
Another great video Steve. Reminds me of when I lived there for a brief time back in 2007. Loved the place and how different (and better) it was than the UK. Picked up a liking for stroopwafels while there - thankfully Tesco sell them! Congrats on reaching 50k subscribers!
Cheers Colin! Oh and love a stroopwafel!
Brilliant! All the best!
Cheers Bill!
In an attempt to save money on my trip to Amsterdam, I by happenstance stayed in an Airbnb in Weesp. Very cool to see you feature it, it is really lovely town...er, I mean city. I enjoyed it just like you! Bonus was the Airbnb was in a music recording studio and we were encouraged to observe and play the instruments if no one was recording!
Always look forward to your videos, cheers me up.
Thanks Jill! Glad to hear it :)
Excellent Steve
Cheers Daniel!
It’s always good to get off the beaten track a wee bit. I found Amsterdam a bit overwhelming, Delft was just fabulous. Super vid as always.
Oh Delft is on the list too mate, well worth another visit :)
What an awesome trip for east Oregonian in the western US! Thank you!
Thanks for coming along Kathryn!
You’ve helped me feel more connected to the world with your travels! Thank you!
@@steve-marsh Congratulations on surpassing 50K. Hope that means more finances for more travel !
Years ago, I flew to Northern Ireland via Amsterdam. We had about a 5 hour layover. At the time, KLM organized 1/2 day mini bus tours for passengers who were interested. It was great and your video reminded me of that. Great way to give people a taste of the country/city and promote tourism or repeat, more lengthy visits.
Cool place Steve and you got a cracking day to explore👍Nice wee boat trip thrown in also😉
Thanks Rab! Amazed how much you can fit into a short time (all due to public transport being so good!)
another nice trip with Steve:) thanks👍
Glad you enjoyed it tor!
"Or hired a boat" showing a submerged boat. You are hilarious!😂🤣
But man that place is a ghost town but I like it.
Very funny with the cartoon 😅
Was going to mention the cleanliness before you did in the video, the polar opposite of blighty, they certainly know how to keep the streets litter free.
I’ve been to Amsterdam and all over the Netherlands. My next trip I will visit Weesp thanks to you Steve!!👍😀
I really need to explore there more widely, some absolute gems dotted about the place as you will well know!
Cheers Steve very enjoyable to watch 🙂👍
Thanks Trevor!
Great video, gives me something different to do on my next trip to Amsterdam. Safe travel always and best regards to your traveling sidekick Alicja.😘
Awesome Steve, thanks, and me being from the Netherlands
I need to explore more of your awesome country!
Cracking video in another charming city.Thanks for taking us with you again .Stay saf mate, love to Alijcia.
Thanks Bob from us both!
We visited Weesp on your recommendation on our last trip to Amsterdam, it was excellent so thanks for your efforts
Nice video Steve. Lovely Little city you visited, love those little cars must be very fuel efficient.
I wouldn't mind one myself! :)
Holland is a fabulous country , I need to explore it more . Thanks Steve 🙏
Me too for sure mate!
Congratulations Steve ,you deserve it . I've been twice to Holland, really like it , thank you for that great wee look about.
I liked the 2 floor trains , from me in Irvine 🤗
Aye me too! And need to go back, really loved it over there :)
I absolutely loved going to Amsterdam. Would go again any day!
I'd love a free boat ride.
Great video 📸 keep them coming
Cheers mate!!!
Another great little video, and I've got to agree always good to go off track away from the tourist trail
Cheers Stuart! I'll try to keep following that advice :)
I could listen to you and watch you all day long! Appreciate your points of view and humor as well. Lovely scenery, looks like a nice place. You can always go back. Very cool!! Love the windmills. Thanks!
Hey thanks so much Patricia! Really appreciate it :)
Amsterdam was an important stop when I was a young man in our navy.
I believe it ;)
Its a must i love Amsterdam but the little villages are the best i definitely would love to move there one day
Oh totally, and there are so many more of them to visit!
Wonderful inspiration. Just about to come to Utrecht.Thamks🎉
This is just PERFECT - we're going to be in Amsterdam for a few days in mid-Oct. Weesp looks just perfect a day visit. THANKS!
Gotta do it mate! Even if you only have a few hours, the public transport over there is SO good, there are a thousand options! :)
You can even cycle there in under an hour, and check out the nearby towns of Muiden and/or Naarden, which are also very pretty and have nice old castles and fortifications.
@@steve-marsh And ... we just did today. I don't know if you'll ever see this but we spent a good part of today walk-touring Weesp. OH MY GOD it was simply beautiful. I'm a (very very VERY) amateur watercolourist and I honestly took enough photos to keep me busy all winter. Thanks again!
Great video as usual, It's nice to see my own country trough your eyes.
And what a great country!
Looks like there will be a return mini-cruise for both of you. An overnight (or even two) would be just lovely.
So true! Alicja is for sure coming along next time :)
Congratulations on passing the 50.000 subscribers 🎉
Hey thanks so much!!! :)
I really enjoyed this short video Steve. What a lovely place to visit, but the tight timetable would put my nerves on edge.
Haha I was a bit nervous but the awesome public transport they have over there never let me down :)
My wife’s best friend is Dutch, talked us into a trip to The Netherlands. It was amazing. A guy at a pub we were at kept going on a bout a Dutch and Danish idea of good enough. Stayed in mind the entire trip. They do seem so happy maybe he’s right Thanks for the video as always
It appears to be a very underrated Country for us to visit (outside of the centre of Amsterdam anyway) What a place, and what a great public transport system too!
Another excellent, beautifully-produced video.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much!
Thanks for the upload and great to see another Dutch town (ok city) other than Amsterdam. The Netherlands if full of beautiful places like this. I lived 11 years in Amsterdam and Diemen (which is not part of Amsterdam despite being on the metro network) and am ashamed to say I never went to Weesp but I did go to dozens of other places.
When I go to visit NL nowadays I don't even bother with Amsterdam. Last time I had a few days in Dordrecht, lovely quiet little place with a lot of antique shops.
amazing wee city!! such a lovely place indeed, thank you for the trip! And I've enjoyed the beautiful trains and the boat trip too! I must visit Amsterdam sometimes!
Thanks Laura! I was happy with what I managed to do in limited time :)
Steve, the next time I’m in Amsterdam I’ll make sure to visit Weesp, thanks for the suggestion.
Congrats!
Cheers Thomas!
Another Fine Interesting video. Good on you!
Thanks so much!
Another great video steve. I've been to the Netherlands many times but I've never heard of "Weesp" , what a lovely little place !
Every days a school day 😄.
Cheers mate.
Hi Steve. If you come back to Amsterdam on another mini break, can I recommend you visit our town of Woerden, just half an hour by train from Amsterdam or Rotterdam.
If you come on a Saturday, you will see our market in the town square, our castle, our windmill, our little harbour, lots of water to walk around and plenty of places to grab a beer or a coffee. I think you would enjoy it.
I am happy to show you around too.
Aye, Weesp definitely looks like a place to go... it seems quite a quiet and relaxed place. Good photo ops too.
Waht a great spot to visit. Great video 2x👍
Cheers mate, it really was a good choice to come here!
Brilliant Steve. Really enjoyed it. Not sure i could have coped with the timetable. You have to be chilled.
Haha the Dutch public transport system takes all the pressure off (mostly) :)
This is another absolutely fantastic video. I am going to do this Steve Marsh vacation as soon as I can. What a cute little place. Loved it and congrats on the 51K subscribers!!!!
Hey thanks so much! And Weesp is well worth a look, but from the sounds of it there are many other great options within easy reach of Amsterdam too, but very happy with my choice on the day :)
Would worth another visit Steve looks like a lovely place have a overnighter got the weather right
So lucky with the weather yet again Paul!
Thanks I just might give this place a shout I'm in amsterdam again in June booked for 5 days
Please also read the comments on this video, because it sounds like there are LOADS of other options as well very closely Amsterdam. Have a great trip!
well done steve it looks great , well done great Vid
Cheers Roy! So glad to be able to get here!
Definitely going to try a wee bus or train out of a city next time I am on a city break. Never felt confident enough to do it, but you are showing that it is possible and so worth it.
Thanks again for another great video and for taking us with you.
Cheers mate, aye, I need to do this more often now too !
@Hamish Make sure to tell the locals you are from either NI or Scotland, most English folk do not have a great time. And yeah, Dutch myself, even I do have the capability to use the English language, most of us do.
Congratulations Steve on getting over 50k subscribers.
Great second video in Amsterdam.
A lovely train journey to a beautiful place.
No wonder you wished you could stay overnight there.
So much to do and see there.
Thanks so much Tim! Aye, and I believe there are many wee gems like this in The Netherlands!
Thanks for the insight. Visit family in Almere, so will have to give this beautiful city, since 1355, a visit.