Day 2- Amsterdam + Volendam/Zaanse Schans

In the morning, take an excursion to visit the Dutch Countryside
0800-1130: Leave around 8am and drive 30min to Volendam, Holland’s best-known fishing village.
• Stop by a cheese factory for a demonstration of how cheese is made. Every available cheese has samples to taste so you can pick exactly what you want!
• Alida Hoeve Cheese Farm & Wooden shoe factory. Alida Hoeve en De Vriendschap, Zeddeweg 1, 1131 CW Volendam. 8.30 am to 6.00 pm.
OR
• Cheese Factory Volendam. Haven 25 | 1131EP, Volendam, Nederland, 1131 EP Volendam, The Netherlands. 0930-1830.

• Visit the Marina. Pieterman 12, 1131 PW Volendam, The Netherlands. Brunch at the Marina.
1130-1500: Drive 30min to Zaanse Schans, a residential area in which the 18th and 19th centuries are brought to life. Stroll past the bakery museum and enjoy the smell of fresh bread. Not to miss the pewter foundry and the various windmills. There are also cheese factory and clogs warehouse here (though reviews said are smaller and more like shops). The Zaanse Schans is a unique part of the Netherlands, full of wooden houses, mills, barns and workshops. Most attractions open 9am-5pm.
Return to Hotel in Amsterdam (30min).

1500-1700: Buy train ticket (run by NS, not covered by GVB card) to take a train from Amsterdam Sloterdijk to Amsterdam Centraal. Take Metro 51/53/54 or Tram 9/14 to Waterlooplein. Walk 400m to Gassan Diamond. Total trip including walking 30min. Cater some time for ticket queue.

Visit Gassan Diamonds to join a free ~40min tour (sales intended) to see a diamond-cutting demo. Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 173-175, 1011 LN Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 0900-1700. Need to book tour online beforehand. Requested 1630, waiting for confirmation.

1700 onwards: Return to Amsterdam Centraal from Waterlooplein. Visit the city centre for dinner and photo stop at Dam Square, Royal Palace, Church of Amsterdam, National Monument. Take an Amsterdam Canals Cruise along Amsterdam’s UNESCO-listed canals. Daily frequent departures from 09.00 - 22.00 h.