Tour 1 – Monday 14 May 2007
Volendam, Marken and Zaanse Schans



Volendam and Marken are both fishermen’s villages situated on the former Zuiderzee, now called IJssel Lake because a 30 km dyke, built in the 19th century, closes of the North Sea.



This will be the start of today’s tour. Picturesque houses surround a very old harbour and part of the population is still clothes in national dress. We will have lunch in Restaurant Spaander in Volendam, where the walls are covered with paintings related to the sea, the fishing trade and the landscape around Volendam.

After lunch we will visit a cheese farm near Monnikendam, where the famous Dutch cheeses of the area are still produced.

The “Zaanse Schans” is a characteristic living and working area on the river Zaan, with wooden houses snd windmills dating from the 17th and 18th Century. In museums, workshops and windmills you can experience somtheing of how the Zaan-siders lived and worked...

It will probably be your first time inside a Dutch windmill. Windmills were used for grinding all kinds of material, e.g. grain, pigments, wood. We will visit the mill below that used to be a paint mill.



We will return to Noordwijk after this visit and expect to be back at 5.30 PM.

Tour 2 – Tuesday 15 May 2007
The Hague and Delft

On Tuesday we will bring a visit to The Hague, seat of the Durch Government and residence of the royal family of the Netherlands. In the Hague we will visit Panorama Mesdag, a museum housing a world famous circular canvas, which is one of the few remaining in the world. The Panorama will show you the horizon as seen by the Dutch painter H.W. Mesdag (Haagsche School).



We will also visit the Houses of Parliament, and have a look at the Vredes Paleis (Peace Palace), where the International Criminal Tribunal on former Yugoslavia is located.

A Dutch lunch will be served in a bistro right in the centre of this charming city.

After lunch we will proceed to Delft, famous for its blue and white porcelain and rich history. The Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer lived and worked in Delft en you will certainly recognise some little streets or views from his paintings. The history of Delft is closely linked to the history of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal family since the 16th century.


We will return from Delft to Noordwijk at approximately 5.30 PM.


Each of the tours will be accompanied by a professional guide and will cost 75 Euro per person.

The minimum number of participants is 20.

Please download the companion programme (pdf) here.