We are going to be in Amsterdam for 4 days. We want to spend 1 day on a side trip. Of all the places near amsterdam (within 1 hr) which one would you recommend.

We took the train out to Zaans schans I think it was about 8€ for each of us from the central station in Amsterdam, and about a 20 minute ride, we then followed signs and walked about 5 minutes to a ferry that was free which took us to the lovely old village. There is a line of windmills with 2 open as museums.

If you go you MUST walk all the way to the end of the path to the very last windmill, it's called De Bonte Hen. It is run by a man who lovingly restored it and will give you the most wonderful tour. He demonstrates the oil pressing from flaxseed. You'll love him, he speaks about the history of windmills and the area with such a broad knowledge, that you'll really get a feel for what the netherlands must have looked like when it was covered with windmills.

Here is the website with further info:

http://www.zaanseschans.nl/

Even my husband thought this was the best part of the trip to the village.

Delft

Try the Hague - go and see the Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring painting. Hague is quite picturesque as well.

you can visit Hague;later take a tram from Hague to the sea coast .. place starts with S.. cannot remember (about 20 minutes) - for something different.
There are many restaurants and hotels right on the beach.

Scheveningen!

The Zuiderzee Museum Park is similar to Zaanse Schans in that it has historical buildings, but it is larger and will occupy more of your time.
www.zuiderzeemuseum.nl

You also might consider slightly extending your one-hour limit. If you did so the Park Hoge Veluwe and Kroller Muller Museum could be a very nice option.

The park is a large nature park and you can borrow a free-to-use bicycle to explore it. The museum is located inside the park and contains the second largest collection of Van Gogh's work, some other highlights like Mondriaan paintings, and an outdoor sculpture park.
www.hogeveluwe.nl/
www.kmm.nl

We enjoyed Zaans Schans immensely, even if it is really touristy. It is very interesting and to see so many windmills in one place is pretty cool.

We also combined The Hague (for the Mauritshuis museum with the Vermeers) with Delft in one day and that was very do-able and we enjoyed both.

Another vote for Zaanse Schans!

The Hague and Delft are very good to combine. You can take the train (about 15-20 minutes) or tram 1 (about 30 minutes).

Both are very nice cities to visit. In the afternoon you could go and eat in Scheveningen (at the other end of tram 1 by the sea).

Or closer to A'dam: Haarlem.

I think 4 days in Amsterdam is a lot.
The Holland countryside is so beautiful.
I agree - the Hague and Delft are great.

We enjoyed a small town outside Amsterdam called Zutphen. There are several small manor houses to explore and it is easily accessed by train.

There is a lot to see in Amsterdam but the beauty of the country will be found outside the city. It would be like judging America by New York City.

I did spend abt 5-6 hours at Haarlem last year from Am'dam based on a strong recommendation of a local friend and unfortunately did not find it as picturesque or special as the other places! Perhaps I did not explore the right parts and felt a bit "cheated"...

"We enjoyed a small town outside Amsterdam called Zutphen. There are several small manor houses to explore and it is easily accessed by train."

As far as I know, Zutphen isn't exactly 'outside' A'dam. The Zutphen I know, is about 1 1/2 -2 hours by train!

Don't you mean some other town?

One is is very much insufficient to visit amsterdam, but since you are out of time these are the following places which you can visit.

Stedelijk Museum
Canal Boat Rides
The Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt)
The Red Light District
The Dam and Royal Palace
The Rijksmuseum
The Van Gogh Museum
Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House)


http://TravelenciaTravelBusiness.com

bm

Zutphen is indeed over an hour and ahalf away by train, with at least one change, possibly two. Whilst it is a nice enough town I would not say it was a suitable day trip from Amsterdam for most people. Deventer would be a better town imho, but even that is a bit far for most people.
Depending on your interests I would either combine Den Haag en Delft or maybe book a tour to the Kinderdijk windmills. Hoge Veluwe is another good option especially if you like bike riding too. You may see red deer or wild boar there as well as the Van Goghs, Mondriaans etc in the Kroller Muller museum, but it is more than an hour away.
Apeldoorn is just over an hour and has Paleis het Loo, which has wonderful gardens as well as an interesting museum.

Amsterdam - supposed to be interesting.Great site, loads of info here: http://www.viamigo.com/place/3683/amsterdamIt is basically famous in all over the world for its unique cultural and geographical features which make it perfect holiday destination among vacationers form all around the world.

I see in one of your posts that you will have your two children traveling with you...it's always good to keep them entertained.

You might want to investigate visiting Madurodam. It is a miniature city located in Schevenigen, The Hague.

It's a model of a Dutch town on a 1.25 scale, and has been visited by millions of visitors. People look like giants compared to the size of the buildings. The kids might get a kick out of it.

I agree with the Delft recommendation. I went to Haarlem, the Hague, and Delft, and I enjoyed Delft the most - because of the charm of the town, the food, and the view from the top of the church tower.

bm