Will be in Amsterdam for 4/6 days end of May 09. Have read tour guides. Any special suggestions for either Amsterdam or surrounding area.

The old-world Alkmaar Cheese Market, only on Friday mornings is a real festive affair - porters in old-garb port the huge cheese balls into the old weigh house with ceremony and fan fare. The town is also alive on Fridays - a nice old town worth a visit in and of itself. 45 mins from Amsterdam by train.

The train ride here also goes thru an area of polder - low lying lands reclaimed from the sea - cow and sheep-dotted soggy fields.

It is easy to go back thru Haarlem, one of Holland's very prettiest towns and only 20 mins by frequent trains from Amsterdam.

A good day out - Amsterdam itself is really compact and 3 days is enough for most folks to leisurely see what they want.

I would also consider a day trip to Delft and visit the Porcelain Fles (sp?) famous porcelain factory there cranking out the vaunted Delftware - Delft is also one of the most beautiful Dutch regional towns - like A'dam lots of quaint canals

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The Cheesemarket of Alkmaar, a tradition since 1593
The Alkmaar Cheese Market, a tradition since 1593 ... About 100000 people from all over the world visit the cheese market in Alkmaar every year. ...
http://www.alkmaar.nl/portal2/pages/...eesmarket.html - 7k - Cached - Similar pages
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Cheese Market, Alkmaar
Cheese Market, Alkmaar, tourist attractions, information, pictures, maps.
http://www.planetware.com/alkmaar/ch...-nl-nh-acm.htm

There's another thread here called 'first time in amsterdam' or something similar. Many suggestions on what to see there -

johngfl1,

It would help if you would state your special interests for special suggestions. There is enough to do for a month. I used to live there and have returned many times, twice this year. Click my handle and scroll for previous suggestions. Also do a Fodors search for Amsterdam, Haarlem, Delft, The Hague, etc., etc.

The Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen is very enjoyable.

Another possibility is Zaanse Schans. It's almost too quaintly touristy -- almost. There's a chocolate factory there, and the smell of chocolate was everywhere. There's a pleasant little clock museum (as well as some other small specialty museums of this type), a pancake restaurant, and several old fashioned working windmills (the kind you see in Dutch paintings and older movies about the Netherlands, but not very often in real life anymore). Almost kitschy, but fun.

I'll be there end of May too

bookmarking

Hi john; I always suggest visiting the town of Muiden, that is about 10 miles south of Amsterdam. It has a 'lovely castle. ENJOY Iris www.castles.nl/muid/muid.html

you should check out the dungeons if you get a chance http://www.the-dungeons.nl/amsterdam/en/index.htm

ungug this sounds like an advert. The OP visited Amsterdam in May last year so why resurrect this thread for your first posting unless to advertise?