Toast,

A few years back, I was fortunate enough to take extended trips to the Netherlands for work 2 or 3 times a year. The one time my wife was able to travel with me, the Icelandic Volcano decided to let loose. We had 7 days of nothing to do but play tourist. We hit all three places (Zaanse Schans, Marken and Volendam) and your concern is valid.

Windmill City stands out as the ultimate tourist destination. Having said that - we had a great time and I got some great pictures.

Marken is beautiful and interesting place to walk around in explore, but not much is there. The town is a photographer’s happy place.

Volendam has a small but very interesting museum. There are rooms which have a beautiful murals of famous locations made by an old man that used collected cigar rings to create these walls of art. Sounds crazy but they are really cool. Also the museum has some interesting stuff on the Dutch Resistance during WWII. Volendam also offers a nice walk along the main street while looking at the boat and sea. You can also catch a bus to Edam (home of the cheese) which gives you a better view of a real place.

If you are there over the weekend, I would recommend going to Haarlem on Saturday. A 30 minute train ride from Centraal station they have one of the best markets in the Netherlands. If you have spare time or extend your trip Delft is also a fun place to experience.

Last trip to Amsterdam we had two days in the city following a Rhine river cruise. While there we took a tour of the Jewish Quarter. The tour was not about the Holocaust, but how Amsterdam historically has always had been a place religious tolerance. Since there were only 4 people on the tour, we did so much more than what was advertised. The guide was amazing. I think he was a retired history teacher. I have his card if you want let me know I will shoot you contact info. I think he could work with you on special or customized tours if interested.

Here is a link to our blog for that day. Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

I have always wanted to do an AirBnB rental of a house boat on one of the canals. Maybe one day... soon.

I highly recommend staying somewhere with reasonable walking distance to Centraal. I am very partial to the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. I will be curious what you select.