Clogs & Windmills, Haarlem The Netherlands
August 6, 2023 - by Muriel Dassen
Haarlem is situated close to the cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, ans is easy to reach. Haarlem has a beautiful historic city center and is famous for its museums, shops and restaurants. The beaches of Zandvoort and Bloemendaal are just around the corner.
With Haarlem as the central point, the rides of this Clogs & Windmills tour will be exploring the part of The Netherlands that is called Holland, divided over the provinces of North and South Holland.
Of course you can download the GPX / ITN files and full e-books of the 3 rides we have in this tour via our roadtrip planner but you can already find the info in this blogpost.
It is also worth exploring Haarlem itself. It was a prosperous city in the 17th century and much of the historic atmosphere has been preserved. Such as the nice cobbled stone streets around the Grote Markt, being the square that has been thé meeting place for centuries, with its old buildings, cafes and restaurants. But also the iconic windmill The Adriaan and the Amsterdamse Poort.
For the Clogs & Windmills tour we want to recommended the following accommodations – all with suitable parking for your bike. If you want to support us to keep supporting you, we do ask you to book the accommodation via the links that we provide as an affiliate of Booking.com.
Recommended hotels:
Rating on Booking.com: Superb 9.0
With free on site – not covered – parking, secured for motorbikes!
With minibar and tea/coffeemaker on the rooms
20 to 30 minute walk to city centre Haarlem
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.5
Next to public parking garage Houtplein Haarlem
With bar and restaurant
5 to 10 minute walk to city centre Haarlem
Rating on Booking.com: Superb 9.0
With own private parking garage – reservation needed and fee applicable
In city centre Haarlem
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.4
With free on site – not covered – parking
With bar and restaurant
20 to 30 minute walk to city centre Haarlem
Rating on Booking.com: Good 7.1
With paid secured on site – not covered – parking
With bar and restaurant
1 minute walk to Zandvoort beach
12 km/8 miles outside of Haarlem
Ride 1
Ride 1 of the Clogs & Windmills tour will take you North of Amsterdam for about 180 kilometres / a bit over 110 miles. Although the landscape is flat,that doesn’t mean it won’t be a nice ride! You will get to enjoy the typical Dutch landscapes. The ride has 3 recommended stops, where you will definitely be able to see both clogs and windmills today!
Bergen
As we cannot take you to real mountains in the Netherlands, we are bringing you to the closest thing: a village that is called Bergen, which is the Dutch translation for mountains. Bergen is a nice village with a lovely atmosphere and many restaurants and cafes. It has been attracting tourists for over a hundred years to relax and enjoy the beach and local culture. We have added a parking in the GPX / ITN file of the ride so you can have a stroll to stretch your legs and maybe a cup of coffee or drink before we are bringing you to two of the top sightseeing places in the Netherlands.
Volendam
Volendam is a very picturesque village and popular for it’s colourful wooden houses,old fishing boats and traditional clothing. It is lovely to take a walk over the dyke of Volendam. You will also find plenty of cafes and restaurants to have a drink and bite to eat. Or maybe you'd want to try some fresh fish from the fish stall? And if you want, you can have your picture taken while you are dressed in the traditional clothing. A typical souvenir for a visit to Volendam!
Zaanse Schans
The last stop of Ride 1 of the Clogs & Windmills tour is at the Zaanse Schans. Most probably the most famous Dutch windmills to be seen! But there is more than "just" windmills: this open-air museum contains typical local houses, windmills ánd other buildings, such as the wooden shoe workshop. And the lookout tower next to the museum will give you a nice view over this typical Dutch area. So a good stop to do some wandering around. Of course you can use the official parking, but as it can get busy, we have added an alternative parking where you just have to cross the road to get to the Zaanse Schans.
Ride 2
Ride 2 of the Clogs & Windmills tour will take you to the famous flowerfields and the capital of the Netherlands. It is a ride of about 150 kilometres / 95 miles, which will give you plenty of time to enjoy the rides and, if you want,some sightseeing! The ride has 4 stops, but we do recommend that you decide upfront on which real sightseeing stop you'd want to spend sometime. Because doing all is probably pushing it too much.
Keukenhof
This area is famous for it’s flowerfields and if you are doing your Quazy Rides roadtrip early spring- between mid March and the first week of May - you could go and visit this world famous attraction the Keukenhof. The Keukenhof is said to be the world’s most beautiful spring flower garden with more than 7 million flower bulbs in a beautiful park. It is recommended to book tickets in advance and have an early start of this ride - or add an extra day - as it is recommended to spend between 2 and 3 hours in the park. If you are not looking to visit the Keukenhof, we have added Het Tussenstation as a good stop for a coffee or drink.
You can book your tickets in advance via this link.
Loetje aan de Amstel
If you didn't have anything for lunch yet, we can recommend this restaurant: Loetje aan de Amstel. The restaurant has a big parking at the back. Loetje has restaurants throughout the whole of the Netherlands now and they are famous for their steak....in gravy!
Heineken Experience
This ride also takes you to the capital of the Netherlands: Amsterdam. Of course you could spend days in Amsterdam for sightseeing, but we added this fun stop in your ride: the Heineken Experience. You can visit the first brewery of the famous Heineken beer. Be careful with the tasting though, as we still have some riding to do!
XXL Kissing Couple
One last fun stop we have added to this ride is this XXL Kissing couple. It resembles the famous Delfts blue porcelain pepper and salt set. Take a picture and share it using #QuazyRides ánd #Kissingcoupleamsterdam to share the fun!
Ride 3
On ride 3 of the Clogs & Windmills tour you will of course see some more windmills. The ride also takes you to the capital of Dutch cheese and a true hidden gem! The is a ride is 190 kilometres /120 miles long and will again take you through the typical Dutch landscapes. The ride only has 2 stops, so you will have enough time to enjoy the ride and stops!
Gouda
Gouda is famous for its cheese You can visit the traditional cheese market that is being held at the market square in front of he town hall from April to August on Thursdays from 10:00 to 12:30. For more info on the cheese market, check this link.
Also if the cheese market is not held when you are visiting Gouda, it is a nice city to have a break and short walk. Don't you like cheese and do you have more of a sweet tooth? Gouda is also famous for its butter syrup waffles. And you can visit the bakery factory, where the waffles are baked fresh 5 days a week.
For more info, check the website of Kamphuisen stroopwafels.
De Haar Castle
We think is a true hidden gem: De Haar castle. In your GPX / ITN file we have added the restaurant 't Wapen van Haarzuilen in the small village close to the castle. You can have lunch here or go to the official parking of the castle and have lunch in the restaurant in the former carriage house. Or, weather permitting, make sure you have a sandwich to go, buy a ticket for the gardens and enjoy a simple lunch with a view. If you would want to visit the castle itself, make sure to visit the website of the castle to see the possibilities and book your ticket in advance.
Go on your own QUAZY RIDE
You can download the GPX / ITN files of the rides and the full e-books via our roadtrip planner and then we hope you will enjoy the rides you will be doing in this Quazy Rides Clogs & Windmills motorcycle tour and your stay in Haarlem.
If you are posting on social media, don't forget to tag Quazy Rides or use the #QuazyRides, because we LOVE to see you having fun with our rides.
