Out and about!
Thanks to its central location, Gaasper Camping Amsterdam is your ideal starting point for discovering and exploring Amsterdam and the surrounding region during your holiday. The sky’s the limit! Explore the centre of Amsterdam, cycle along the canals, visit the museums and then, at the end of the day, come back and relax at out campsite.
Close to the campsite, you will find one of the most popular city beaches of Amsterdam. Here, you can enjoy and relax in the sun. You can take a refreshing swim in the lake, Gaasperplas. However, this is not the only place in the city where you can cool down with your feet in the sand. For example, there is a beautiful small beach on the rooftop of the Nemomuseum. From here, there are fantastic views of the Amsterdam skyline. Or you could take the metro to Strand Zuid, where there is a city beach with hammocks, lounge sofas and a place where DJs perform on a regular basis.
On a warm summer evening, the best place to visit the theatre is the open-air theatre in the Amsterdamse Bos. Rustling trees, twilight and popping corks (you are allowed to bring your own drinks during the performance) make for a true midsummer night atmosphere.
In the past, the windmills of the Zaan Region supplied a large part of Europe with mustard, rice and snuff tobacco. Even then, the almost endless line of windmills attracted many a curious visitor, such as the famous French painter Claude Monet, who immortalised the Zaan skyline on several of his paintings. And up till today, the Zaanse Schans continues to be a must-see. Visiting the Zaanse Schans feels like going back into time — the time of windmills, traditional wooden cottages, cheese factories and wooden shoes. It’s a remarkable part of the Netherlands, not far from the campsite.
Tip: Go on a scooter ride along the Zaanse Schans
Scooter Experience takes you along winding country roads, through unspoilt nature and past old villages that makes you feel you’ve gone a hundred years back in time. Naturally, you will also pass various Dutch windmills at the Zaanse Schans. On your 50 HP scooter, you can shoot past the Dutch windmills with the wind in your hair. Let’s ride!
With your guide, you will step into a Canadian canoe and paddle through a network of ditches, shallow lakes and ponds. You will also pass a number of picturesque old Dutch villages that recall an almost pre-war atmosphere. Your guide can tell you many historic tales from the 17th-century region. After a picnic with local products on the quaking fen, the city will seem further away than ever.
Right next to the entrance to the campsite, you will find the beautiful Gaasperpark. This park, which surrounds the campsite, was created for the Amsterdam Floriade, a temporary flower exhibition. The park is a fantastic palette of Dutch landscape styles: grass pastures with a Frisian windmill, dunes, lanes with knotted willows, ditches, and heather. Here, you can go on long walks, horse riding, windsurfing, sailing, canoeing, picnicking, or you can just find a nice spot to sit down and relax.
Splashing around with the kids
For the little ones, Gaasperpark offers a water playground. Zip across the water with the ropeway, build your own sluice complex, splash around in the mud, or defy the waterfall!
Pampusis a beautiful fortress island full of history. The island was created in the 19th century to defend the city of Amsterdam against potential attached from the Zuiderzee. You can wander around, walk through the corridors of the fortress and enjoy the views. You can board the boat at Muiderslot, an ancient castle that occupies an important place in Dutch history. In summer, this is the scene for tournaments, with knights and damsels. Pampus is easy to reach from Gaasper Camping Amsterdam by (rental) bike, by public transport or by car.
Close to Gaasper Camping Amsterdam you will find the beginning of the historical Dutch Water Line. For centuries, the Dutch Water Line protected the riches of the city of Amsterdam against enemies, looters and other riff-raff. The Water Line consists of more than 50 larger and smaller fortresses, castles (big and small), and fortified towns. You can visit the Dutch Water Line by car, by bike or — perhaps best of all — in a canoe.
Tip: Rent a bike! If you did not bring your own bike, you can rent one cheaply at Gaasper Camping Amsterdam — per hour, per day or per week.
Tourists from all over the world visit the Keukenhof to see the beautiful flowering crocuses, daffodils and lilies. Naturally, our national pride, the tulip, is also there for you to admire. However, the Keukenhof is so much more than a colourful collection of flowers. Here, you can go on a silent-boat trip through the bulb fields or witness one of the many traditional costume festivals with live music. For the kids, there are exciting treasure hunts.