Dutch DAY TRIPS - Amsterdam Bruges and Brussels - page 282

Hall at Voorhaven 141, tel. [phone], www.cor-graphics.com).
Arrival in Edam
To get from the bus “station”—really just a parking lot for buses—
to Dam Square and the TI, take a five-minute walk toward the
gray-and-gold bell tower just east of the main square. Head for the
big canal, then turn right and walk alongside it for a while. Cross
the first bridge you come to, and head straight up the street. Hook
right around the church, and you'll wind up across the canal from
Dam Square.
SIGhTS
Introductory Walk —To get the lay of the land, take this stroll
through the heart of Edam. From Dam Square, walk over the
bridge to the Edams Museum (see below). Exiting the museum,
turn right and walk one block along the Spui canal, then turn right
down Prinsenstraat. This leads to the traditional cheese-market
square (Niewhuizenplein), with the big Matthijs Tinxgracht canal
just beyond. Peek into the old “cheese weigh house,” then continue
down the street to see the town's main church, or Grote Kerk.
Take a look at the cows chewing their cud in the field across the
canal, and you've pretty much seen all there is in Edam.
Edams Museum/Historical Collection —This small, quirky
museum—and a nearby 400-year-old historical home with a
f loating cellar (covered by the same ticket)—offer a fun peek
into Edam's past. At the museum, learn about Edam's trad-
ing history upstairs, and about Fris Pottery on the top floor (€3,
late March-Oct Tue-Sat 10:00-16:30, Sun 13:00-16:30, closed
Mon and Nov-late March, historical house at Dam Square 8,
museum in city hall with TI, tel. [phone], www.edams
museum.nl).
SLEEPING
There are only two hotels in town, but they're both distinctive,
classy, and expensive (when there's a range, the price depends on
room size and amenities). The TI has a list of cheaper rooms in
private homes.
$$ Damhotel, centrally located on a canal across the street
from the TI, has 11 newly renovated rooms with over-the-top
plush decor—each one a bit different (Db-€125-165, Tb-€160,
Qb-€185, air-con, free Wi-Fi, Keizersgracht 1, tel. [phone],
fax [phone], www.damhotel.nl, [e-mail]).
$ Hotel de Fortuna is an eccentric, canalside place with flow-
ers and sounds of ducks and other birds. It offers steep stairs and