Getting Around
Whether you wish to organise your day out independently, by renting a car, going for a bike ride, or using the country’s train system, the surroundings of Amsterdam offer equally rewarding sceneries. While travelling by car remains the most flexible option, hefty gas prices might make a train or bus a more attractive pick. And if going on an outing in the city’s immediate vicinity, bikes remain perfect: they are easy to sneak in buses, light and allow for much more freedom than scheduled transportation or any private vehicle which might require serious maintenance.

Where to go? 
Knowing that Amsterdam is only a fragment of a kaleidoscopic mosaic of cities and towns of the Randstad (Rim City), you can expect that the Dutch capital has grown into a network of many tinier settlements. Stretching from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, and accommodating two-thirds of the country’s entire population, these well-connected towns of the Noord-Holland province, as well as the neighbouring province of Zuid-Holland, are splendid sites for an outing.

Biking 
While getting as much as you can out of the scenery of the Ijsselmeer, you might crown your day out with a particular goal: biking to any of the smaller towns in the area, and returning by bus or by train. Scenic Durgerdam and Hoorn are particularly admirable options, the only piece of advice being to get a really good mountain bike or at least, a tougher one, as the regular Amsterdam city bikes might turn out not quite compatible with the terrain.

Lakeside Villages 
Another idea is to hike to any of the lakeside villages, which are accessible after a short hike and a ferry ride. The IJ ferry can be boarded at the pier behind Centraal Station. The cruise takes you to the Durgerdam side, where a walking/biking path continues to Uitdam, Monnickendam and Volendam, meanwhile revealing lines of antique boats and shadowy picnic spots. During the summer, you can also take the Marken Express Boat to Marken, which is otherwise a little bit cut off. Apart from these, the smaller villages of Edam, Warder, Etersheim and Scharwoude overlooking the Ijsselmeer also make for a decent outing. Almost all of the villages allow for a train ride back to Amsterdam.

Tulips 
Even though tulip bulbs can be purchased within the boundaries of the city itself, you might want to see where they are really grown. A day out trip across Noord-Holland province, to which Amsterdam belongs, will be a splendid experience with tulip fields stretching as far as the eye can see especially in the area around Haarlem and Leiden. Blooming between March and April, the abundant colourful and vivid tulips have won the area the name of the Bulb District. The bulbs themselves can be purchased at the stands along the roads.