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I am planing to go on a trip around Europe, and wondering if there are any buses (tour bus) or just any regular buses that go along the A7 motorway in the Netherlands (noord-holland).

I really love to see Afsluitdijk in person just to experience its sheer size.

I am planning to go from Amsterdam -> Germany (Cologne) -> Luxembourg -> Switzerland -> and continuing south.

So if there is a way where I can go to Germany via the A7 that would be great.

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    "Afsluit" just means "closing" or something ;) It just describing what it is. :)
    – Bernhard
    Commented Apr 18, 2013 at 6:28

3 Answers 3

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According to a Dutch public transportation website, there is a regular bus.

http://9292.nl/reisadvies/den-oever/bolsward/vertrek/2013-04-18T0909#

It is the Qliner 350 and is operated by Arriva. According to the website of the operator, a day-ticket valid on this line costs 15 €. This includes the complete trip from Alkmaar to Leeuwarden (and vice versa). The first stop after the Afsluitdijk is Bolsward (which is one of the stops for the Eleven City Tour).

If you only want to take a part of this trip, you'll pay less than 15 € if you use an OV-chipcard.

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  • Thx for the info Bernhard. I'll have a look at the link you provided. So just to make this clear, all i have to do is make my way from Amsterdam to Bus stop Busstation, Den Oever. Then from that bus station i can the Qliner 350 bus heading toward Bolsward.
    – Jeremy
    Commented Apr 18, 2013 at 7:07
  • My other question is whether i can actually get off right in the middle of the dam and take pictures. Perhaps the worst scenario i have to rent a car.
    – Jeremy
    Commented Apr 18, 2013 at 7:14
  • According to this website, you have these stops: Bushalte Monument, Den Oever, Bushalte Kornwerderzand, Kornwerderzand, Bushalte Kop Afsluitdijk, Zurich These are all not in the middle of the dyke.
    – Bernhard
    Commented Apr 18, 2013 at 11:10
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    If both your physical condition and the weather permits, you could choose to cycle across. It is done often and worth the trip. There is a designated cycle path on the "afsluitdijk"
    – user141
    Commented Apr 18, 2013 at 11:18
  • @username55 I don't think you will easily get to Den Oever without a car, except by this bus. So if you decide to take it, you can better hop on in Alkmaar. From the road you will only see one side, as the road is not on top of the dyke. If biking is not an option, then I would go for the car rental. Then you can also find some scenic drive in Noord-Holland (province)
    – Bernhard
    Commented Apr 18, 2013 at 17:24
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A good way for those that really want to see the dike is to take the bus and get off at the monument stop to catch the next service an hour later (till 8 PM now, check when you plan your journey.) Alternatively, travel to either end and walk onto the dike. You could rent a bicycle to ride onto the dike for a short distance, (see below)¹. The bike lane is just above road level on the side of the higher dike and a bit protected from the worst winds but is known to be windy anyhow.

¹I do not find bike rental places close to those busstops, but you could google for the bike shops and ask if they have a second hand bike you can rent for the day.
Many bike shops do some rentals even when they do not advertise the fact.

photo of the momument on the afsluitdijk with the dike beyond Public domain photo of the Monument and the dike, attribution on this page

There are several tours advertized that include the afsluitdijk, but as the English language users are not happy with that word they do not all include the name in title or description, often they use a translation but I have seen different ones, one of which is 'Enclosure dike'.

The better search word to look for might well be 'Friesland' or 'Frisia', the province at one end of the dike, the one Amsterdam is not in.
Most tours that include both Friesland and Amsterdam and go a full circle will use the long dike one direction and go south of the water (old land or polders) the other way.

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  • The cycle path is closed for work for a few years, so check if you want to take that option. Buses are available for those that want to cross the dike with their bikes.
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Oct 20, 2021 at 21:34
  • Bike path along the dike is still not really open, you can cycle most of the distance but need buses on either end. And this is expected to last 5 (or more) years still.
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Sep 28 at 15:22
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Maybe a little bit late, but there is a tourist bus 'Afsluitdijk Tour' I just got a tourist book on Amsterdam and it includes a tour from Amsterdam to the Afsluitdijk, Medemblik, a steam train ride to Hoorn, a city walk in Hoorn and a busride to Amsterdam. Leaves at 9.30 from , costs €55 and takes 8.5 hours. Runs from 21st May to 28th of September the office is on the Damrak

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  • That may be the best solution. Although I cannot find this excursion on the linked website in your link?
    – Bernhard
    Commented May 26, 2013 at 21:16
  • The triagle tour, which includes Medemblik, the steam train ride to Hoorn and a boat ride for the rest of the way, does not visit the Afsluitdijk. It may include the Enkhuizen-Lelystad dike, but even that is not guarantied. The regular bus in the other answer is the better/best option.
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Jun 12, 2016 at 12:29

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