Today my holiday begins! Yes, again … The life of a student is good! But for now I wanted to look back to my previous holiday. In the big summer holiday I went to Madurodam! My grandpa had won tickets in the lottery, but he didn’t want to go himself. And so we (my boyfriend, brother, niece and I) got to go! I talked about it before in a weekly diary, but I promised a review. Today is the day! Because Madurodam is a great, sustainable hotspot.
Sustainability Hotspot
Okay, sounds fun, this Madurodam. But why am I writing about this? I write about cities in general as hotspots but also about specific attractions like Madurodam. I do this to offer options a responsible day out, so that people won’t visit zoos, dolphinaria or other harmful attractions. And also, I think a day out is a good option for spending your money. It is way more sustainable than spending it on stuff and you create memories at the same time. Remember, experiences over stuff. That’s why I include attractions in this category too.
Madurdam and Accessibility
Madurodam is an attraction where you can see the Netherlands in miniature. It’s one big outdoor museum really. The only thing you really need is good weather! The park is very well accessible for people with a disability (unless you have a disability concerning sight, then I would not recommend it. I don’t think they have audio tours). The whole park is on one floor. The entrance is located higher, but path goes down by a slope. The restaurants are also accessible for wheelchairs and have at least one toilet for people with a disability. There are also wheelchairs available at the entrance.
Transportation
Madurodam is very well accessible for abled people by public transportation. If you have a disability it is not so much. Trains and busses can’t be used by someone with a disability just like that. You have to arrange all kind of stuff and go through bullshit. That should be a lot better. However, for abled people it is very well accessible and the most sustainable way to travel. You can go by train and then by tram. But there are also bikes available, that is even more sustainable. You can hire them at the station of Den Haag Central Station if you own an OV-chipcard. It takes about 15 minutes to bike to Madurodam.
Tickets
You can buy tickets online, this way you’ll receive e-tickets. You can download those on your phone and scan those at the entrance. All zero waste! You can get a map of the park at the entrance, but my experience is that you don’t really need that. You can skip that if you want to, this makes less waste. I wish they had a map on their website, but this is not (yet) the case.
Food
We had lunch at the restaurant, not at the Panorama cafe. In the restaurant I didn’t see vegan food at first. You probably have to ask for that, which is a bummer. I didn’t because I had brought my own lunch (this saves money haha). The others did buy some food and so I do know that there are some zero waste options. The coffee, pie and soup were zero waste. The fries and sandwiches came in a cardboard cup. That’s all I saw. And as I said: not many vegan options I suppose.
Zero Waste Activity
When you visit Madurodam you take a look at things. That activity itself is therefore zero waste. And besides that, it takes no energy (like in amusement parks with rollercoaster). Even more zero waste! There are some building where you can toss in money to get a souvenir, but I’d suggest you skip that. Just like the souvenir ship.
Madurodam is a sustainable hotspot!
Yours sincerely,
Romee
Lijkt me een leuke uitstap. Als we ooit eens naar Den Haag gaan, zet ik het op mijn lijstje. Als Belg zal het natuurlijk moeilijk zijn om die frietjes niet te proeven.