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Things to do in Zaanse Schans

Our most recommended things to do in Zaanse Schans

Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam & Marken Bus Tour

1. Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam & Marken Bus Tour

Visit Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken on a guided bus tour from Amsterdam. Admire the famous windmills of Zaanse Schans, attend a clog-making demonstration, and sample Edam and Gouda cheese. Depart Amsterdam by luxury bus on this exciting tour and head north of the city to see the historic windmills of Zaanse Schans on the banks of the river Zaan. Explore the traditional 17th-century houses and a collection of beautifully preserved windmills from the nation’s industrial heritage. Continue on to visit Edam, a beautiful town known worldwide for its cheese. Enjoy a cheese tasting and an exciting clog demonstration. Before the end of the day, go to Volendam and Marken, passing many authentic polders, the name given to land reclaimed from the sea. Wander down narrow streets, past colorful houses and visit the harbors full of fishing boats. You will have some free time to shop for souvenirs and sample the local fish specialties. Back in Amsterdam, you will be dropped off at the meeting point.

Zaandam: Zaanse Schans Card - Attractions & Museums Tickets

2. Zaandam: Zaanse Schans Card - Attractions & Museums Tickets

Go on the perfect Dutch trip from Amsterdam and head to Zaanse Schans that brings the 18th and 19th centuries back into the present-day Netherlands. Explore the wooden houses, barns, and workshops, and get even more value for money with this ticket. Visit the Weaver’s House, where two families lived with their five looms. See the Coopery, where you'll observe how barrels were made. Get free entrance to the Zaans Museum and to the Verkade Chocolate and Biscuit Factory and experience a real-life Willy Wonka event. Benefit from a free audio guide in 8 languages offered at the Zaans Museum.

Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Volendam, and Marken Day Trip

3. Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Volendam, and Marken Day Trip

Enjoy the picturesque Dutch countryside on a day trip by comfortable bus. Encounter the famous windmills, and learn about Dutch traditional crafts.Take advantage of free WiFi on board the bus as you travel. Discover the unique village of Zaanse Schans. Stroll around at your leisure and admire the well-preserved historic windmills and houses. Explore the fishing village of Volendam, visit a cheese shop still making cheese using a traditional Dutch method, and join a demonstration about Volendam cheese. Enjoy lunch at a traditional fish restaurant at your own expense, before exploring more of Volendam. Select the all-inclusive tour option for more activities including a boat ride to Marken, a visit to an operating windmill, and a clog-making demonstration.

From Amsterdam: Guided Zaanse Schans & Cheese Tasting Tour

4. From Amsterdam: Guided Zaanse Schans & Cheese Tasting Tour

Join a guided bus tour from Amsterdam to visit the windmill village of Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum housing working windmills, wooden houses, barns, and shops dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Enjoy live commentary from your guide, a clog workshop, and a cheese-making demonstration. Meet your guide and driver at a central meeting point just across from Central Station in Amsterdam. Settle in for a comfortable, air-conditioned ride on a single deck bus that will take you to your destination in just 20 minutes. Upon arrival in the village, follow your guide for an orientation tour of the village. Visit the clog museum for a live wooden shoemaking workshop. Then, taste some Dutch farmer cheese on the cheese farm. Get a sense of what the village was like in the 18th and 19th centuries. Alongside windmills and barns, see houses that were originally built as homes for rich windmill owners and merchants. Admire their colorful facades painted in traditional hues of green, beige, and light blue. Finally, it is time to further explore the village on your own. Before you set off, take insider tips from your guide and learn about the region's local history and culture. At the end of the tour, hop back on the bus for your return journey to Amsterdam.

Zaanse Schans Windmills 4-Hour Tour in Italian

5. Zaanse Schans Windmills 4-Hour Tour in Italian

Travel aboard a comfortable train to Zaanse Schans which is famous for its collection of historic windmills on this day trip from Amsterdam. Go to a wooden clog factory and savor a variety cheeses with a visit to a farm.  Depart Amsterdam from the Centraal Station and journey by train to the town of Zaanse Schans. Discover the typical green wooden houses used by the locals, along with small bridges that link the streets of the village.  Capture pictures of the windmills and escape the hustle and bustle of city living and experience a gentle pace of life in the Dutch lowlands. Learn more about the windmills that made the area of the Zaan River famous and rich in the 1700s.  Visit a factory where the traditional wooden clogs are still made, and learn how the famous Dutch cheese is produced with a visit to a local farm. Return to Amsterdam by train at the end of your tour. 

Amsterdam: Giethoorn, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Tour

6. Amsterdam: Giethoorn, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Tour

See three different regions of the Netherlands with pickup and drop-off from Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre. Sample local cheeses, enjoy lunch, dress up and take pictures, and take a cruise in Giethoorn. First, start with a visit to the 17th-century village, Zaanse Schans. See windmills from the country's industrial background, and stroll among the green residences. Then visit a factory that makes the popular clogs in this region of the Netherlands.  Before continuing to Volendam, stop at Catharina Hoeve Farm, where you can sample cheese and learn how its made. In Volendam, see brightly-painted wooden buildings and residents dressed in vibrant regional clothing. Your guide will lead you on a brief stroll around Volendam harbor.  Pick up souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home, and take photographs in traditional Dutch costumes. Stop for a local lunch, then continue to Giethoorn in the northeastern Netherlands, known as the "Venice of the North". See the numerous canals and lack of motorways in Giethroon. During a 1-hour guided boat trip, you'll learn about this fairy-tale village with less than 3,000 residents. Next, stroll through the preserved village.  Finally, explore the village's small footpaths to find hundreds of bridges and take in the tranquil ambiance before returning to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam: Volendam, Edam, & Zaanse Schans Guided Day Trip

7. Amsterdam: Volendam, Edam, & Zaanse Schans Guided Day Trip

Leave Amsterdam for half a day on this guided tour of the rolling Dutch countryside. Sit back and travel comfortably in a coach to the rural village of Edam. Take a walk through the quaint streets of Edam. En route to Volendam, stop to visit an old cheese farm to see how authentic Dutch cheese is made. Indulge in trying some of these huge spheres of delicious cheese. Upon arrival in Volendam, follow your guide on a journey through the fishing village’s winding streets. Hear about how this bustling place was once the harbor for neighboring village Edam. Enjoy some free time to eat lunch. Next, move on to visit the windmill village of Zaanse Schans. Once used to ground spices, dyes, lumber, oil, cocoa powder, and many other items, the mills are still in use today. Some are now living museums where you can learn about the ins and outs of milling. Visit a wooden shoe factory and behold how traditional clogs are created using antique machines. Filled with newfound knowledge and a taste of the traditional Dutch ways of life, relax and reminisce about your trip while on the journey back to Amsterdam.

From Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Windmill Village Guided Tour

8. From Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Windmill Village Guided Tour

Experience a full day filled with Dutch flowering fields and spectacular gardens on this guided tour of the Keukenhof Gardens. See rows of tulips, daffodils, and crocuses, all growing in different colors and sizes. Taste local cheese and observe the traditional method of making wooden shoes. When you arrive at Keukenhof Gardens, you will receive a 45-minute guided tour through the park, leaving you enough free time to explore at your own leisure. Your guide will explain how each type of flower is cultivated and its history and significance within Dutch culture.  After soaking up the garden vistas, continue to Zaanse Schans, the famous windmill village. Tour the town with your guide. Visit the wooden shoemaker shop for a live demonstration of how wooden shoes are crafted, followed by a cheese-making demonstration and tasting. Before you set off to discover Zaanse Schans on your own, your guide will give you further information on what makes it a unique village, inform you about local history and culture, and provide you with insider tips about the area. You can upgrade your tour to include the Amsterdam Canal Cruise, gliding past the city’s famous attractions such as canal houses from the Golden Age, the Westerkerk, the Anne Frank, and more. Alternatively, get a This is Holland Voucher to experience a 5D flight experience of the Netherlands.

From Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, & Marken Full-Day Trip

9. From Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, & Marken Full-Day Trip

Immerse yourself in the culture of the Netherlands on a tour through the jewels of the Dutch countryside. Visit a cheese producer, a clog factory, a fishing village, and see the iconic windmills. Start your tour at Amsterdam’s Central Station and head in the company of your guide to the first destination of the day, Zaanse Schans. Admire the typical Dutch windmills of the town, and learn about how they are still used today. Next, drive to the Waterland area to arrive at the second stop of the tour, Edam. Walk around some of the town’s most historical sites, including the town square where the famous cheese market used to take place. Then, head to Volendam to visit a local cheese producer, learn about the production of Edam and Gouda cheeses, and try a cheese tasting. Head towards a clog factory next to discover the secrets of this typical Dutch shoe. Finally, travel back in time to the 17th century as you wander through the fishermen’s houses in the Marken, and explore this quintessential fishing village.

From Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Zaanse Schans Tour w/ Boat Ride

10. From Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Zaanse Schans Tour w/ Boat Ride

Explore Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum in the Netherlands on a day tour from Amsterdam. See the cheese farm, clog factory, and more before a cruise tour through Giethoorn. You will pass through the small canals, beautiful houses, and cobbled stone lanes of the Dutch village. Your experience begins as your guide meets you near Amsterdam's Central Station, from where you travel to the typical Dutch windmill village of Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum complete with a cheese farm, clog factory, diamond museum, bakery museum, and Kuiperij, where barrels were made to transport goods, green timber houses, traditional crafts, and windmills. Next, head to the unique Dutch village of Giethoorn, heading further north out of Amsterdam. As you travel, listen to learn about the history and significant elements in the Giethoorn region. The journey will take roughly 2 hours, with a break included ensuring a pleasant journey. Giethoorn is beautiful in all seasons and contains a simple beauty that hardly seems real. Discover this as you glide gently through its small canals, passing old but pretty thatched-roof farmhouses. Your captain will serve as a guide throughout this 1-hour boat trip around town. Get to know everything about Giethoorn, with extra time after your boat trip to walk or bike along a narrow footpath, or to learn how to operate the ''whisper boat'', an electric-motor boat. In the evening, arrive back in Amsterdam's center with the rest of your night to look forward to.

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What people are saying about Zaanse Schans

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 15,895 reviews

I had a wonderful experience, learned a lot both from the audio recordings and our guides. The motor coach was very large, double decker, comfortable. I didn’t expect it to be that large and packed with fellow tourists in mid-February. If I went by myself I’d probably spend more time in each place, I guess I felt slightly rushed. We covered a lot of ground in short period of time. Our guides were extremely kind, helpful and knowledgeable! Very funny, too! Our driver was also super professional and supportive of all our needs. I’m not sure I could take care of everyone the way they did! Many thanks to the entire team, they were brilliant. If I went again, I’d have an early lunch before the trip or be prepared with some healthy snacks until the 3-4 pm. meal.

Ester was a really good guide, lots of knowledge for the tour (also added her personal touch to the tour from facts of her own life as she was raised in a windmill herself which was really interesting) and she made the whole experience the highlight of our visit to Amsterdam. Highly recommended tour and Ester as a guide.

The day could not have been better! The guide, Eva, went above and beyond to keep her audience engaged. It was a beautiful sunny day, which helped, and I felt we saw everything we wanted to, and learnt so much at the same time.

A must do when in Amsterdam. Tony and Merriam were our great host. They are very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Evelyn is so knowledgeable and our tour driver is so helpful. Places are fantastic except for the rainy weather