Zaanse Schans is one of the easiest day trips from Amsterdam, and after finally visiting, I can see why it’s so popular. Set along the Zaan River, it’s home to historic windmills, wooden houses, and small workshops where you can watch cheese being made, clogs being carved, or even design your own chocolate wrapper at the Verkade Experience.
I spent a few hours wandering around and, while it is touristy, I still found it worthwhile—especially if you want a feel for Dutch countryside life without going far from the capital.
If you’re planning to visit Amsterdam’s famous windmill village, here’s my guide to the best things to do in Zaanse Schans, along with tips to help you plan your day.
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How to Get to Zaanse Schans
A lot of first-time visitors think you need to join a guided tour to visit Zaanse Schans, but that’s not true. While guided tours from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans are certainly convenient, the cheapest and easiest way is by public transport.
The most straightforward route is by train. From Amsterdam Centraal, take a local train to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans Station. The ride takes about 17 minutes, and tickets cost €3.70 each way. From the station, it’s roughly a 20-minute walk to the windmill village. Trains run 2–3 times per hour from early morning until late evening. You can check live schedules and buy tickets directly on the NS website.
If you’re planning to explore several spots in and around the capital, the Amsterdam region travel ticket could save you a couple of bucks. Just make sure to do your sums first!
Since we were staying in Zaandam for the weekend, we decided to drive. But just a heads up—while parking right by the village is convenient with plenty of bays, it’s quite pricey. Expect to pay around €19 per day in the lot next to the Zaans Museum. If you’re renting a car, I recommend checking prices on Discover Cars before you go.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option, I suggest parking in Zaandijk—the small village across the river. From there, you can either walk over the bridge to Zaanse Schans or take the Voetveer ferry. The ferry runs from May 1 to October 1 between 10 am and 5 pm, sailing between the Zaandijkersluis on Lagedijk Street and the De Bonte Hen mill. Tickets cost €1.50 one way. You can find more details and the latest info on the ferry’s website.
Entrance Fees
Zaanse Schans is a free open-air museum, so you can actually walk around the village without paying a thing! But, most of the museums, working mills, and heritage sites do charge a small entrance fee. You can buy tickets individually at each attraction, but if you plan to check out most of the sites, it’s worth buying an all-inclusive ticket that it covers entry to all of them. Tickets are also available onsite or on the village’s official website.
If you’ve got a Museumkaart or the I Amsterdam City Card, bring it along. Most sites offer free entry with them. Just make sure to check if your card is accepted first — participating program logos are also usually displayed in the ticket booth windows, but you can always ask the cashier too.
How Much Time Do You Need at Zaanse Schans?
Most people rush through this iconic windmill town in a few hours. If you’re combining your visit with Edam, Volendam and Marken, you could see most of the village’s highlights in about 2-3 hours.
However, there are a whole bunch of cool things to do in Zaanse Schans, so if you prefer to take things slow, plan to spend at least 4-5 hours here. That way, you can really appreciate the area’s beauty, wander along the bridges and pastures, check out the cool museums, and even relax with a cup of hot chocolate.
- Data: I use Airalo for eSIMs. It’s easy to set up and works instantly when you land.
- Attractions: I book skip-the-line tickets or tours through GetYourGuide or Viator to avoid queues and last-minute stress.
- Accommodation: I use Agoda and Booking.com to compare prices, location, and cancellation options.
- City Pass: The I amsterdam City Card is a great way to save money if you’re visiting many sights. It includes free entry to top attractions, unlimited use of GVB trams, buses, and metros, and a canal cruise.
- Travel Money: I use Wise to pay in local currency at the real exchange rate and skip hidden bank fees.
10 Awesome Things to Do in Zaanse Schans
Great, now that we have the logistics out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff—what to do in Zaanse Schans!
Visit the Windmills
When you think of the Netherlands, I’m sure cheese, tulips, and windmills jump to mind! While you can certainly find cheese and tulips at Zaanse Schans, the highlight of any visit here is seeing its historic windmills!
Once a thriving trade hub with around 600 active windmills, Zaanse Schans is actually the oldest industrial area in Western Europe. During the Dutch Golden Age, it was a key player in shipbuilding and produced various goods, such as machine-sawn wood, paper, spices, oil, dyes, and more. While only a handful of windmills remain here today, it’s undoubtedly one of the best places to catch a glimpse into traditional Dutch life during the 18th and 19th centuries. Here are some of my faves:
De Kat
If you visit just one windmill here, make sure it’s this one! Built in 1664, this paint mill is one of the few remaining working mills in the area and still produces paint, pigments, oils, and chalk to this day. Inside the mill, you can learn a little more about old painting techniques, watch the milling process, and even climb to the upper outdoor deck of the mill on a tiny ladder—the highlight IMO!
De Huisman
It’s impossible to miss the delightful fragrances of freshly ground spices wafting from De Huisman, which dates back to 1908. This historic spice mill also houses a small, authentic shop where you can buy all kinds of spices or simply relish the wonderful aromas.
De Zoeker
One of the most diverse mills in the village has to be De Zoeker. Over the years, it’s produced everything from oil to paint and even cacao, and it’s been at its current location since 1968!
De Bonte Hen
Arguably the ‘luckiest’ mill in the area, this oil mill dates back to 1693 and has truly stood the test of time, surviving multiple lighting strikes over the centuries. It still produces oil today!
Het Jonge Schaap
This is actually a replica of an old sawmill built in the Zaan region in the 1680s. It was reconstructed at its current location in 2007. Don’t miss popping in here if you want to see how the sawmill works or learn about its rebuilding process.
If you still want to see more windmills, check out De Gekroonde Poelenburg, De Os, and De Bleeke Dood.
Check Out the Clog Museum & Workshop
If you’ve ever wondered how Dutch wooden shoes are made, don’t skip the Clog Workshop! It’s one of the top activities in Zaanse Schans and just the place to dive into the fascinating world of Dutch clog-making.
The family-run workshop is housed in the historic De Vreede warehouse. It includes a small but impressive shoe museum displaying an array of interesting clogs, from special wedding clogs to ice-skate clogs, horse clogs, and even rollerskate clogs!
A real highlight here is watching the super informative clog-making demonstration, which showcases how these traditional Dutch shoes are made. The workshop also houses a massive gift shop where you can buy various cool Dutch souvenirs or even a pair of clogs to take home with you.
Visit the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm
You can’t come to the Netherlands without eating some cheese! And if you don’t have time to visit the charming cheese villages of Gouda or Edam, you can get your cheese fix at the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm right here in Zaanse Schans.
This spot is quite touristy, but if you don’t mind joining the scrum, it’s a good place to learn more about the cheese-making process and different varieties. Of course, my favorite part is that you can sample as much as you like in the on-site shop. Try the red pesto cheese and the whisky cheese! I’ll be honest: I was a bit skeptical about the whisky cheese at first, but it surprised me in the best possible way. If you’re curious about what else to eat while you’re here, check out my guide to Dutch food you have to try.
Enjoy Some Hot Chocolate
Chocolate is a big deal in the Zaan region, with a long and varied history of cacao bean production spanning over two centuries. If you have a sweet tooth, you should definitely visit Blik op Cacoa.
It’s a cutesy experience store where you can learn about the entire chocolate-making process, make your own cup of traditional hot chocolate with 100% Zaanse cocoa powder, and top it off with various toppings of your choice!
Join a Boat Tour
A fantastic way to see the windmills from a different vantage point is on a boat tour along the Zaan River. The Windmill Hopper offers small group tours aboard an open sloop with a knowledgeable guide. Tours generally last 25 minutes, and it’s a great way to learn more about the history of the region as you sail past windmills, warehouses, and merchant houses.
The boat tour costs €12 and departs from ‘t Glop next to the De Huisman Spice Mill.
Pop by the Molen Museum
Most people don’t make it to the village’s northern edge, but if you’re keen to learn a little more about the history of windmills in this region, you have to visit the Windmill Museum.
It’s one of the pricier museums (€12) to visit, but it’s filled with a wonderful collection of cool wooden models and interactive displays. The highlight for me was the Windmill Panorama—the world’s largest painting of windmills, depicting dozens of mills along the banks of the Zaan River during the 1800s.
Zaans Museum and Verkade Experience
Hot chocolate isn’t the only sweet treat awaiting you at Zaanse Schans! If you still haven’t quite satisfied your sugar cravings, visit the Zaans Museum.
The museum is another unmissable tourist attraction. It showcases the history of cookies and chocolate making and is filled with interactive displays and computer games! If you’re feeling creative, you can even create your own wrapper to wrap your chocolate in!
Visit the Albert Heijn Museum Shop
It’s hard to believe, but the Netherlands’ most famous supermarket chain, Albert Heijn, actually originated in the Zaan region. Today, you can visit the original grocery shop, which dates back to 1887, right here at Zaanse Schans.
The museum is housed in a 19th-century wooden building. Inside, you can buy goodies and see the store’s original furnishings.
Wander Around
One of the absolute best things to do at Zaanse Schans is simply to wander around and take in all the charms this lovely area offers. The setting is truly idyllic, and you’ll love all the pretty wooden houses, windmills, shops, and picturesque views over green pastures, the Zaan River, and Zaandijk in the distance.
Grab a Fish Sandwich
There are a couple of eateries, but if you’re looking for something a bit more authentic, look for the small fish barbecue stall near the Het Jonge Schaap Mill. They sell giant pickles and yummy sandwiches stuffed with smoked salmon, mackerel, or herring.
Final Thoughts: Is Zaanse Schans Worth Visiting?
Absolutely! Even though it’s touristy, Zaanse Schans is still worth the trip. It’s one of the easiest day trips from Amsterdam and gives you a quick taste of windmills, cheese, and clogs all in one place. Between climbing a windmill, sampling cheese, watching a clog-making demo, or just enjoying the riverside scenery, there’s plenty to fill a half day.
If you’ve got room in your Amsterdam itinerary, I’d say it definitely deserves a spot.
Have you been to Zaanse Schans? I’d love to know what your favorite part was. And if you haven’t been yet, which spot would you be most excited to see — the windmills, the cheese farm, or the clog workshop?
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