As well as seeing the main sights on our short stay in Amsterdam, we were also keen to explore further afield on a day trip. So, we headed out of Amsterdam in the morning to visit the Alkmaar Cheese Market, before moving on to Zaanse Schans in search of windmills, and then returning to Amsterdam in time for dinner. These two destinations ,worked well together as a day trip from Amsterdam being in the same direction Northwest of Amsterdam – cheese and windmills, a perfect combination!
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What is Zaanse Schans?
Zaanse Schans is a quiet, residential neighbourhood on the edge of the Dutch town of Zaandam, near Amsterdam. The area has become a key tourist attraction due to its cluster of historic windmills and traditional green wooden buildings located on the River Zaan, many of which were relocated here for preservation.
An opportunity has been created for you to feel like you have walked back in time and to see how a living and working community in the Zaan district looked like in the 18th and 19th centuries.
How do I get to Zaanse Schans?
If you’ve been at the Alkmaar Cheese Market in the morning – there are a number of train combinations to get you to Zaanse Schans. Most involve first taking a train to Zaandam, and then changing trains to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans, followed by a 20-minute walk from the train station to the entrance of Zaanse Schans. Allow an hour in total for this journey.
Coming directly from Amsterdam – there is a direct train from Centraal Station to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans, or alternatively you can take a train to Zaandam and change to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans (as above), whichever train comes first.
As the Dutch trains are very efficient, we found it very easy to move around the area.
Time for a quick sightseeing stop in Zaandam?
If you have time, and are travelling via Zaandam, get off the train here and exit the train station briefly to see the Instagram friendly Inntel Hotel. The hotel looks like a pile of Lego bricks but is actually a stack of around 70 individual Zaan houses.
Intel Hotel is directly outside the train station, so you can make a quick pit-stop for photos before continuing on your journey.
What to expect at Zaanse Schans
When you arrive at Zaanse Schans, you will pass a cluster of cute green wooden houses, but as some of these are lived in, there are signs asking you to be quiet as you walk around this section.
The big attraction however are the windmills at Zaanse Schans on the river’s edge – I was so captivated by the sight of the windmills and their slow turning sails, that I seem to have blotted out any memory of crowds doing the same thing. To be fair, the site is quite large and so it is possible to walk away from the more crowded areas to find serenity amongst the windmills.
In total there are 10 windmills at Zaanse Schans, some of which are open to go inside so you can see where wood was sawn, oil made and flour, spices and pigments milled. You can ascend the steep ladders in some of the windmills to the outside decks for beautiful panoramas over the fields and dykes.
This area was the first industrial zone in the Netherlands and the windmills were key to the production of all sorts of things. Each of the windmills at Zaanse Schans were used for a different purpose and have their own personalities, for example, De Huisman is a spice windmill and warehouse, De Kat is a paint mill, De Gekroonde Poelenburg is a sawmill and De Zoeker produced oil, paint and cocoa mill – you can even pick up an alcoholic hot chocolate from this one (hot chocolate and rum).
If you still want to know more about windmills then there is also a small, dedicated windmill museum with some interactive elements.
What else is there to see at Zaanse Schans?
Aside from the windmills at Zaanse Schans, our favourite experience was the Clog Workshop where you can see clogs being made. There was a small clog exhibition of clogs on the way out as well as a shop selling clogs and clog related items. Outside the workshop building are pairs of oversized yellow clogs, perfect for taking some funny or social media photos which our kids liked.
We bypassed the Cheese Farm having spent the morning at the Alkmaar Cheese Market, but briefly visited the Bakery Museum. Also on site are numerous handicraft shops, the Weavers House where they made the sails for the windmills, a coopery, liqueur distillery and even a pewter foundry.
Practicalities for visiting Zaanse Schans
Cost of visiting
Zaanse Schans has free entry but then charges for individual activities, including using the toilets! Whilst we didn’t arrive by car, we noticed that there was a fairly steep charge for car parking. Each windmill entry was around 6 Euros, although the Clog Workshop was free.
As a result, the individual costs can add up if you decide to visit everything, or are visiting with several family members.
Food at Zaanse Schans
We had eaten lunch in Alkmaar before arriving in Zaanse Schans and so weren’t hungry when we visited, however we noted that opportunities for eating were fairly limited although there was a Pancake House across the river on the way in to Zaanse Schans. Otherwise, it’s a lunch of chocolate, cheese or something from the bakery!
Is a visit to Zaanse Schans worth it?
I was glad to have visited Zaanse Schans and really enjoyed exploring the windmills, as well as seeing the clogs being made. It is a very pretty site and the windmills look lovely lined up along the water’s edge.
However, it was very busy and did rather feel like a purpose built tourist attraction. That said, it made a good day trip from Amsterdam when married up with the morning’s visit to the Alkmaar Cheese Market and fit nicely into our short stay in Amsterdam.
If you want to visit on an organised tour rather than under your own steam, you can book a tour through Get Your Guide, which are often paired with the Keukenhof Gardens, or as a bike tour.
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