Windmills of Kinderdijk Tours and Tickets

There are lots of ways to experience the Windmills of Kinderdijk. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• All-Inclusive Private Windmill Tour to Kinderdijk from Rotterdam

• Kinderdijk Bike Tour

• Private Customizable Day Trip from Rotterdam

• Kinderdijk Windmills and Delft Small-Group Tour from Amsterdam

• Kinderdijk Area Cycling Tour

You can see the outside of the windmills for free, but if you want to visit the museums, visitor center (the Wisboom Pumping Station), and take a boat ride, you need to pay the €21 entry fee. If you book online, there’s usually a 10-percent discount.

Yes, the Windmills of Kinderdijk are worth visiting, not only for the chance to see classic wood-and-stone Dutch mills, but for their history and what they teach about water management in the Netherlands. The UNESCO–listed site offers a glimpse into the lives of 17th-century miller families inside the converted windmill-museums, and you can learn more by visiting with a guide.

Per one customer who booked the Kinderdijk Bike Tour, "If I could give the Kinderdijk Bike Tour with Marco six stars, I would! It is well worth it. Marco is an amazing guide and a true Kinderdijk local who got to know me and my friend on the waterbus ride from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk. He then added to the tour and tailored the experience to us. After picking up our e-bikes in Kinderdijk, Marco took us to a village bakery for a delicious pastry and coffee. We then set off for a visit to a working windmill (milling flour) in a nearby village. We spent an hour with one of the volunteer caretakers who had us climbing inside the windmill, showing us the gears and answering all our questions about the engineering."

Yes, people live in the Windmills of Kinderdijk. Most windmills have residents, many of whom are members of the Hoek family who have lived in the area (and its windmills) for many generations. Many of the residents have a degree in milling and are thus authorized to use the windmills for their original purpose.

The best time to visit the Windmills of Kinderdijk is during the summer when the skies are less likely to be cloudy. Come early in the morning or at sunset for the best photos, or plan an evening visit for the annual Illumination Festival in September, when the windmills are lit up.

Yes, guided tours are available for visitors who want to explore the Windmills of Kinderdijk, and they are worth it. Many tours include transportation from Rotterdam or Amsterdam, and some include bike rentals. Themed photography tours are also available for travelers who want to take quintessentially Dutch photos.

Yes, there is an entrance fee to visit the Kinderdijk UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can buy tickets online or when you arrive, or book a guided tour that includes admission fees and—in many cases—transportation, guide services, and even bicycle rentals.

It depends. You can spend as little as an hour at the Windmills of Kinderdijk, though most visitors like to spend a bit longer at the site to truly appreciate all it has to offer. Many tours of the area spend about three or four hours at Kinderdijk.

Yes, you can combine a visit to Kinderdijk with other nearby attractions and cities, and many people do. Tours of the area often include stops to nearby towns such as Delft, famous for its blue pottery, The Hague, or Rotterdam, and some even visit Gouda, famous for its cheese.

There are tons of things to do when you're done visiting the Windmills of Kinderdijk. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Rotterdam:

• Markthal 

• Church of St. Lawrence

• Erasmusbrug

• Cube Houses

• Rotterdam Central Station

View Viator's guides to all the best attractions in Rotterdam.