Private Zaanse Schans & Volendam Tour: Windmills, Cheese & Clogs
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Trade Amsterdam’s bustle for the tranquility of the Dutch countryside—and enjoy a personalized sightseeing experience—on this private, half-day tour. Following morning pickup from your Amsterdam hotel, hop aboard your comfortable, private vehicle. Your first destination in Zaanse Schans, where you can admire its windmills. Next, head to the Volendam fishing village.
- Enjoy a leisurely, comfortable sightseeing experience on this private tour
- Round-trip transit from your Amsterdam hotel by comfortable vehicle
- Stay connected with on-board Wi-Fi
- Discover the Dutch countryside’s windmills, fishing villages, and more
What's Included
- Private tour and transportation
- WiFi on board
- Entrance tickets to Windmills, Cheese & Clogs Factory
- All Fees and Taxes
- Bottled water
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off (Amsterdam)
- Meet & Greet Service
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
You will be picked up at the agreed location you prefer; hotel, harbour port, train station, Schiphol Airport, or any given address in Amsterdam. It will be no problem to send us an update up to 12 hours in advance if the pickup address is not known at the time of the booking.
Itinerary
1
Zaanse Schans
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Volendam
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Susan_H
We had such a great experience with our private guide sam he was so patient with us . And just a happy person . This tour is totally worth it , was beautiful and fun to see the windmills and cheese factory etc
Reviews
4.8
based on 54 reviews
Libby_L, Oct 2024
The guide was very knowledgeable and personable. We enjoyed his flexibility and the variety of sites we visited. We appreciated learning about Amsterdam today and in the past. The dairyman and wooden shoe maker was a waste of time, though the cheese was good. All in all a very nice day.
Maria_S, Sep 2024
Fantastic experience. Our guide Sam, was the best. Very attentive to detail. He took us to see the windmills, we went to a cheese maker where we rated many different kinds of cheese. We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant where the owner explained the process of making smoked eel. This same restaurant, Paviljoen Smit Bokkum, was visited by Andrew Zimmer. The food was delicious. The whole experience was fantastic. Sam gave us an unforgettable tour. Don’t think twice when traveling to Amsterdam and book this tour. You will be very pleased.
Susan_H, Jun 2024
We had such a great experience with our private guide sam he was so patient with us . And just a happy person . This tour is totally worth it , was beautiful and fun to see the windmills and cheese factory etc
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Dear, firstly we are very thankful for your lovely review. It was our pleasure to provide you
with our service. We hope you have had a nice time in The Netherlands.
Donna_C, May 2024
Our guide Sam was excellent. His information and recommendations let us know what to expect. He knew where to take us to get the best experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Dear, Thank you very much for your review. We are glad to hear that you are satisfied!
Juan_R, May 2024
Sam was a great tour guide; very knowledgeable and very friendly. Highly recommended for a half day trip outside of Amsterdam!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Dear, we are happy to hear you were satisfied with our service. Moreover, we would like to
thank you for your review as well.
Donald_H, Apr 2024
Our guide, Sunny, was fantastic. He made the tour so enjoyable. The tour of an actual functioning windmill that was a sawmill was the highlight
Eve_K, Oct 2023
This trip is far too expensive for what it is.
You don't actually see much so was quite dissapointed that we gave 520€ for 2 of us.
The driver was a nice guy but we felt quite rushed, we wanted to look into the shops when walking past but he always rushed off then we needed to find him.
It was nice that it was a private tour but I don't feel it was worth the price tag it came with. Had we off gotten to see more places then it would have been worth it.
Almas_A, Oct 2023
Sam was our tour for the day, we absolutely enjoyed our time. Same was super friendly, welcoming, generous and knowledgeable not only of the tour but he also shared general history and knowledge about the Netherlands and the areas we visited. We visited the Windmills, Cheese factory and fishing village, had time to shop and walk around a bit. Sam was both flexible with time and efficient. Tour duration was great too, we went through everything and still had the rest of the day to enjoy the city.
Rafael_R, Oct 2023
Erwin has an extraordinary guy taking us to the places we wanted to see. He is fun, friendly and local! Amazing experience
Kevin_B, Sep 2023
Was a able to see everything we wanted to see. Driver, Tommy, was great. Toured windmills and cheese factory
Joey_L, Aug 2023
We really enjoyed the windmill tour and learning about their construction
Our guide/owner was knowledgeable,, super friendly and patient
Merrianne_S, Jul 2023
We enjoyed getting to see the windmills and clog shop. Sam took us through some countryside to the cheese factory and on our way to Vollmer. We had a great tour and Sam was a wonderful and kind guide!
Marion_L, Jun 2023
Loved the windmills. And enjoyed seeing the clogg maker at work. Toured a local cheese factory and learned alot. Daniel did a great job as our guide. Was quite knowledgeable and courteous
Zarah_L, Jun 2023
It was a very relaxing tour! Sam, our guide and driver made it that way. We went to beautiful places we wanted to be. We highly recommend this tour especially with kids and with a tight schedule.
Nadia_P, Jun 2023
This was the absolute worst tour we have experienced. If we had expected a driver, then that was satisfactory, but we had hired a guide to inform us and give us insight to these countryside destinations. Our guide was very quiet and didn’t seem to know much about Zaanse Schans or Volendam; in fact, he wasn’t sure where we were supposed to go exactly when he picked us up - he actually asked me! There was almost no speaking on the drive there, and when we arrived, the extremely obvious was stated in short, succinct sentences…things that anyone could simply see. “This is a windmill…it is grinding paint.” “This is how they make cheese…”
We finished everything - the drive from Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans, and Volendam - in about 3 hours and had a leisurely lunch. In Volendam, he said NOTHING about the town…actually I don’t think he said anything at all while we navigated the main street for the first 15 minutes. I finally asked if it’s an old town just so that he could elaborate or simply say something, and he simply replied, “Yes, it’s an old town…” and he said another sentence or two that made it apparent he did not know much about Volendam. I think he realized that we finished the tour way too early, so he took us to another identical cheese-making demonstration in a different location. It was the same Henri Willig demo again. We got the hint…my husband said to me that maybe we have to buy cheese, which we did. My daughter was discreetly whispering to me, “Please…please no more cheese.”
Our guide was perfectly nice, but it was very, very clear to us that he was meant to be the driver only…the guide must have been someone else. He was not the guide stated in the reviews, and I rely heavily on reviews to make these decisions, so I feel obligated to state mine here. If we had hired an Uber driver to take us around, we would have spent much less money (almost €600) and probably had much more conversation. I hate leaving negative reviews, but I always make these choices based on others’ experiences, and this one was that disappointing. I would not want another family to waste so much valuable time in such a beautiful country.
I called Viator to share my experience, and my customer service rep was actually laughing from the ridiculousness and absurdity of it all. She could not believe it herself!
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Dear Sir/Madam,
We reached out to you personally to address your concerns. We deeply regret that your expectations were not met, and we take your concerns very seriously.
First and foremost, please accept our heartfelt apologies for the inadequate knowledge and expertise displayed by our tour guide during your recent tour. We understand that a knowledgeable and engaging guide is essential to providing an enriching experience, and we recognize that our guide fell short of your expectations. However, we addressed to you personally that these circumstances happened because of the bad news he received before the start time of your tour.
Please know that your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. We genuinely appreciate your taking the time to bring these concerns to our attention, as it allows us to address them and improve our services. We are committed to continually enhancing the quality of our tours and ensuring that our customers have memorable and fulfilling experiences.
To express our apologies and our commitment to your satisfaction, we offered a refund that covered all your expenses. Once again, I apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience you experienced.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me personally if you have any further concerns or if there is anything else we can do to rectify the situation. We value your feedback and are committed to resolving this matter to your satisfaction.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Yours sincerely,
Gijs
Janet_B, May 2023
Sam, our guide was prompt, polite, helpful, knowledgeable and has lived in the Netherlands for 35 years. Took us out to the beautiful country and saw incredible working windmills, a cheese factory and state of the art dairy milking cow facilities. Just a wonderful day!
Stephen_G, May 2023
Great experience. Very knowledgabke guide and pleasant personality. Thourougjly enjoyed. Highly recomend
Sarah_S, Apr 2023
One of the best tours we did in the Netherlands. Sam was prompt, courteous and catered to our group of six.
A must do if you are in or around Amsterdam!
Ivy_M, Mar 2023
This was an amazing experience. Our tour guide took us to the windmills, the cheese factory, and because we finished early he took us to see tulips and the sea town. On our drive he told us the makeup of Amsterdam and suggested other areas to explore. My husband and I were throughly impressed. It was nice to see other parts of this country. Thank you for a great experience.
Ronny_S, Jan 2023
Our private tour included pickup and drop off service. Our family of 5 were picked up in a nice van from our hotel. Our driver and tour guide, Sam, was very punctual and polite even help us carrying our stuff that we bought during tour. He pointed out and explain point of interests along the way. Each site that we visited provided its own guide (windmills and cheese factory) Sam was never rushing us. He made sure we had enough time to enjoy the trip. At the end of the tour, he gave us a ride through the Red Light District as a bonus! Definitely recommended.
grbyers, Nov 2022
Our guide, Sam, was so patient at every stop. Our visit to a working windmill ( a sawmill) was a highlight. Watching a clog being formed from a block of wood was fascinating. Our visit to the cheese making farm included an introduction to a modern barn. The cows choose when they are ready to be milked and set themselves up in the stall ready for the milking machine to collect their milk. Because our group of 6 took extended stays at each of our stops, our tour of Volendam was cut a little short since we chose to take the ferry to Marken. Each member of our group thoroughly enjoyed our day away from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam. Sam could not have done more. We had an excellent day.
Matthew_D, Jul 2022
My family (me, wife, 22 yo daughter, 20 yo daughter, 5 yo daughter) enjoyed this tour immensely. I knew the stops ran the risk of being a little cheesy, but I wanted to take a day out of our week in Amsterdam to get out of the city and see some "traditional" Dutch sights, especially for my five year old. Well, our guide Sam made this one of our favorite days in the Netherlands. His warmth, local knowledge, and enthusiasm made it feel more like we were hanging out with a good family friend who happened to be Dutch. The itinerary was actually perfect for getting a fun overview of the windmills and clog-making of Zaanse Schans, cheesemaking of a local farm, stop along the dike, and wonderful lunch of smoked eel. But the real star of the day was Sam himself, who was just wonderful. Ten stars out of five.
Doris_H, Jun 2022
Our guide was a wonderful driver. He was excellent at getting us to the destinations but had to Google the attraction to answer my questions. He went out of his way to try his best. However we never got to see the dikes. We had to check the attraction list if the museum at the windmill site was included and the boat ride at the fishing village. I would not recommend a Limosine service to replace a tour guide. A lot of money for a private tour to be so disappointed.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Dear Customer,
We feel sorry that you didn't enjoy the tour as you expected. As we have many drivers who provide this tour we are wondering on which day you had the tour and who the driver was. We want to check with the driver where it went wrong and what exactly happened as this means a lot to us in how to improve our service.
We are kindly looking forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Gijs
Candice_B, May 2022
This trip was so beautiful. The countryside and towns were picturesque. Our driver was very knowledgeable and even made a lunch reservation for us so we could taste local fare. At one point, my friend couldn't walk on the cobblestones. He got a wheelchair and pushed her. It was very enjoyable day!
Xinshu_D, Apr 2022
Great driver and guide! I would recommend anyone who is looking for a private tour to consider them!
Justin_M, Aug 2021
We had the most wonderful time. Our tour guide was excellent, friendly, and knowledgeable. The driver was fantastic. This was our best day in Amsterdam.
From $339.34
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Private Zaanse Schans & Volendam Tour: Windmills, Cheese & Clogs
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