Zaanse Schans Windmills, Clogs and Dutch Cheese Small-Group Tour from Amsterdam
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+3
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore Zaanse Schans and the Dutch countryside this tour from Amsterdam. With an informative guide, admire the lush, canal-crossed Dutch landscape. Take a tour of pretty Zaanse Schans, famous for its wooden windmills and green-painted houses, and visit a cheese farm and clog-making workshop to learn about these traditional crafts. Lastly, visit a working windmill to learn about the role of windmills in the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age.
- Perfect for first-time visitors to the Netherlands
- All admission fees are included in the cost of the tour
- Learn about the historical Zaans region from your guide
- Round-trip shared transfers from Amsterdam are included
What's Included
- Local guide
- Round-trip shared transfer
- Entrance fees
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- LOT61 Amsterdam Centraal StationOosterdoksstraat 4, 1011 DK Amsterdam, Netherlands
Meet your driver next to Amsterdam Centraal Station outside coffee store LOT61. Coffee store LOT61 is part of hotel DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station. Your tour guide will hold an orange umbrella.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Your tour starts in Amsterdam, where you'll meet your guide at a meeting point near Amsterdam Central Station. Then head out to the Dutch countryside with a small group of fellow travelers until you reach the photogenic village of Zaanse Schans, listening to your guide tell you all about the region and its history along the way.
Once in Zaanse Schans, visit the Kooijman Souvenirs & Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop to see quintessential Dutch footwear being made before continuing to Molen De Kat, a paint mill that relies on wind power to create paint. Your next stop is the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm to watch a cheese-making presentation, followed by a cheese tasting at the onsite cheese shop.
After experiencing the village, head back to your Amsterdam departure point.
Once in Zaanse Schans, visit the Kooijman Souvenirs & Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop to see quintessential Dutch footwear being made before continuing to Molen De Kat, a paint mill that relies on wind power to create paint. Your next stop is the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm to watch a cheese-making presentation, followed by a cheese tasting at the onsite cheese shop.
After experiencing the village, head back to your Amsterdam departure point.
1
Zaanse Schans
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Zaan Tours (Pass By)
2
Kooijman Souvenirs & Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Molen De Kat
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- As seats on this tour are restricted, all travelers should have a ticket
- Not wheelchair accessible
- This tour contains a moderate amount of walking
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 2,802 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Melanie_P, Aug 2026
The meeting place was convenient to get to. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area.Easy walk for those you can’t tolerate long stretches of walking.
Donna_M, Aug 2026
A wonderful time to see the windmills. A beautiful space. Very clean. A great day. You need to pay to go up in windmill.
Donna_W, Aug 2026
Very informative; accommodating to seniors. Knowledgeable guide. He kept the group interested but not overwhelmed with information.
Sheri_L, Aug 2026
This was amazing! Had so much fun with Sharon (a local to the village) as our guide. Learned of the history of the windmills and all about their purposes from past to present. Would absolutely recommend this tour to everyone!
Tara_L, Aug 2026
Claudia was our guide. She made the outing Fun and informative. The 3.5 hour was just the right length of time.
aaron_c, Aug 2026
Sharon was an absolutely delightful person. She really made this experience so wonderful, even with the temperature fairly hot! If you are thinking this seems like a "touristy" thing to do, it is! But that's exactly why you need to do it! You are in Amsterdam--see how they make wooden shoes, taste some fantastic cheese, and the cherry on top is really seeing a functional windmill. Kids thought is was so cool.
Anthony_L, Aug 2026
Decent amount of walking but found it to be easy. Definitely enough breaks. Tour guide was phenomenal!
Dolly_R, Aug 2026
Loved the tour. So glad I did it and learned so much. The guide was just great and knowledgeable. The pickup point was easy to get to and convenient location to be picked up by Uber.
Karin_O, Aug 2026
Our tour guide Caroline was so informative and lots of fun on our excursion to beautiful Zaanse Schans! The windmills, watching the clogs be made and the cheese tasting and information session were all so fabulous. Such a quaint and gorgeous area in the country. Be sure to make the climb to the top of the windmill that makes the paint! Thank you Caroline for all of your expertise on this wonderful excursion!
Randy_S, Aug 2026
Touristy. Crowded but not overly crowded
Very interesting
Similar to being in a “ world “ in epcot
Quite fascinating
pclinkenbeard, Aug 2026
Great way to see windmills. The clogs demo and cheese tasting was great. Try the sorbet in the chocolate shop at the windmill you stop at, delicious!
Teemu_J, Aug 2026
Destination was worth of visiting. Sadly it is getting very crowded there. Trip very well organized and guided. Go with a small group like this rather.
John_R, Aug 2026
It was a very interesting tour with a number of historical insights and demonstrations. Our tour guide, Santiago, did an excellent job of keeping us moving at a nice clip and providing us with very interesting information.
Lynn_E, Aug 2026
This was a lovely tour. Sharron, our guide was fantastic, very friendly and enthusiastic, also extremely knowledgeable. The village is charming and very interesting. Would very much recommend.
StephanneTeeJay_T, Aug 2026
Excellent experience with a very knowledgeable and professional and friendly tour guide.
We will always remember The 6/9 Perspective!!
Leslie_C, Aug 2026
Kenny was a great tour guide and explained very well about the amount of walking and the history he explains fascinating!
Leslie_M, Aug 2026
Great guide, interesting content and beautiful town! My only criticism is that there were SO many tourists at once and it kind of ruined the pastoral atmosphere.
Best to do it in the morning, on a weekday, in the off-season.
Jeanette_H, Aug 2026
Fabulous small group tour- very personal-wonderful guide, Sharon who really made the tour a joy! Lots of great information.
Sarah_P, Aug 2026
This was a great experience. The small group was perfect and you were able to get into some great educational lectures and leave so much. And Sharon the guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. Thank you
CarolAnn_T, Aug 2026
The guide was excellent! The windmills were beautiful. The clod shoe making was fascinating as well as the cheese experience.
Great excursion!!
Daryl_P, Aug 2026
Caroline was pleasant, shared stories and history of Zaanse Schanse. Useful to have a guide connect what you see with the history of the place through stories. Our group of 15 people made this a much nicer experience due to more personal attention from our guide and the ability to mingle with your fellow travellers. All the while enjoying the historic windmills, clog making workshop, cheese making tour. Quite a touristy and busy location, but well worth a visit
Sharon_R, Aug 2026
Claudia was a very good tour guide. Good history on the windmills and very personsble. Good value for the money
Sylvia_S, Aug 2026
The tour was incredible because Maake the tour guide was so friendly and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the windmills and the cheese experience very much. The transportation was a very clean nice van. Highly recommend!
Chunghao_W, Aug 2026
If you’re visiting Amsterdam and only have time for one half-day excursion, make it this tour! It was the perfect escape from the city and an unforgettable introduction to the Dutch countryside.
Zaanse Schans looks like something straight out of a postcard. The historic windmills, charming green wooden houses, and peaceful canals create some of the most beautiful scenery in the Netherlands. Every stop felt incredibly photogenic, and I came away with some of my favorite photos from the entire trip.
The clog-making demonstration was fascinating and surprisingly entertaining. Watching the craftsmanship up close gave me a whole new appreciation for this iconic Dutch tradition. The cheese farm was another standout—the tasting was generous, delicious, and made it impossible to leave without bringing home some amazing Dutch cheese!
One of the highlights was getting to go inside a working windmill. Learning how these engineering marvels powered the Dutch Golden Age while enjoying panoramic views of the countryside made the experience even more memorable.
The entire tour was exceptionally well organized, with comfortable transportation, perfect timing, and a knowledgeable guide who shared fascinating history, local stories, and fun facts throughout the journey. The small-group format made everything feel relaxed and personal, never rushed or overcrowded.
This tour offers the perfect mix of history, culture, food, and breathtaking scenery. It exceeded every expectation and was worth every penny. Whether it’s your first time in the Netherlands or you’re returning, this experience is an absolute must. I would book it again in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone looking for an authentic taste of Dutch culture!
Wayne_B, Aug 2026
Sharon was amazing! She had a great energy and was extremely knowledgeable. We enjoyed learning about the town and clog and cheese making. The windmill was very interesting. Time flew by as we were having fun and learning at the same time!
Stephanie_C, Aug 2026
Such a great time getting to explore outside of the city! There was a lot of history given, as well as plenty of time for free exploration! I am so sorry but I forget my lovely tour guide's name, Katrina or Caroline I think? (She is from France Originally) She was lovely!
wendy_s, Aug 2026
It’s brilliant and we had an amazing guide which made it all the better for our enjoyment , friendly and caring to everyone, we were a small group but everyone was made welcome
Michael_V, Aug 2026
Great trip and the guide was fantastic
Very informative. If you are engineer you will geek out inside the windmill.
If not, you will be in awe
Learned a lot!
Peter_K, Aug 2026
Worth the time. Picturesque and interesting.
Sharon was a local and a great guide withe a joyful, cheerful personality and great knowledge.
Jeffrey_T, Aug 2026
Very nice and informative host. Great personality. An Amsterdam native, so he had great perspective.
From $50.16
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Zaanse Schans Windmills, Clogs and Dutch Cheese Small-Group Tour from Amsterdam
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