Zaanse Schans Windmills, Clogs and Dutch Cheese Small-Group Tour from Amsterdam
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 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 2,667 reviews
Ron_T, Jun 2026
Worked out well. Good way to see a period village with windmills. The cheese production was informative. The demonstration of making wooden shoes was good. Understanding the levies was good. Yes a bit touristy but provides you what things were like with the wooden windmills, levies, cheese factories, milling and so on.
Judith_S, Jun 2026
Meeting place clearly identified. Travel comfortable. Tour guide clear and informative. The explanation of the windmill and seeing them in person was why we went and proved to be very special. Even though we had a rainy day, experience was exceptional. Because of the rain the clog building became crowded during our explanation of making shoes and it was hard to hear. I was able to understand the process. The cheese making was a private explanation. Tasting was delicious. The view from the windmill was great. This tour is recommended.
Lee_H, Jun 2026
This is a great tour. Our guide was excellent. She provided good and thorough information from start to finish. The sights were spectacular. I definitely recommend this tour to anyone wanting to see old Holland.
Katie_B, Jun 2026
We thought it was a very nice experience! Our tour guide was very good! He explained what we were seeing and the history. He was also very caring of the people —- one older man passed out for a minute from the heat and our tour guide assisted and made sure he was ok and comfortable before we proceeded.
Donna_C, Jun 2026
Great treat getting out of the city seeing windmills and the small village.
The cheese and clog making demos were cool to see
Michael_H, Jun 2026
Zaanse Schans preserves the traditional rural life of 19th century Holland, with working windmills and cheese and clog factories. It’s geared to tourists, of course, but the experience is not overly corny or in-your-face commercial. The bucolic locale is a pleasant diversion from the bustle of Amsterdam. Our guide was fun and well-spoken.
Robin_S, Jun 2026
The tour guide was lovely and professional
But, the feeling was that the place was a tourist created event
Kimberly_H, Jun 2026
Claudia our guide is from the area she knew many people in the small town. She was fun, informative, told jokes and kept us moving so we could see all the parts of the town. The chocolate smell in the air was amazing. The wooden clog demonstrated was interesting to watch. The shop was adorable and there was plenty of time to purchase souvenirs. There were 40 different kinds of cheese to taste at the cheese store. We bought candy and cookies there also which were delicious. The windmills were fascinating! There were steep steps to climb. And very doable. We appreciated Claudia’s knowledge and her ability to share and connect with the group.
Elizabeth_O, Jun 2026
Everything ran smoothly. Our tour guide David was really helpful and responsive. It was cool to walk around the village and go inside the windmill.
Helen_U, Jun 2026
Visit a reconstructed village with all the advertised activities and attractions. All presentations were well done, Cheese tasting setup was very crowded & difficult to try all the unique flavors. The windmills were impressive & was terrific to go up inside the windmill.
I didn’t expect to go to Disneyland.
Amanda_H, Jun 2026
So glad I planned this excursion while in Amsterdam. Our guide, Claudia, was an absolute delight and our driver, Harry, was wonderful as well. We ended up on Claudia’s tour because my 20 y/o couldn’t get out of bed in time for the first tour. We were so lucky that a family of 3 arrived early for the second tour and we were able to swap with them. The guides were so sweet even with our hiccup. I really appreciated that. Claudia was so knowledgeable about the town and did a great job keeping us moving along but all the while, enjoying what we were seeing. The cheese was the highlight! I left with 5 lbs and wish I had bought even more!
Patricia_R, Jun 2026
This was an excellent tour at a very reasonable price. Carolina(sp) was knowledgeable and entertaining! Our Driver Kenny did an excellent job navigating for us!
Steven_D, Jun 2026
This was an excellent tour. Mikee was very informative and knowledgeable about the whole area. She explained a lot about the history of the area and of the buildings. There was time to explore on our own as well as explanations led by her. Overall I have zero complaints and would definitely recommend taking this tour. It is a full 3.5 hours with 30 minutes travel each way. 2.5 hours in the town was the perfect amount.
Mary_R, Jun 2026
There is quite a bit of walking. There are also some steep inclines over bridges etc. Our guide, Mubarak, was excellent! The tour itself was very fun and interesting. For those who tire easily, there are benches along the way for resting. Our guide gave plenty of time to get from one place to another.
Judith_L, Jun 2026
Our sweet guide, Maaike, was really friendly, energetic, and obviously passionate about Zaanse Schans. She drove our group of 8 from Amsterdam and was a safe driver. In the small village, she took us around, explaining well the town's history and current situation. Everyone seemed pleased with Maaike, and the entire 3.5 hours were pleasant.
...
The only downside was that the stops felt a bit rushed. 20-30 minutes of free time after each stop or an hour at the end of the village visit would have enabled people to go back to favorite places. Maybe that would result in more money for the local economy.
Kevin_N, Jun 2026
We thoroughly enjoyed the Zaanse Schans Windmills, Clogs and Dutch Cheese Small-Group Tour from Amsterdam. Our guide, Caroline, was kind, informative, patient, and did an excellent job keeping everyone comfortable on an unusually hot and sunny day. The tour was very well paced, never feeling rushed, and the small group size and comfortable coach made for a relaxed and enjoyable experience.
The highlights were plentiful. Watching traditional Dutch clogs being made was fascinating, and learning about the history and production of Edam cheese gave us a real appreciation for one of the Netherlands’ most famous exports. The cheese tasting was an added bonus! The tour of a working windmill was equally impressive. Seeing the machinery in action and learning how it grinds chalk provided a unique glimpse into Dutch engineering and history.
Zaanse Schans itself is beautiful, with its iconic windmills, canals, and traditional buildings creating a picture-perfect setting. Combined with Caroline’s excellent commentary and organization, it made for a wonderful morning escape from the city.
Highly recommended for anyone looking to experience a bit of traditional Dutch culture while visiting Amsterdam.
michelleflander, Jun 2026
This was a really fun excursion we got to see all we wanted too in an organized way! Would recommend it for all ages there was some walking but just a stroll around the area. The steps to get to the top of the windmill were really steep but great view!
Joy_A, Jun 2026
A great experience with a great tour guide. TOS, I hope I spelled her name correctly, was the best tour guide you could have for this experience. She lives in the neighborhood, is friends with the people living in the village and has knowledge no one else could know unless you were truly part of the community. Highly recommend.
Owen_T, Jun 2026
It is a great experience learning about the windmills, clog making and cheese making. Sharon was an excellent guide and was so passionate.
Theresa_L, Jun 2026
This is a wonderful tour, we all enjoyed it.
A note about the tour company itself. I scheduled our excursion for the wrong day at 1200. When we showed up that tour was full but was told they could put us on at 2:00 pm. A miss count and the 2:00 tour was 1 seat short. They sent us on the bus and the guide ( now without a seat) ran, literally, to the train, took the train and met us at the tour start point. They were over the top accommodating.
Gary_d, Jun 2026
Very pleasant excursion and our guide David was superb. Good to see the outskirts of Amsterdam Tasted and bought some really pleasant tasting cheese.
RG_T, Jun 2026
Well worth it little bit the tour cost. We loaded into a van for a short drive back in time. We arrived at a small, lived in, working village, made up of rescued and preserved houses/buildings/windmills. We toured through the village (not inside the houses, they are private & lived in). Next up was a tour into (and on top of) a working windmill, it grinds the base and pigments for restoring some of the old masters paintings. The view from the top is impressive, the steep stairs were less so. On to a cheese making demonstration and tasting, 35+ flavors to choose/buy. Last up was a wooden shoe factory, with a small museum of the different types they've made (wedding shoes, dress shoes, ice skates, you get the idea). They had a demonstration of both the old, and new ways they were/are made.
There are shops throughout the area selling a bit of everything- jewelry, ice cream, chocolate, cheese, and wooden shoes.
Our guide, Kenny, was great - friendly, knowledgeable, and funny. His stories were very informative, brought the old ways to life.
Allison_S, Jun 2026
Absolutely perfect day. A good length of time with a short shuttle bus drive to see the beautiful windmills and village. I would live here in a heartbeat!
It was like an image from a jigsaw puzzle.. A step back in time with a tour guide who lives in the village. So knowledgeable and such a burst of happiness. Topped off with cheese tasting, clog shoe demonstration, not to mention the magnificent windmills which my husband and I learnt so much about.
Finally chocolate to finish the day !! Highly recommended!
jody_M, Jun 2026
Wonderful tour! Learned so many things! Our guide (Raya) was awesome!!! Nice short tour! Highly recommend!
Sandy_P, Jun 2026
Quintessential Holland at its best. Caroline was a great guide with local knowledge and humor. Highly recommend.
brianwhite, Jun 2026
Fantastic tour!! Wonderful guide who really knew his history!! Comfortable vcoach, we even climbed a windmill!!
Steven_G, Jun 2026
The windmills are truly magnificent. We very much enjoyed this tour and the tour guide was great as well.
Justin_R, Jun 2026
Bianca was our tour guide and she did a great job. We got out of the city and got to see some of the Dutch countryside. The Zaandijk village is super cool. You get to tour a working windmill, learn how Dutch cheese is made, and see a demonstration of wooden shoe making. It is a great way to get some culture and get out of the city.
Aloysius_T, Jun 2026
It was fantastic. All the history behind the the windmills and the beautiful landscape and cottages The wooden shoes! The cheese!
Such an amazing place
Barbara_H, Jun 2026
Very enjoyable interesting tour. Our guide, Sharon was excellent, very friendly, knowledgeable and a pleasure to be with.
From $49.31
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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