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Zaandam Culture & history

Our most recommended Zaandam Culture & history

From Amsterdam: Guided Zaanse Schans & Cheese Tasting Tour

1. From Amsterdam: Guided Zaanse Schans & Cheese Tasting Tour

Join a guided bus tour from Amsterdam to visit the windmill village of Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum housing working windmills, wooden houses, barns, and shops dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Enjoy live commentary from your guide, a clog workshop, and a cheese-making demonstration. Meet your guide and driver at a central meeting point just across from Central Station in Amsterdam. Settle in for a comfortable, air-conditioned ride on a single deck bus that will take you to your destination in just 20 minutes. Upon arrival in the village, follow your guide for an orientation tour of the village. Visit the clog museum for a live wooden shoemaking workshop. Then, taste some Dutch farmer cheese on the cheese farm. Get a sense of what the village was like in the 18th and 19th centuries. Alongside windmills and barns, see houses that were originally built as homes for rich windmill owners and merchants. Admire their colorful facades painted in traditional hues of green, beige, and light blue. Finally, it is time to further explore the village on your own. Before you set off, take insider tips from your guide and learn about the region's local history and culture. At the end of the tour, hop back on the bus for your return journey to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Volendam, and Marken Day Trip

2. Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Volendam, and Marken Day Trip

Enjoy the picturesque Dutch countryside on a day trip by comfortable bus. Encounter the famous windmills, and learn about Dutch traditional crafts.Take advantage of free WiFi on board the bus as you travel. Discover the unique village of Zaanse Schans. Stroll around at your leisure and admire the well-preserved historic windmills and houses. Explore the fishing village of Volendam, visit a cheese shop still making cheese using a traditional Dutch method, and join a demonstration about Volendam cheese. Enjoy lunch at a traditional fish restaurant at your own expense, before exploring more of Volendam. Select the all-inclusive tour option for more activities including a boat ride to Marken, a visit to an operating windmill, and a clog-making demonstration.

From Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Zaanse Schans Windmills Day Trip

3. From Amsterdam: Keukenhof & Zaanse Schans Windmills Day Trip

Set off on a self-guided day trip from Amsterdam and immerse yourself in Dutch culture. Discover the world's largest flower garden at Keukenhof and visit the traditional village of Zaanse Schans where you can admire the windmills, sample some Dutch cheese, and see the Wooden Shoe Museum. Depart from Amsterdam and transfer to Zaanse Schans. Go at your own pace and check out the activities on offer including wooden shoe-making and clog painting workshops (at your own expense). Try some Dutch cheese and see the historic buildings and windmills that the Netherlands is so well known for. Head to Keukenhof and admire millions of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils in bloom. Enjoy the flower shows, visit special exhibitions, and take part in different activities. The garden also features a sculpture park, a maze, and a fairytale garden. Afterward, return to Amsterdam at your leisure. Schedule: 10:00 AM: Depart Amsterdam 10:45 AM: Arrive at Zaanse Schans 1:00 PM: Depart Zaanse Schans 2:00 PM: Depart Keukenhof 2:45 PM: Arrival Keukenhof Garden 6:30 PM: Last bus from Keukenhof to Amsterdam

Zaanse Schans: Zaans Museum Entrance Ticket

4. Zaanse Schans: Zaans Museum Entrance Ticket

Get ready for a fascinating insight into Holland's hard-working industrial history with this Zaans Museum ticket. Learn about the history of working mills, and see the churning machinery of an early 20th-century chocolate and biscuit factory.  Step inside The Zaans Museum and enter the world of Holland's past and present. Get to know all about Zaanstreek, the very first industrialized region of Europe, which shot the country to fame and fortune in the Dutch Golden Age. Breeze through the history of Holland's landmark windmills, learn about the various industries that thrived among the green wooden houses and find out more about Dutch icons, Albert Heijn, Honig, Verkade, and more. Discover the Verkade Experience, which takes sweet-toothed visitors back to the working, churning innards of an early 20th-century chocolate and biscuit factory. The Zaans Museum serves up everything you need to know about Dutch life from the first mills to the latest factories, plus a little cafe and free WiFi.

Zaanse Schans: World of Windmills Museum Ticket with Greeter

5. Zaanse Schans: World of Windmills Museum Ticket with Greeter

Get your entry ticket for World of Windmills, an interactive museum on the site of the home to more than 1100 windmills in the 17th-century Netherlands.  Chat to your greeter upon entry and have any questions answered before delving into the history of this dutch icon. Learn the history of the materials used, runnings of the windmill, how they powered the country during the Industrial Revolution and after, and the people that made the windmills a success.  Even visit a windmill yourself to get a feel for the real thing. If you’re lucky, chat to a miller who will be happy to answer any questions if there.  Experience the rich history of the mills, listen to the stories of the people who lived and worked here, and enjoy the technology, craftsmanship, and nature.

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What people are saying about Zaandam

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 46 reviews

The tour guy was informative, cool, and energetic. However, if you are looking for a cheaper way to visit these spots, you can definitely pick a bus from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans for around 5-6 euros (one way). All viewings are for free inside the Zaanse Schans. Cheese making & tasting is for everyone visiting. Otherwise, if you are interested in detailed information, fun vibes, etc, then this tour is perfect for you.

Easy place for meeting. Your was brilliant from start to finish. Clog workshop demo and cheese factory demo by Barbara with samples and chance to buy cheese and accompaniments. Hot Chocolate was delish and to top it off walking through a working windmill was the highlight for me. Lots of walking to see everything but so pretty and such a beautiful place to visit. Thanks to our wonderful knowledgable guide Anna xx

Really worth and value for money experience to explore the North Holland. The time was more than enough in my opinion to enjoy everything: the areas, some drinks and food, local shopping etc Very clear instructions/information provided before we arrived to the check point and during the trip.

Great experience and highly recommended for families. It was nice that we could squeeze this trip at last minute which was super nice since we didn't plan the rest of the one-day trip to Amsterdam.

Really nice day trip, relaxing and with beautiful places.