Kinderdijk

This place is so freaking cool! No one was particularly excited when my Godmother planned this for us, but we quickly changed our minds upon arrival! We went on a very windy day so we got to see the windmills in action. Before we got started, we stopped at some of the vendors near the entrance and we purchased incredible fresh cheese & stroopwaffles. We spent so long here, walking around, listening to the tour via our phones, and just marveling at the beauty. I really felt like I was walking around in a painting. We also got to tour the inside of a working windmill which was just fascinating! Do not miss this spot!

Small village located near Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Kinderdijk hosts 19 windmills, 17 occupied by private residents, and 2 open to the public. Stopover on our Viking Rhine river cruise after Cologne and before Amsterdam. Guided tour with local guides arranged by Viking cruises. Bring your comfortable waterproof walking shoes, and windbreaker as windy with long walking distances, and it rains a lot, even in late May. Got to go into two of the windmills, up and down steep stairways to see how the Dutch people lived in these structures. Would not want to walk too far in those wooden cogs that the locals use -or is it all tourist talk? Outside museums with exhibits on how the Dutch managed the waterways throughout the centuries. Almost all the windmills were still, despite the wind. Picturesque countryside with more cows than people in sight. Tourist shops where we bought lots of Dutch chocolate. No cash accepted , only credit cards. Still working it off four months later- the chocolate, not the credit cards.

We had a guided tour of the Kinderdijk windmills as part of our Rhine river cruise. These windmills are one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Netherlands and have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a cloudy, cold November day with a biting wind but that didn't diminish the beauty of the windmills. I of course had known of windmills all my life, but actually seeing them - what a thrill! They are much bigger than I had suspected, and you would *not* want to be under those swooshing blades! The optional, guided tour was excellent and worth taking if there is an opportunity. The tour, done by a local guide, went into the history of the windmills, their use for pumping water and keeping the below-sea level land as land (!) and more. If you choose you can go inside a windmill and climb to the top to see it working and where the windmill keeper's family lived. The stairs are narrow and very steep, a claustrophobia nightmare - I opted out but my wife went up. Even she felt a little claustrophobic on those stairs! But she enjoyed seeing the windmill in operation and marveled at the tiny living space that a family raised 12 children in! Well worthwhile for Netherlands visitors.

From our cruise ship, we walked down to Kinderdijk. Because there were many of us, from our ship, our group went straight to the Gift Shop, after that, we went to another building where we saw a extensive presentation about how windmills work. Then we walked out (in the very windy cold day), to a windmill, we met a man who live there, we were able to see the windmill including climbing up the steps. We saw the living areas and outside the windmill, we saw how it was pumping water. We learned that the windmills are there to preserve the heritage. They are no longer necessary to operate. Kinderdijk has the largest concentration of windmills. All millers wear wooden shoes. The willows around there were cut into wooden shoes (see photo). Everything was great, except for the windy weather, which almost blow us into the water.

The windmills sence at Kinderdijk was amazing! A little haze over the water as the sun rising up is mesmerizing! With windmills reflection in the water, they are picture perfect! The visit to Blokker windmill, the oldest working windmill, felt like being transported back in time when the miller was living there tending the mill. It felt like a living museum. The keeper there showed us how the miller would turn the mill into the wind, release the brake, and put on the sail. I enjoyed every minute of the presentation. Highly recommended!

We first saw the Windmills of Kinderdijk from a distance at sunrise, from our Viking Rhein River Cruise boat. The Kinderdijk name comes from a 1421 legend (see photo), where a wave was said to have washed ashore a cradle, that contained a sleeping baby. This is well before the Harry Chapin's 1974 song "Cats in the Cradle" btw. LOL But the view of these ancient windmills, were stunning to see up close. We were even able to go inside one and see how it is operated by the family living there. These Kinderdijk windmills (photos) are an UNESCO world heritage sites. They are fully functioning and working windmills. The family we met, takes a lot of national pride living here and operating them. These windmills are gorgeous and wonderful to see both from afar and up close.

The Kinderdijk windmills is an UNESCO world heritage site and another landmark of the Netherlands. There are other windmills spots in the Netherlands, but Kinderdijk is the most well-known. We walked around the premise for about an hour and took photos of the windmills. You would have to pay admission if want to enter the museum mills, so check their website for more info. We also went to the café at the visitor's center prior to visiting the windmills since we wanted a snack and beverages.

We really enjoyed our guided tour to learn about the history of the area and the windmills. It was neat to get inside one and scope it out. They have a nice gift shop and I got to enjoy my first stroll waffle. The areas is really pretty with plenty of walking paths to stroll about.

A stop on our Viking River Cruise, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The grounds are extensive and in addition to the windmills, also contain 2 pump houses, an educational building, and a gift shop. I recommend doing a tour since the history is very interesting. In a nutshell, the windmills were used for water management, but pump houses now have replaced them. FYI- The windmills are no longer operational. I'm not sure how many are open, but we got to go inside one windmill, which was neat. Only the first floor of the windmill is handicap friendly, if you want to climb up there are steep stairs to do so. Great spot for photos! Highly recommend checking out if you're in the area.

Kinderdijk has been a World Heritage Site since 1997. It is about 15 miles east of Rotterdam. Parking will cost you 5 Euros. The Molenkade bus has a stop nearby as an alternative. One thousand years ago Kinderdijk was a peat bog trapped between Lek and Noord rivers and the fury of the sea. Then in the 13th century the Dutch began managing the lowlands by establishing a Waterboard Administrative Council under Flores V. These waterboards were administrative agencies to manage flooding. If nature were to run it's course 26 percent of the Netherlands would be flooded with an additional 60 percent under threat from flooding. Since the 13th century there has been a steady stream of innovation in water management. Dykes, sluices, reservoirs, windmills, steam pumping stations beginning in 1868, diesel-powered pumping stations in 1924 and today computer-operated pumping stations. Kinderdijk has the highest concentration of windmills in the Netherlands. Of the 19 windmills built in 1740, 13 original windmills exist today. The basic entrance fee is 11 Euros at the gate or 9 Euros online. There is additional costs for a boat tour or a professional tour guide. Go online and download the free app. on your smartphone. The app will help you arrange your ticket purchase, book a boat tour and download your audio-guide. I highly recommend the app.. Bring your own headphones and a fully charged battery. There are several audio-tours to choose from, shorter or extended, kids or adult. The audio-tours cover the history of the area, wildlife, regional history, life of the millers and the windmills. There is a digital map of Kinderdijk and the surrounding area, as well. Kinderdijk is situated in the Albasserwaard polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. There is a visitor center, gift shop and small cafe. There are only two windmills that allow entrance. It is an extra 8 Euros. Stairs that climb to the top are steep and narrow with living quarters at the top. Once you climb to the top and see the living quarters you will be amazed that the Hoek family with their 13 children all lived in that tiny living space. The Hoeks have been millers for 10 generations. Millers today must have a miller's certificate. This is a part time job for millers today. By day they are schoolteachers, plumbers, lawyers and various other professions.

This is for the windmills only. Toured them via a Viking cruise tour, and the guide was a local who gave a great informative tour of the working windmill and immediate area. We were told the sad story of the child walking out of the wrong door while the blades were spinning, the mother raced out and saved the child, but perished herself when hit by the whirling blades. Gruesome end. Never knew the windmills were for pumping water! I thought they were for grinding corn or similar...very impressive to see these things, so glad they saved a few before demolishing most of them...

Great all around! They have an informative short movie, they allow you to go inside a couple of the windmills, there are beautiful walks and views, and the people are so so sweet! We purchased the tickets for entry + the movie, but no boat ride. Such an interesting piece of history, and I learned a lot - Love this place!

The 10AM opening time is for the museum. You can actually walk to the windmills itself without having to go to the museum. I decided to go a bit early to beat the crowds and enjoy the windmills in peace. It was relatively easy to get here by public transportation from Rotterdam and didn't have to transfer more than once. Careful when you're walking as some of the paths are for biking only. There are other windmills throughout The Netherlands but these are particularly special as they are designated as a world heritage site.

If you have half a day to spare in the Netherlands, get out of Amsterdam and come here! You just need to hop on the train to Rotterdam (make sure you buy the supplement for your train ticket), take the tram to Erasmusburg to board the ferry that takes you to the entrance of the kinderdijk windmills. You don't need to buy tickets if you don't plan to visit the museum which is essentially the inside of two of the windmills. What I suggest is renting a bike to go around all the windmills, relax, take photos and have fun. Biking in NL is very pleasant as the country is as flat as a pancake, which is also why it will be flooded one day. If you want to go to the last windmill, walking is probably not a good idea when you can bike on nice paved bike lanes, but watch out for some serious big pile of dung. The museum is worth seeing especially for €9 only. It's nice to climb to the top and see the gears. When I went, none of the windmills was running so it's too bad not to be able to see the actually mechanism in place. The other museum which is further away won't let you climb up. It looks like a miller is actually living there. But don't miss out on the 2 goats, rabbits and pretty plants in the yard! We had so much fun. Definitely worth a trip here!

Really cool stop while on a Viking River Cruise down the Rhine. After a 20-25 minute motorcoach ride we arrived and met our guide. She gave us a great tour of the place, painted a picture of why the windmills were here and the role they played when Germany was invading, and how the windmill operators would turn the blades of the windmill to warn others of soldiers in the area, or if they weren't home, or various other thing. I really liked going up in one of the windmills... I can't imagine living in one, but there was a family actually living in the one next to us. People still do this? Wow! Definitely worth a trip here if you're in the area. You won't see anything like this in the US.

Had such a fun time! Rode the boat and went to various windmills. Didn't know biking was so common, I do wish I would of had that opportunity but not entirely sure where you rent them from. Met a man who lived in the windmill and he explained to use how they worked and about his life. The windmill had all sorts of cool decorations and it was neat getting to go inside of one. Chose to come here on a whim and am I so happy to say that we chose to go!

Spent a week in The Netherlands and decided that a trip to a World Heritage Site was in order, so Kinderdijk here we come! And we are so glad we went. Had a boat tour, walked around the windmills, toured a couple getting to go inside, and just generally enjoyed being out in the sun in pure Dutch fashion. So glad to have gotten to visit!

Worth your time. There is an app that you can download and listen to a virtual guide. We also did the boat tour which was maybe not worth the money or time as there is no information provided. However, we had a full day to enjoy the area and nice to see the windmills from the water. It was 30 Euros to enter and do the boat tour for two people. You can go in without paying. Paying gets you entry into two windmills and the app to listen to. I was happy to pay if it helps with the upkeep. There is a few shops and a café. Bikes can go in as well. Parking is very limited. We parked in the village and walked to the entry point. Do know this is a stop for most of the river cruises. So the crowds come and go. We are glad we stayed most of the day.

I really enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of this place. The lush greenery of plants alongside the canal, the old windmills (a few catching the wind), the ripples across the water. I enjoyed visiting the two windmills you can go in. The first one lets you up from ground floor to the middle and upper floors. It was interesting the miller and his family would have lived (circa the 1950's.) A glimpse of some horses, cows, goats, little birds and a bunny rounded off the day. This is a good place to stroll and get some peace and quiet. Or to bike up and down looking at windmills. The boat that goes up and down the canal is a quick, easy ride as well. I should mention, the windmills were used in an ingenious water management system to pump water from low lying areas into bosom. The water would then flow from the bosoms into the river. The area is also surrounded by dykes to prevent flooding.

This was another of the tours from the ship. We boarded buses dockside in Rotterdam, a major port city which had been bombed into oblivion by the Nazis. It was rebuilt but the architecture reflects its post war origins and ranges from boring to cringe inducing. The plan is to begin renovating the city w/ an eye to restoring it to a semblance of its pre-war architectural beauty. There are two modern, interesting bridges by the port. Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nineteen windmills dating to 1740 have been preserved here. We could walk past some of them on the path. There were several tour groups in addition to ours, so there were a lot of people. I hadn't been aware of the number until I turned around and saw a crowd of people behind me. There were flocks of geese and the path was covered w/ their predictable byproduct. A man w/ a little shovel device was doing his best to keep it picked up. A couple was getting married in front of one of the windmills. As I sat waiting for our group to board its boat they were driven away in an elegant old Jaguar, looking radiant and blond. The boat motored slowly past the windmills on both sides of the water and then back again. The windmills are stately and classic, painted white w/ black windmill blades, the date of their construction painted above each door. Some have been converted to residences and people live there. In the past the windmills have served to pump water out of the boggy soil so it could be reclaimed and used, generally for farming. Modern windmills have supplanted them, ones that look like the three bladed windmills on the Altamont Pass. The modern ones were developed and patented by the Danes, much to the chagrin of the Dutch. They function well, I expect, but lack the iconic beauty of the old ones.

I visited Kinderdijk on the beginning of a river cruise a few months ago. The area is part of the Dutch countryside and is home to 19 historic windmills that were built in the mid-18th century. Kinderdijk is also a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Obviously you are going here for the windmills. There are a couple areas to explore though in Kinderdijk besides the windmills. One area focuses on the water management systems in the region while another examines the carving of the wooden clogs and the various wooden parts for windmills. The main site to visit is of course the working windmill. The windmill you do have to pay an entrance fee to enter, but it is really fascinating to get up close to a windmill. One windmill is open to the public and 3 floors are open for touring. The family who used to live here many years ago still feel like a part of this place today because the windmill was where they worked and lived. Additionally there photos on the wall showing you who the family was that lived here. Overall I recommend going to Kinderdijk if you have a chance, since it is a fascinating and truly Dutch experience.

This is a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy a view that is different from what I may see in my the U.S. or other places. I came here just as the sun was setting and left right before it started raining. So the sky was absolutely magnificent - a photographer's dream. I give this 4 stars instead of 5 because there is not so much to do other than walk the route and visit the souvenir store.

Really nice and peaceful place to take a stroll. There aren't big crowds which is really nice. Might be hard to find parking if it's full, but it wasn't really crowded when we got there. Got some nice souvenirs. You can pay money to join tours or ride a boat, or you can just walk and just enjoy the place for free!

A very cool place to visit that is close to a lot of major area metros. (Driving under 2 hours from Brussels, a little over an hour from Amsterdam, a little over 2 hours from Dusseldorf.) There are a large number of windmills in the area that you can walk by but two are open to the public (the others still serve as private houses). A short walk between the entrance to the area and the two windmills that you can tour on well maintained trails / roads. There is a gift shop / cafe at the entrance where you can get coffee / hot chocolate to warm up after the walk. You could probably spend a good half day touring the facility. The area around Kinderdijk is surprisingly not touristy and residential, so there are not many places to grab grub in the immediate vicinity of the windmill park.

I love this place absolutly beautiful. I did it with my bike . So peaceful and nice .

I enjoyed every second!! Gorgeous scenery. I rented a bike. It was the best decision of the day

Cold and windy during our Nov visit but glad we went. Be sure to have a guided tour as one can miss a lot in understand how the Dutch struggled to control the sea from the land for centuries. We were lucky in that the manned windmill was put in operation during our visit. It takes over an hour to prep the tower so that the blades catch the wind just right. Too windy and they won't be unlocked.

Perhaps no place else in the Netherlands characterizes the country more than Kinderdijk. There are 19 windmills, all dating from the 1700's, that the Dutch used to drain the polders (fields) to create farmland. Two of the windmills are open so you can see how the mechanism works. And when the wind is up, it's thrilling (and noisy) to experience. A good visit takes about 2 hours. It's all open to the elements, so bring an umbrella.

Nice site, very peaceful, lots of windmills! Plenty of photo opportunities. The Nederwaard windmill has three levels and you can explore it all. The Blokweer windmlll is interesting from the outside but inside you can only see part of one room on the main level. Recommend bringing a bike or renting one there because the site is fairly spread out, plus you may want to just ride farther along the pleasant canals. Easy access from Rotterdam via the waterbus. A waterbus day pass is €12.50 and includes a coupon which you can hand in at Kinderdijk for a ticket (normally €6.50). The waterbus goes from Rotterdam to Riddekerk, then you transfer to a smaller waterbus which crosses to Kinderijk. You can also take the waterbus direct from Rotterdam to Alblasserdam which is a nice town and a short bike ride away from Kinderdijk.

All I can say is wow. Really a must to truly experience The Netherlands. Windmills, boat ride, and trails. As a grandson of a Dutch immigrant I was always fascinated with windmills. To see one up close and learn how they operate and about the people that operate them was awesome!

Beautiful place to visit! Rented bikes at the gift shop and enjoyed biking around to the different windmills. Allow time to really look at the windmills and take different types of pictures. There were only a few people here in Sept so it nice to be able to enjoy without a crowd. Also, the ferries to here are nice. We took a ferry from Rotterdam (next to the more expensive but not as fun, EuroMast). There are a total of two ferries to take and then it's a short walk out to the windmills but extremely worth it! The Rotterdam ferry passes by some neat places along the Rotterdam pier, incl. the neat cubist houses (google "cubist houses rotterdam" and follow the map while on the ferry. It also passes under the Erasmus suspension bridge). One more note-the OV chip card that is good for all the buses and trains in the NL is good for the ferry at the Rotterdam port but then you need about €2-3 cash for the little connector ferry. I picked up a little schedule card on that last ferry and it made a cute souvenir. :-). If you want more info, leave a comment and i can give more specific info about some places in the NL.

We were on a Rhine river cruise in late October and this was one of the stops. We had a great local guy for a tour guide who not only told us windmill history and information but local tidbits too. Walked past the Dyke Count's (? spelling) historic building and down past the willow lined canal. Watched the screw pumps at work. There was a small café if you needed a break and then a nice walk down the path (watch the bikes) to a windmill that you could go inside and climb up into. They have it set up "historic" ish. Great info as to how it works, age and more. I thought windmills ground grain...NOT! The Miller was there in his wooden shoes made from the willow trees. Some of the windmills were working and most are lived in. Fascinating. Small museum, gift shop & workshop near by. Very interesting and so Netherlands. Just to gaze down the main canal and see the windmills lining both sides. So neat. Most of the walk is wheel chair accessible but not the windmill.