Zaanse Schans

The perfect getaway from the main city of Amsterdam to see a few working windmills! We came by ourselves and opted not to book a tour which we were grateful for because we went at our own pace and didn't feel like we were stuck on the tour's time frame. You could go up a couple of the windmills. We went on the first one which used to be a windmill for spices and colored powder used for dyes. It had a great view. There's also a cheese store with plenty of cheese tastings as well as some farm animals. On the other side of the row of windmills, there were some cute shops like a make your own hot chocolate store, an antique store, a souvenir store, and a clog store! It's definitely an Instagrammers paradise. It's a nice break from Amsterdam and a quick trip. Make sure to go early in the morning so you can avoid the large tour buses that tend to come in packs around 11 am!

Would say this is a must visit place if you are in Amsterdam. Such a calm and lovely scenery, with plenty of farm animals, greenery, canals, tiny shops, and windmills. Only about 30-45 minutes from Amsterdam, it showcases some national heritage and specialty goods of Holland. I truly enjoyed the sights of the windmills and visiting the saw mill. Incredible engineering!

One of the only traditional windmills left in the Netherlands, Zaanse Schans is a nice half day trip to Amsterdam for the family. You could take the tour or train to get here, but I recommend the bus tour since you can learn more about the cheese making and the purpose of the windmills (turns out it's for grinding expensive, natural dyes). The tour take you through to the cheese process and traditional shoemaking process, which is nice to watch and has a lot of Dutch Culture explained if you're into that. There is an opportunity to get on top of one of the windmills for €5 euros if you want a view. If you want to go back to the 17th century Netherlands, this is more for you. Also, the ducks here will come right to you expecting food haha.

Good place to visit outside of Amsterdam. You can see some windmills and living history type of traditional Dutch life. It's easy enough to get there from central station by train and then walk 20 minutes to get there. Note that there is no entrance like a theme park. You go to individual stands that each charge a fee of about 5 euros. The city cards have admissions included. I could have stayed longer I was there for about 3-4 hours. They have stores, a cheese shop and more.

I did a tour of Zaanse Schans and was one of the highlights of my solo trip to Amsterdam. It is such a stunning picturesque village of wooden houses and working windmills and farmland. I enjoyed the demonstration of the clog making and the cheese farm and trying loads of different cheese. There is loads of photo opportunities to be had with clogs and windmills and even Miffy, such a fun relaxing place to wander and enjoy, i loved and I'm glad I managed to include it in my trip!

I think the Windmill village in Amsterdam is an absolute must-see. Not only will you be able to witness the iconic windmills, but you'll also have the chance to indulge in free cheese tasting, create your own hot chocolate, and enjoy leisurely walks. It's an experience that will transport you to a bygone era and leave you with memories to cherish. Don't miss out on this enchanting opportunity!

The Netherlands, that's Tulips, Windmills, Amsterdam. Of course it's a lot more, but these are the things that always come to mind. It wasn't Tulip season when we've visited The Netherlands, so we decided to look at some windmills. There are countless windmills all over the country. But this place here has several in one place. In a nice location by the water. And with lots of other things to see. So it's really an interesting package. The entrance to the open-air park/museum is free. The Zaans Museum costs extra as do some other several smaller museums and shows. But also many of the arts & crafts shops and displays are free to visit. It's a nice and easy walk along the windmills. It's all flat and suitable for strollers and wheelchairs. In the village I recommend to have a closer looks at the Wooden Shoe Workshop and the Cheese Farm (with a lot more cheese varieties than you'd think). And of course there's a souvenir shop as well, but other shops offer wonderful products and items as well. Feeling a bit hungry or thirsty? There's a Café on site. There are several cute bridges crossing the small canals in the village. And there are lots of photo op: Huge wooden shoes, the windmills from every possible angle, the farm animals, the bridges. You really need some time on your hands if you want to really enjoy and explore the area. We surely did. The windmills are fascinating and impressive. It's just a beautiful construction to look at. We really enjoyed our visit here. It's stunning that the open-air park is indeed free to visit. And dogs are allowed as well. We had a great day here. Loved it.

'Ello chaps! Zaanse Schans is a neighborhood in a rural area of Amsterdam, and a major tourist destination. Considered an open air museum, there is much to see and do at Zaanse Schans, best of which are the windmills. Visitors can walk inside some of the windmills and see them in action. On our tour we got to see a windmill saw wood - a practice that dates back many centuries and helped the Netherlands revolutionize ship building back in the day. You can also explore shops, see cheese making, and see how the traditional clogs are made. Zaanse Schans does NOT have an admission fee per se, and you can access the site on your own or through the many tour groups that stop here. Overall I give Zaanse Schans 4 stars out of 5. NOTE: Bathrooms are NOT free. They're one euro to use, available to be paid only by credit card.

When visiting Amsterdam you have to take a trip to Zaanse Schans! It is a very quirky little town where they have antique windmills that are kept for cultural purposes. You can actually access one of them for a few euros to go inside and up to the windmill platform to take some great photos and see how it all worked back in the day. When I came I was lucky that it was a cool day and there were not a lot of tourist so we were able to walk around and see a lot and take some great pictures. There are also awesome little shops in the town that are very enjoyable. I especially liked the demonstration on how clogs are made today. I also sampled some amazing cheeses and bought a pack to bring back to the States with me. Overall it is a very chill place. You don't need to take a whole day out of your vacation to come here. We were able to have a very enjoyable time in a couple of hours and the train ride is painless and fast. So if you are tired and the hassle and bustle of Amsterdam, this is your place!

Fun spot to visit while in holland. Great place to get pictures. We really just enjoyed the walk, it was beautiful out. This a very large tourist attraction so be prepared to see a lot of people and groups. We got a free cute photos and enjoyed a nice hot chocolate from one of the little shops in a windmill.

Zaanse Schans was a worthwhile expedition. It was actually the only place we visited in the Netherlands outside of Amsterdam. Train would have been a lot cheaper, but we decided to Uber. We were lazy, sick, and a bit hungover, and the Uber fee wasn't too outrageous split amongst the three of us. Being dropped off right where the attraction is was also pretty convenient. My friends and I spent roughly an hour and a half here walking past the famous windmills. We checked out a couple of the local shops and sampled some cheese, as well. We didn't spend too much time exploring this town, but we felt like we got a good glimpse into what it had to offer. I wouldn't hesitate to visit it again, but being our last day in Amsterdam, we were off to the next attraction.

If you wish to get an accurate impression of life in Holland in the 17th and 18th centuries, visit the Zaanse Schans. I want to explain about two attractive points, windmills , authentic houses, of Zaanse Schans. Windmill. During the 17th century, more than 600 windmills were constructed in the area around the Zaanse Schans, creating the first industrial zone. The windmills were used, among others, to grind spices, produce paint, saw wood, and make oil. A number of these windmills still exist and can still be visited today. You can see how these wind-powered machines work, inside and out. Authentic houses. For example: a grocer's from the past, as they existed before the emergence of large supermarkets. In the Bakkerijmuseum (Bakery Museum), you can discover the old craft of baking, and the Honig Breethuis presents the home of a 19th-century merchant family. The Zaan house shows a collection of unique clocks, most of which still work. The house has a special collection of utensils, clothing and paintings from the area. You can also visit the Verkade Experience here, to find yourself in a 20th-century chocolate factory. The original machines there are still at work to produce the very best chocolate and cookies. I recommend the attractive place

My dutchie brought me here- Beautiful Autumn day and the sun was shining bright and warm. A few of the windmills are still active and you're able to get a tour abs learn more about what each one does. Very cool. These windmills aren't just for selfies. They serve a purpose. Very nice Dutchies. Well done.

This excursion was one of my highlights during a recent trip to Amsterdam with the kiddos. We first had to arrive at the Amsterdam centraal station and catch a ferry to cross over to the meeting point adjacent to the famous A'Dam lookout. We got on the tour bus and took a 20 minutes Or perhaps 30 minutes ride to Zaanse Schans. The tour guide was bilingual as she spoke Spanish Dutch and English. We were first given a layout of the venue along with a verbal itinerary on how to cover the entire area. We first strolled along the pathways and saw all the windmills which were beautiful and their mechanism was just as amazing. We got some great pictures and an up close person look at all the windmills from inside. We then proceeded to go inside the cheese making factory and got a close demonstration of how the cheese is processed and made and all the preparations that come with it. Following the presentation we went to the gift shop where all the cheeses were stacked up on shelves ready to be sold. They truly tasted amazing with plenty of flavors. There were other souvenirs throughout the gift shop. We then went to the section where the wooden shoes were being prepared. We got a demonstration of the entire process of how to make a wooden shoe. It was amazing to see the different kinds types and qualities of these wooden shoes. There were plenty of choices available to purchase throughout the gift shop. Once the touring of the shoe factory was completed, we proceeded to go back to our meeting point to board our bus back to the station. I highly recommend all yelpers to visit this historical site.

This was a highlight of our trip to Amsterdam and the Norwegian fjords. And it was the last attraction we saw between disembarking the Nieuw Statendam and arriving by bus at the Amsterdam International Airport for our flight back to the U.S. later that day. If our 3:00 p.m. departure had been one minute earlier we would not have been allowed to book this combination shore excursion and airport transfer. The place itself is lovely: a combination of canals leading from the Zaan River and verdant green soil on which cows, horses, goats, ducks, and a rooster roamed. Thirteen windmills dot these lands, along with a cheese demonstration area, a cobbler's shop, a chocolate shop, and a large cheese and gift shop. Bright blue skies contributed to an idyllic look. Zaanse Schans is also very educational. We saw how paint is ground from colored chalk inside De Kat, a paint windmill with parts dating back to 1782, which Diane climbed to the top from the inside of the mill on creaky wooden ladders. Then our small group learned how various types of Dutch cheese are made and packaged; and saw a live demonstration on the creation of a pair of wooden shoes. There was a lot of walking involved in exploring the grounds almost from end to end, but it was worth it--and good exercise to boot! We didn't buy any cheese, because I thought it would not be allowed to enter the U.S. That night I learned from a U.S. Customs official that packaged cheese from Holland would have been permitted. Oh well, it just gives me an excuse and one more reason to return soon to Amsterdam.

Our visit to Zaanse Schans was one of the absolute highlights of our trip. To me, it's the Disney World of the Netherlands. Picturesque landscape, beautiful homes, the renowned windmills, the smell of chocolate in the air, sweet farm animals, adorable shops, cheese everywhere, and some of the friendliest people I've ever met - what's not to love? If you're planning a trip to Amsterdam, I urge you to take the quick bus ride from Amsterdam Central Station (the 391, I believe) to Zaanse Schans. For 11.50€, you can get a round trip ticket to one of the most beautiful places I've ever laid my eyes on. Totally well worth it to me. The fact that you can get there in about 40 minutes while enjoying the views is another plus. We spent a couple of hours here but opted to skip the chocolate museum since we had to head back. We did treat ourselves to some fresh stroopwafels dipped in chocolate from one of the shops though. So delicious!

Zaanse Schans is a great place to visit if you are in Amsterdam! I found this fun little place with 3 friends after paying over 40 euro per person, plus train fare, plus 8 euro for entrance fees. I'm going to help you skip the 40 euro part and have a great experience and tell you where you will get the best value! This trip took us 4 hours. You could do it in 2-3 and still see everything but we are slow and ate a lot of cheese! You start off at Amsterdam Central and take a train to Zaanse Schans station. It should be about 4-6 Euro each way. When you get off the train there is a coffee shop (actual coffee) on the platform. It's a small platform you can't miss it! Go in and ask him to point you the right way to the windmills! He's nice! Grab a coffee there too if you want! The walk took us 30 minutes. It was crazy windy and we were slow. You will pass a coco beab factory along the way that smells amazing and a cool looking country green windmill. You will walk across a bridge. It's a big one, not scary and you'll find you will see the windmills. The windmills are mixed in with little shops. We visited the kat windmill, chocolate shop, clog making, and cheese tasting. It's free to go in. The Kat windmill costs 5 euro to tour. If you opt not to tour it's free to look at from the outside. You climb ladder to get to the top. It's not horrible but if you have fears about ladders or leg issues be advised. The view is beautiful and you can see in the inside of how the mill works. The chocolate place was next on our tour. We did a 6 piece chocolate tasting. This must be booked ahead of time. You can not just show up and do a tasting, Fatima's card is in my photos. Email her or have your hotel or hostel Can and schedule for you the day before. Ruby was my favorite. Fatima is great at teaching you about all aspects of chocolate. She also sells chocolates for a charity to end slavery in the industry! Buy some! There is also a hot chocolate station if you want a beverage! Onto the cheese! I didn't think a person could ever have too much cheese until we got here! Lots to taste! All free. They sell chunks of cheese to take home. Just pick things safe for travel! They also have different dipping sauces next to each cheese! In case you were able to eat more there is also a snack bar! Next was our final stop at the clog workshop. There's a quick 5-10 minute presentation that restarts as soon as it ends. Informative and our clog maker was a handsome guy we enjoyed watching! You can then try on or buy actual clogs. There is also souvenir store with the clogs. I wish I had bought more of my gifts for home from here because they had great prices! Final tip, keep some spare change in your pocket! The bathrooms are super clean but cost .50 to get in by turnstile or you will find yourself heading back to the shops for coins.

When my travel was finally booked and I was headed to Amsterdam, one of the places I was looking forward to seeing was the windmills at Zaanse Schans. Yes, it's a touristy place, and yes there are a lot of bus tours in Amsterdam offering to take you there, but be adventurous and save some money and just take public transportation. Don't worry if you do not speak Dutch, you can easily get there. You can catch bus 391 at Centraal Station and it will take you to the front of Zaanse Schans, for about 7 euros. Most of Zaanse Schans is free, to tour a windmill I believe was around 4 euros, so you spend under 20 euros to check out a spot most others have paid a lot of for. I am not sure how much the fee was for the larger of museum because we did not check it out. Zaanse Schans is picturesque, it's truly a beautiful area, the water, the windmills, the wooden path, the houses & shops all around, just a beautiful little place. To me well worth a visit. You will find plenty of shopping from chocolate to cheese to trinkets, and a couple of cafes to grab a hot coffee or chocolate and take in the views and people watch. Don't forget to take a picture of you in some Dutch shoes!

Such a cute town! If were to visit, I would recommend coming here early. Say, catch an 8:30 AM train from Amsterdam Centraal and arrive at around 8:50 AM. Take a 15-minute stroll around town and make your way to the touristy area. Give yourself about 2 - 3 hours or so here to walk around, take selfies with the windmills, and buy cheese from the shops. The town also has a website that gives unambiguous instructions (as most Netherlands websites do) on all thing touristy related. The bathroom (pretty clean) costs 1 euro (if I remember it correctly) and opens at 9 AM.

First of all.... I had no idea you could review a city on Yelp lol!! Anyways, out of all of the places we went to on our Euro-trip, THIS was the CUTEST little city and I am so glad we went. It was at first not really a place we had even heard of, but we ran into some friends in Amsterdam and they said they visited Zaanse Schans by a recommendation from a local uber driver. They said it was beautiful. They were so right! This place is EXACTLY what you imagine Holland would look like. They had beautiful fields of sheep and cows grazing. They also had ducks, swans and even horses. You can rent bikes and ride out to see more nature or just ride up and down the cute little streets. And of course the windmills were so beautiful on the water. You can go into the windmills and learn about them for about $5 per person which was cool. I highly recommend visiting this place if you are in Amsterdam. It is only about a 20 minute bus ride. It is touristy, but it is honestly so beautiful and I am SO glad we went! ***side note - the food options are not the best in terms of finding good veggie food, but you can still find things and the scenery is too amazing to pass up

Yes, I get that this is a touristy thing to do, but how can you not want to come here and see windmills? It's the best part about Holland/The Netherlands. It's really pretty here with all of the windmills and not all of them are open to the public, but the ones that are open are 4 Euros to get in per person. We got to see one that cut wood on the inside. There are tons of shops for you to buy stuff and purchase cheese and see how cheese is made. Yes, I love cheese so they won me over just with that. There's lots of little pretty buildings and there's a lot of history and story behind this place. I ended up spending a lot of money on trinkets, gifts and of course cheese here. The best part is, it's a simple train ride away from Central Station and just in a matter of minutes, you're taken back to modern day Amsterdam.

If you've never seen a windmill at work and have half a day to spare this is a nice diversion from walking around Amsterdam. A 30 min express bus ride from Central station this scenic and quaint village is setup like an old Dutch town. Free admission to walk around and look at shops, a few euros to go inside specific windmills grinding flour, or chocolate, or to go up to the lookout posts. Worth a visit to get some nice photos.

This was one of the highlights of our trip! The kids loved seeing a real working Windmill. It's about a 30 minute drive outside the city and the Public transportation makes a stop here also. It's more that a rogue of a windmill...petting zoo, Dutch clog museum and shop, several wind mills, chocolate factory. You could easily turn this stop into an entire afternoon. There's a small fee if you want to take a tour of any of the wind mills, which I highly recommend (especially if you are interested in sustainable living). Easily one of the top 10 kid/family attraction!

People from all over the world flock to Zaanse Schans to do primarily one thing--experience some Dutch windmills, and they have many here. I have been to Kinderdjik where some sixteen original windmills are on display there. As I recall it was a very simple place, and because of our visit there in the early spring, there were not too many tourists there. I understand the most of the windmills of Zaanse Schans are not originally from here, but they are relocated here. This place is very commercialized. They have a museum, cheese farm, clog shop, Dutch waffle shop and several souvenir shops and café/restaurant. Proximity to Amsterdam (mere 16 km) makes it very attractive to the tourists to extend their legs here for a half-day tours. The parking lot opens at 8 am (10 euro for all-day parking--card payment only, no cash), and most of the attractions close around 5 pm, so plan your visit accordingly. It was very crowed with summer visitors when we visited here. Windmills were fine. There was a nice souvenir shop. You can sample some cheese, and delight yourself with some good ice cream. There was a public restroom with a woman collecting .50 euro per use. The line was long. If you happened to be in Amsterdam, and you'd like to see some windmills, this would be a good place to come. I prefer the more simple setting of Kinderdijk myself having been to both places now.

a bit touristy but still a fun place to check out, you can catch the bus from the main station to get here. Walk around, sample some interesting flavored cheese and just take a lot of pictures :) it's pretty fun!

One of the my favorite place in Netherlands. Lot of historic and authentic museums and nice views with mills under the open sky. Be sure if you are visiting this place in summer you will do not regret 100%. Just try local cheese, or drink coffee in one of the first local coffee store (Albert Heijn - local Starbucks which started from selling coffee and now this is one of the biggest food retailer in Netherlands)or make a nice selfies with mills. This place definitely must have for visiting while you are in Holland. We've got a bicycles and got Zaans Schans for 1 hour from Amsterdam central station.

cannot express how much we disliked this place . It has real windmills that were moved here to create a kitschy , run down , souvenir filled place where bus loads of tourists swarm. The windmills themselves look the same but are differentiated by theme. The chocolate one is popular - the first level is a shop with chocolate and hot cocoa etc. To see anything else , you must pay. The clog factory was SO "clogged" that you could shuffle along trapped in a human flood or you could escape the probably Covid factory and run for fresh air. The cheese store was slightly less crowded and offers tasters of the various cheeses they sell. The tasters are out in the open to be touched by little kids, breathed on or sneezed on ( we saw all of the above) I am not super worried about Covid in general but I wouldn't have touched the tasters even if Covid didn't exist. Seriously unsanitary. There is a guy trying to take everyone's picture as you walk in to sell at the end - like on a cruise or Disneyland. There is one souvenir shop after another with all the same overpriced low quality stuff. They try and make money at every turn , including the bathrooms which cost 1 eu to use! I honestly do not know how this place got any good reviews. I think when people vacation , they want to show how amazing their trip was and are reluctant to admit anything was a bust. I am here to tell you to save your time and money. Don't be lured here unless you enjoy huge crowds and cheesy cheap looking tourist traps. Nearby to Amsterdam is Haarlem which is a cute town with a real windmill as well. You can see if from the outside or pay a fee to go in but at least it's in an area that is nice to explore and won't try to sell you mass produced replicas.

Thinking back on my original review and I'm not sure it was fair. I might go again if I were in the Netherlands and it didn't take too long to get there. The windmills really truly were beautiful, and the little arranged village was kind of cool. It was raining while we were there, and I actually found it to be nice.

We did this same tour in 2019 and it was better...and a lot less expensive. We went in the back entry so we had to walk a little further than normal in the misting rain. Only one windmill was working this day. This was a full group of 8 people, all Americans. The tour originated from a new location around the corner of the heavily built up region (Wow) from our last visit. The tour guide was OK and offered any assistance and/or suggestions at each stop as we also stopped at a cheese/clogmaker and Monnickendam Village (disappointingly the quaint cafe we had found last visit was closed as a victim of Covid) and a drive through Broek in Waterland. Something, in general was missing on this tour and I don't know if it was the people we were with, the guide, the location but last time it was ful lof wonder and a great day out. This time it was just kind of blah and uninspring as we tried to relive one of our favorite moments of our last trip to Europe. It didn't start great to begin with as our taxi driver would not take a credit card (I think he just wanted cash and lied about his wi-fi) and laughed at us trying to scramble together Euros, of which, we had little as we were using credit mostly. I guess every tour is different and this was definitely different though I suggest you take it and see for yourself since it is much better than taking the big bus tour.

You can't say you've been to Amsterdam/holland without visiting this area for wind mills, cheeses and clogs! With just a short train ride and a short track, you will be greater by one of the most beautiful scenery in town, while eating awesome cheeses and doing a clog dance. I in particularly loved the truffle cheese!

A totally immersive Dutch experience! Zaanse Schans is located in the Holland region of the Netherlands, i.e. towards the northern parts of the country. When you head on up here, there is also a museum you can visit along with all the other sites and sounds. Car parking is €10 per car and located very conveniently next to the premises. Zaanse Schans is a lovely typical Dutch village located in the town of Zaandam close to Amsterdam. You can even take a short boat ride from Amsterdam to this village. The village has working older style windmills from the 18th and 19th centuries as well as houses from that period as well. They are quaint looking windmills and houses that are colored in green, Which gives off a typical wealthy Dutch village vibe as we later learned from our tour guide that green was the color of prosperity back then in the Netherlands. All of the windmills are working windmills used to process different products. The Zaans museum as I mentioned earlier also holds different workshops you can attend. Once you enter the village, there are beautiful shops selling handmade a Dutch goods and water boat tours. This place is indeed a one stop shop if you want to experience all things Dutch and have a little time to do so.

A must see when in Holland. I came here a few years ago and enjoyed it with my cousin. It's a great place to point your guest and friends to while they are visiting you in Holland. I recently sent some friends here for sight-seeing and they loved every bit of it. I am sure I would have given them 5 stars if I was a tourist. Make sure to put Zaanse Schans on your to-do​ list when visiting the Netherlands.

This is a must for anyone visiting Holland for the first time. This little dutch town will provide you with so much history about Holland and all the things that make Holland unique; the canals, the delicious cheeses, windmills, the houses and building structures, the flowers, etc. The area is free to walk around in, but to go up in the windmills costs extra, along with the museum and parking. There are some nice restaurants and cafes that have delicious dutch pancakes, which is another must! (Dutch pancakes x100 better than American pancakes). This place can feel a bit touristy (they take your picture when you walk in over the bridge lol), but I think w/ the water and windmills and green fields in the background, this place is just beautiful. Check the website for current hours. Highly recommend seeing at least once!

Zaanse Schans is a traditional Dutch village with six working windmills just a quick train-ride away from the Centraal train station in Amsterdam. You can cycle, run, or walk on the paths near the residential area and the windmill. You can book a windmill cruise tour or sail on the Zaan River. Spend the day enjoying the peaceful, scenic beauty with a picnic, or stop at the bakery, cafe, or one of the local restaurants. I have wanted to visit this area for years but I wanted to go on a beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately, due to COVID many of the shops and tours where closed but they should reopen soon. I was lucky because this gorgeous area was very quiet and peaceful and I had a wonderful day enjoying the fresh air! www.dezaanseschans.nl

Zaanse Schans is the perfect 1/2 day trip if you're looking for something to do outside of Amsterdam. It's accessible via public transportation and it's so easy to get to. My husband & I just hopped on a train early one morning and took a short 10 minute walk from the train station. Zaanse Schans gives you a taste of what Dutch life was like back in the 17th/18th century. They have windmills that you can enter (for a fee), clog making demonstrations, a chocolate shop with handmade treats, a cheese shop where you can watch them make the cheese, & a lot of other cute little shops to keep you entertained. Sure, it's incredibly touristy, but don't let that steer you away. We enjoyed walking around the village and had one of those "now I really feel like I'm in the Netherlands" kind of moments. We were one of the first ones there and got to take in all the sights before the tourist buses started arriving. I loved seeing the fog on the water & on the fields. It was just all so peaceful and serene. The chocolate shop owner even took the time to explain the chocolate making process to us which was very nice of her, which wouldn't have happened once all the tourists buses arrived. I definitely recommend going early in the morning and it's very doable to tour the village on your own instead of a group/paid tour.

This is a historic place and a must-see when in the area. There aren't a lot of windmills still left in the world and to see this many in one place is remarkable. We spent about 3 hours, touring the windmills and many other exhibits.

This place is awesome! It was definitely worth the train ride and walk to the area. There was a museum (10 euros) that we first started off with that gives you the history of the windmills and manufacturing in the area. It gave us a good history and background. After the museum we walked around to the cheese factory, and clog factory. At the museum they try to sell you a zaanse schans card (15 euros) but you don't need it for the cheese and clog factory. We didn't get a chance to go inside the windmill (4 euros) since they close around 4:30/5pm. But it was still cool to see them. Definitely recommend this place as a destination if you're visiting Holland!

Beautiful "open air windmill museum" which is an easy day trip from Amsterdam (6.50 euros round trip by train). One of the big windmills was free so we saw that and thereafter strolled along windmill lane. Very pleasant way to spend a rare sunny day.

Amazing spot. 1) They have multiple museums. I enjoyed the chocolate museum. 2) The multiple stores is amazing. The cheese and chocolate stores are great. 3) Most importantly, I like the windmills. Getting inside a windmill made my trip to fantastic.

Zaanse Schans is a tourist trap, there is no question about that. What makes it worth the visit: * It's picturesque. There is no denying that the camera loves this place. From the windmills, the landscape, to the well placed oversized wooden Dutch shoes, you are bound to find yourself wanting to capture the moment *There are multiple attractions to hold your attention, from the shops, windmills, larger museum by the parking lot, cheese tasting/demo, wooden shoe making demo, to just strolling through the village, you can easily spend an hours exploring. * It is a budget friendly. You can view the wooden shoe making demo and cheese tasting/demo for free. As well as there is no actual fee to walk around. *It is relatively easy and painless to get to Zaanse Schans, especially using public transportation. Save yourself the money and do this on your own. *Shops- if your looking for last minute gifts, they have the standard t-shirts, knick-knacks , plus wooden shoes, and more. Tips: -Bathrooms - make sure to have some change/money on you. It will cost you .50 euros to go. There is a change machine that will convert bills/ dollar coins to the appropriate denomination. - Windmills are free to view on the outside, or you will have to pay $4 euro to view each inside. The price covers only one of windmills, you will have to pay to view a different one. - Go early, especially during the summer. Cruise ship and other tours will descend on this place as the day goes on - Transportation - cars cost 10 euro to park. There is a ferry from Centraal Station; however, it will take you a little under 2 hours. Bus 391 is the route to take , though in July and August, 871 becomes available. Total time on the bus is ~45 minutes . By far the fastest way is via train from Centraal Station, though you will need to walk ~15 minutes from the train station stop.

My husband and I were in Amsterdam for our honeymoon and we had a day where we had some free time so we decided to take the trip to Zaanse Schans! It is really easy to take the bus (we found transportation in Amsterdam was really great) and didn't cost too much. The bus stop drops you off literally right at the park, probably a 2-3 minute walk. You could spend a few hours there. They have a lot of shops with different activities; cheese, clogs, restaurants, etc. They have a bunch of windmills too and you can go into them which is neat. We luckily had some good weather when we were there but at one point it was raining so we had to run inside and wait it out. We grabbed lunch there that was really good too!

Total tourist trap: windmills, cheese, wooden clogs it's a short train/car ride from Amsterdam and it's worth checking out. You might get talked into buying wooden clogs as souvenirs, but what's a few euros for something you can add to your travel shelf?! This places is basically for photo opps, but again, if you come you're definitely a tourist.

Beautiful windmills, cheese and wooden shoes....our American image of Dutch culture. It exists here in Zaanse Schans. We took the train from Amsterdam Sloterdijk to Zaanse Schans, and then we walked from the train station to the windmills. After getting off the train, take the stairs down to the tunnel towards town. You go under the train tracks, and come out on the other side and continue walking straight. We took the windmill cruise (€9.95), which we really liked. Bathrooms cost 50 cents to use at the Zaanse Schans Museum. Cheese store had free samples, but was packed with people. Unbelievable how many tour buses visit this place. Interesting to watch a demonstration on wooden shoe making. You can buy a "demonstration" wooden shoe for €2, which is rough, but is a neat souvenir. Wood is green, so it's a little wet. We went in a little bakery (Bakery Museum), where I bought a waffle and apple beignet (€5 total), and both were good, with the waffle being the best. The first windmill you come too, has a free entrance. They have items for sale inside, and that is the way they make money. Make sure you stop there. You could rent bicycles. Closer to the weekend, the more people there is. We had a great time.

As stated on their website... Zaanse Schans or the Windmill Village does function quite a bit like an open air museum. They also don't charge to let you visit the village, but there are parking fees and fees to participate or go into the museum. Admittedly though, this place feels super touristy, but within reason. As many of the shops and barns have lots of Holland-y goodness to be found and you can easily walk the trails between buildings and down pass all the windmills. I believe "De Kat" is the only mill open to the public... a dye/paint mill. I actually regret exploring it some.. given I'm always dealing with paint in my everyday, but it was really cool to look at just from the outside! There is a small fee to enter the windmill, but if you have time I imagine it's worth it. If you ever need wooden shoes too, this is your place. They have workshops you can attend and get a taste of how they make these things too. While it was indeed touristy, tons of tour groups from all sorts of places, it was a really peaceful and lovely place. It is very windy (I guess this is obvious--windmill village and all) out by the windmills so make sure you have a nice thick coat or something to keep you warm in colder months. If I had the time and wasn't with a small group myself.. it would have been a perfect place to do a bit of sketching sans the wind.~

We stopped by this place on our way to Amsterdam! Yes, it is very touristy but so what...? You are tourists anyway! It is a small town with windmills, countryside along the riverbank... It is touristy but is very different from Disney, the Louvre museum, cathedrals... You can step back, relax and enjoy the fresh air, sounds of winds, having a picnic lunch by the river bank... There are many gift stores here with great specialty gifts for friends and family like wooden clogs, porcelain arts, cheeses... The park is free! Definitely worth to stop by when you are on your way to Amsterdam!

a must see when visiting amsterdam! rich in history, colour, and enchanment! its like going back in time and seeing how the dutch lived. cheese tasting was amazing! basically it was taste all you want at so cheap prices but excellent wuality cheeses...better than vancouver! passed by the clog making factory and the windmills of course....only 4 working ones left i think...lol! small village charm with ice cream shops and waffle houses...delicious! what an amazing experience! only a 25 min bus ride from centraal station! tip: dont buy the expensive tours to come here! just take the bus! same thing! cheaper and explore at your own time. bus stop is outside the windmill prk close to museum. same bus stop to go back to central! so covenient and efficient! ( bus 391 or 891 - express). only 10 euros rt and $1 for kids below 12! what a deal! happy travels!

I loved it here so much. We decided to go early so that we would beat all the other tourist and it was the best idea we had that day. I loved the waffle I had from the bakery, and the lady there was so kind to us. I would love to go here again.

If this is the first time you visit Netherlands and you are in the Amsterdam area, I highly recommend a visit to Zaanse Schans. Easily accessible by train from the Amsterdam Central Station, Zaanse Schans makes a great half day trip to everything Netherlands. You will get a better understanding about the culture, food, history with exhibits, hands on demonstration and tasting. And of course there are shops for all your souvenirs needs. Even a Distillery Museum and Tasting Room? That sound like a fun fill day! Admission to the ground is free but if you do want to get into the different museums. If you planning to visit a couple of Wind Mills or other exhibits, consider getting the Zaanse Schans Card which will offers extra discount.

The coolest place to go in all of Holland/Netherlands! You MUST come here...very picquerist and very authentic Dutch! Forget Solvang in California...this is the real deal! Clogs and cheese...a MUST!

I did relatively little when we visited the Windmill Village, but that was more than enough for me. When I think of the Netherlands I invariably picture windmills and tulips (and sometimes stroopwafel!), so it was important for me to see some windmills for real! There's actually quite a bit to do here if you're looking for activities. Our Airbnb host told us about the different types of windmills they have and a few different things you can do while here, such as cheese tasting or getting some wooden shoes, etc., but we just walked around and my wife and sister-in-law fed some goats. Take in the views of the big windmills, sit in the giant wooden shoe, and participate in any of the activities they have available. This is a very popular tourist destination so don't think you'll be alone, but just be patient as the tour groups finish with their selfies and group-selfies in that one perfect picture spot in front of the big, green windmill. That picture is worth it!