A pleasant half-day trip from Amsterdam is a visit to the picturesque Dutch village park at Zaanse Schans, approximately 15km north of the city. You will find iconic views of the 6 windmills set on the river Zaan, traditional houses, shops and museums.
Zaanse Schans has an open-air museum feel and has become a very popular tourist attraction with 2.5 million annual visitors. It is free to just walk around and take photos.
The Zaanse Schans area was actually set-up in 1963 as a reserve for historic buildings from the region. The buildings were transported here by land and water to be restored.
The Zaan region is well-known for its green houses. It is thought that the green paint made of copper pigment had good weatherproofing qualities.
Zaans Museum
The Zaans Museum is a principal attraction at Zaanse Schans and gives a concise historical overview of the people and industry of the area.
It has a varied collection of paintings, costumes, furniture as well as multimedia exhibits.
The museum also houses the Verkade Experience which is a history of the chocolate and biscuit maker including the old manufacturing machines which you can see in action.
There is a nice view from the panoramic lookout point upstairs.
In addition, the Zaans Museum includes two ‘living history’ museums – these are open during the March-October high season.
The Weaver’s House (Zeilenmakerspad 8) shows how sails were traditionally made using looms.
The Tiemstra Cooperage (De Kwakels 2) will show you the craft of making wooden barrels which were vital for transporting goods.
The Zaans Museum is open daily 10:00-17:00.
Admission to Zaans Museum costs €16, seniors 65+ €13, children 4-17 €8.50.
I Amsterdam City Card, Museumkaart holders and children 0-3 get free entry; the Zaanse Schans card also has entry included.
If you just wish to visit the Cooperage or the Weaver’s House, then admission to costs €3.50 or €4 respectively, for adults, €2 for children 4-17.
Zaans Museum, Schansend 7, 1509 AW Zaandam
There is a large car park at Zaans Museum which is where most of the coach tours arrive.
Not far from the Zaans Museum is a 2-level wooden watchtower (free entry) which gives an elevated panoramic view of the area.
Other museums/attractions at Zaanse Schans
The Albert Heijn Museum Shop (Kalverringdijk 5) is a reconstruction of the first ever Albert Heijn store from Oostzaan dating back to the late 19th century. Today Albert Heijn is the biggest supermarket in Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands. Entrance is free, open 10:30-15:30 (weekdays) and 10:30-16:30 (weekends).
The Zaanse Time Museum at Kalverringdijk 3 – open daily 11:00-16:00 (Oct-Mar), 10:00-17:00 (Apr-Sep) – shows the history of Dutch timepieces with a collection of clocks that chime together on the hour. Standard entrance is €12 for adults, €6 for children 4-17. Free entrance for I Amsterdam City Card, Museumkaart and Zaanse Schans card.
The Bakery Museum de Gecroonde Duyvekater (Zeilenmakerspad 4, daily 09:00-17:00) is where you can sample the Duivekater, a famous Zaanse sweet bread. Free entrance.
Honig Breethuis at Lagedijk 80 – open Fri-Sun 13:00-16:00 – is a 19th century merchant family house on the west-side of the Zaan. Entrance is €7.50 for adults, children 12-17 €4, free for Museumkaart holders.
The Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm at Zeilenmakerspad 5 – open daily 08:30-17:00 (Oct-Feb), 08:00-18:00 (Mar-Sep) – is a replica of an old farm from Oostzaan. Cheese makers wear traditional costumes and offer daily demonstrations. Free entrance.
Ever wondered how the ubiquitous Dutch clogs are made? The Clog Workshop at Kraaienest 4 – open daily 08:00-17:00 (Nov-Feb), 08:00-18:00 (Mar-Oct) – gives you the chance to see a clog maker in action. Entrance is free and the onsite museum houses an impressive collection of wooden shoes.
Windmills at Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans is famous for its wooden windmills. The old industrial area of the Zaanstreek once featured more than 1,000 windmills.
The Mill Museum at Kalverringdijk 30 – open daily 12:00-17:00 (Nov-Feb), 10:00-17:00 (Mar-Oct) – houses an interactive exhibition about various aspects of mill life, culture and trade. The highlight is perhaps an 11 metre wide panoramic painting of the windmills in Zaandam around the year 1800.
Entrance is €12 for adults, €6 for children 4-17, free for Museumkaart holders.
You also have the option of visiting some individual windmills. The following are open daily:
De Kat (The Cat) – paint and dye mill (1664)
Het Jonge Schaap (The Young Sheep) – sawmill (2007)
De Huisman (The Houseman) – spice mill (1786)
Individual entry to a windmill costs €6 for adults, €3 for children 4-17. Free for I Amsterdam City Cardholders. Museumkaart holders can freely enter The Houseman mill.
These other windmills at Zaanse Schans may have restricted opening hours or may be closed:
De Bonte Hen (The Brightly Coloured Hen) – oil mill (1693)
De Zoeker (The Seeker) – oil mill (1672)
Het Pink (The Yearling) – oil mill (1620)
Het Prinsenhof (The Prince’s Court) – hulling mill (1722)
De Koker (The Pipe) – flour mill (1866)
De Schoolmeister (The Schoolmaster) – paper mill (1692)
De Gekroonde Poelenburg (The Crowned Poelenburg) – sawmill (1867)
De Bleeke Dood (The Pale Death) – flour mill (1656)
De Jonge Dirk (The Young Dirk) – paper mill (1908)
De Ooievaar (The Stork) – oil mill (1622)
Windmill Cruises Zaanse Schans (Kalverringdijk 21A) are available with departures every 30 minutes between 09:30 and 16:30. A cruise in a glass-topped boat takes 45 minutes and costs €13.50, children 4-12 €7.
Getting to Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam
There are a number of possibilities for getting to Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam.
TOUR: The easiest way is to take an organised half-day Zaanse Schans tour with pick-up near Amsterdam Central station. Or take one of the combined tours which gets you to other places of interest like Volendam or Giethoorn.
In terms of public transport, there are 3 choices for reaching Zaanse Schans.
SHUTTLE BUS: You can book a handy round-trip shuttle bus from Amsterdam which departs from Overhoeksplein at Amsterdam North (access by free ferry). Book Zaanse Schans bus transport from Amsterdam
TRAIN: Take one of the NS Sprinter stopping trains from Amsterdam Central (direction Uitgeest, up to 4x hourly) to station Zaandijk Zaanse Schans.
From there it’s about 10-15 minutes walk to Zaanse Schans – just follow the signs. Walk up the road (Stationstraat) and then turn left towards the windmill and then right to cross over the bridge.
A day return (2025) on the train costs €7.80 and the trip takes just under 20 mins. There is a €1.50 surcharge for disposable tickets. You can also buy e-tickets for €5.20 each way in multiple currencies at Tiqets here.
BUS: EBS runs bus services from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans.
Industrial Heritage bus line (391) runs from the bus station (IJ-side) at Amsterdam Central to Zaandam and the Zaanse Schans windmills. It runs up to 4x hourly and the trip takes about 40 minutes.
Bus line 800/801 runs from Amsterdam (IJ-side) to Zaanse Schans and then onto Volendam.
The 1-3 day Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket (€21/€31.50/€40.50) is valid on all regional transport – including the bus and train between Amsterdam and Zaanse Schans. Book Amsterdam & Region Travel Tickets online here
A 90 minute “Bus Tram Metro” ticket costs €6.50.
It is well worth getting out of Amsterdam to have a look around Zaanse Schans, a picture postcard version of a traditional Dutch village in a water and country setting.
This article was originally published in 2011. Last updated 3 March 2025.
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