Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans Windmills & Volendam Fishing Village Tour

Wooden Shoes & 17th-Century Windmills: A Day Beyond Amsterdam's City Center

You travel by small minivan from Amsterdam through the Dutch countryside to Zaanse Schans windmill village, where you enter a working windmill and explore Europe's oldest industrial area. You taste ten cheeses at a family farm, watch wooden clogs being carved by hand, then visit either Volendam or Broek in Waterland: whichever suits the day's conditions. Lunch, entry fees, and your guide are included. The whole day runs about eight hours and returns you to Amsterdam in the late afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Zaanse Schans1h · entry included
2. Volendam1h

Visit Dutch windmills and fishing villages

• Travel from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans
• Visit windmill village and enter windmill
• Visit family-owned farm for clogs and cheese
• Explore fishing village near Monnickendam
• Visit Volendam fishing village
• Stop at Broek in Waterland village
• Return to Amsterdam

The experience

The minivan pulls away from central Amsterdam and within twenty minutes the canal-lined streets give way to open countryside: flat fields, water channels, and then the silhouettes of Zaanse Schans rising against the sky. This is the oldest industrial area in Europe, and the windmills here aren't museum pieces pretending to work. You actually step inside one, watch the machinery turn, and understand why Dutch engineers became famous. The village itself is small enough that you move through it without crowds, and your guide (someone who knows which corners still feel like the 1600s) points out details most visitors miss.

After Zaanse Schans, the tour moves to a family-owned farm where a craftsman shapes wooden clogs by hand while you watch, and then into the cheese room where you taste ten different Gouda varieties, some aged for years. It's the kind of tasting where you actually notice the difference between them instead of nodding along. Volendam comes next. A fishing village that was once so famous across Europe that wealthy travelers made pilgrimages to see its pastel wooden houses and obsessively clean gardens. The smokehouse smell that earned it the nickname "stinky town" is mostly gone now, but the character remains. Your guide chooses between Volendam and Broek in Waterland depending on the day and weather, so you get the village that makes sense on the day you're there, not a fixed itinerary that ignores conditions.

Lunch happens at a restaurant included in the price, and the pace throughout is deliberate. You're not rushing between five stops before sunset. Groups stay small, which means the minivan can navigate the narrow streets and park near things that tour buses can't reach. If you want to add a countryside picnic with wine, smoked salmon, cheeses, and fresh juices, that's an optional 85 euros per person, set up on a spot the guide knows and picked up when you're ready. The ride back to Amsterdam gives you time to sit quietly or ask questions, depending on what you need.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or central Amsterdam pickup by minivan, transport to and through Zaanse Schans windmill village with entry and a guide who takes you inside a working windmill, a stop at a family-owned farm where you watch wooden clogs being handcrafted and taste ten different Gouda cheeses, a visit to either Volendam or Broek in Waterland depending on weather and the day, lunch at a restaurant, Dutch fruit wine, and return transport to Amsterdam. All entry fees and taxes are covered.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00Last departure this season: 31 Dec

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (7 and older) · Under 7: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Dutch

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Experiencewaterland

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Dutch countryside and traditional villages without the pace and crowds of a large tour bus: the minivan size and small-group format mean you actually fit into the narrow streets and quieter corners that bigger groups can't access, and the guide's flexibility about which village to visit makes the day work with the weather instead of against it.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Dutch.

How long is the tour?

Approximately eight hours from pickup in Amsterdam to return.

What's included in the price?

Minivan transport, expert guide, entry to Zaanse Schans windmill village, entry to the cheese and cloggs farm, tasting of ten cheeses, lunch at a restaurant, and all fees and taxes.

Can I add a picnic instead of the restaurant lunch?

Yes. A countryside picnic with wine, smoked salmon, cheeses, fresh juices, baguettes and spreads costs 85 euros per person (minimum two people). The guide sets it up and picks you up when you're ready.

Is this suitable for children?

Yes. Minimum age is seven years. Infants and small children can travel in a pram or stroller.

Why does the guide choose between Volendam and Broek in Waterland?

The guide picks the village that suits the day's weather and conditions, so you experience the place at its best rather than following a fixed route regardless of the day.

How small is the group?

The tour uses a minivan instead of a large bus, which keeps groups small enough to access narrow village streets and quieter spots that bigger tours can't reach.

Do I need to be fit for this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You spend most of the day in a vehicle or walking slowly through villages and farms.