Giethoorn and Zaanse Schans Day Tour: Boat Ride Included

See how Dutch cheese and wooden shoes are made, then steer your own boat through Giethoorn

A 10-hour day tour from Amsterdam visits Zaanse Schans in the morning, where you watch a cheesemaker demonstrate how Gouda is made and taste 26 flavors, then see a clog maker shape wooden shoes by hand and try them on. After lunch on your own, you travel to Giethoorn and choose between a guided one-hour boat cruise through the village's canals or renting your own boat to explore at your pace.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn

• Tour Dutch cheese factory
• Taste various cheeses
• Watch wooden shoe making demo
• Try on wooden shoes
• Attend Royal Amsterdam diamond tour
• Free time at Zaanse Schans
• Travel to Giethoorn
• Enjoy free time in Giethoorn
• Take 1-hour boat cruise

What’s included

• Guided private tours of the cheese factory, wooden shoe factory and diamond exhibition at Zaanse Schans.
• one-hour boat cruise in Giethoorn (or your own rental boat).
• all entry fees and taxes.
• air-conditioned transport.
• bottled water per traveler.
• power bank, napkin and umbrella to use throughout the day.

Times

• Every day 08:00

Another time? ›

Before you book

Group Up to 28

Live guide English and Chinese Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point. You can choose from 45 pickup points.

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund. It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Public transport nearby

Operated by K7 Travel Amsterdam

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

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The experience

The tour picks you up from your Amsterdam hotel and heads to Zaanse Schans, a preserved windmill village where the day's first stop is a working cheese factory. A guide walks you through how Gouda is made the traditional way, and you taste more than 26 different varieties. Next door, a clog maker demonstrates shaping wooden shoes by hand. You can try on different painted styles and photograph the process. A third stop covers the history of Dutch diamonds, including a close look at the 268-facet "Royal Lady" diamond. Between stops you have free time to wander the windmills and take photos.

After Zaanse Schans, the group travels to Giethoorn, known as the Green Venice of Holland for its network of canals and lack of roads. You have free time to explore on foot, then choose how to spend your included one-hour boat time: join a guided cruise to see the canals, houses and the lake beyond the village, or rent your own boat and navigate the waterways with family or friends. Lunch is on your own in Giethoorn.

The air-conditioned vehicle carries a small group, and each traveler gets bottled water, a power bank, napkin and umbrella for the full 10 hours. A live guide speaks English or Chinese depending on the departure you book. Hotel pickup in Amsterdam is included.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How many different cheeses do you get to taste at Zaanse Schans?

The cheese factory tasting includes more than 26 different flavors of Gouda, made using traditional methods that the guide explains as you taste.

Can I steer my own boat in Giethoorn, or is it a guided cruise?

You choose: the tour includes one hour of boat time, and you can either join a guided cruise to see the canals and houses, or rent your own boat and navigate the waterways yourself with your group.

What happens at the wooden shoe factory?

A traditional clog maker demonstrates shaping and painting wooden shoes by hand, and you can try on different styles and colors to photograph.

Does the tour include lunch?

Lunch is not included. You have free time in Giethoorn to eat at a restaurant of your choice.

What's included in the price besides the boat ride?

Entry to the cheese factory, wooden shoe factory and diamond tour at Zaanse Schans; the one-hour boat cruise in Giethoorn; hotel pickup in Amsterdam; bottled water; and free use of a power bank, napkin and umbrella for the whole day.