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Zaanse Schans: the windmills on the Zaan

The Zaan region north of Amsterdam was one of the first industrial landscapes in Europe, with hundreds of windmills sawing timber, pressing oil and grinding paint. A handful of them still turn at the Zaanse Schans, in a village put together to save them.

What it is
Day trip
Time to allow
4 to 7 hours
Cost
Free to walk, tickets for the mills and museums
Best time
A dry morning, early, before the coaches

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    Why the Zaanse Schans is worth it

    Between 1961 and 1974, old windmills, wooden houses, barns and workshops from all over the Zaanstreek were taken down or carried whole on trailers and set up again here, on the bank of the river Zaan, to keep them from being lost. Two of the windmills stand where they were built.

    The name comes from the river and from the schans, an earthwork built against the Spanish in the Eighty Years' War. It is now a neighbourhood of Zaandam where people live, among the museums and workshops.

    It has become one of the most visited places in the country, with millions of visitors a year. The outdoor village is free to walk round, and so are many of the workshops; the windmills and museums charge.

    What to see

    1. The windmills

      A row of working mills along the Zaan, among them De Kat, which still grinds pigments for paint, and mills that press oil and saw wood. Some can be climbed.

    2. The wooden houses

      Green-painted houses with white trim, built of wood, light enough for the soft peat ground of the Zaan.

    3. The Zaans Museum

      The museum of the region and its industries, with the Verkade chocolate and biscuit factory's story.

    4. The workshops

      A cheese farm, a clog maker and a pewter foundry, free to visit, where the old crafts are shown.

    5. Volendam and Marken

      The old fishing towns on the shore of the former Zuiderzee that many tours add to the windmills, with their wooden houses and harbours.

    How to do it well

    • Take the train from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans, under twenty minutes, then cross the bridge over the Zaan on foot.
    • Go early. By late morning the coaches arrive and the paths fill.
    • The village is free. Decide in advance which mills and museums you want to go inside.
    • The wind decides whether the mills turn. On a still day they stand.

    Where it is

    Address

    Zaandam, on the river Zaan, about twelve kilometres north-west of Amsterdam

    Nearest station

    Train from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans station

    Tickets and tours: Zaanse Schans

    Zaanse Schans: common questions

    How do you get from Amsterdam to the Zaanse Schans?
    By train from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans, a journey of under twenty minutes, then a short walk across the river. Many tours go by coach, adding Volendam and Marken.
    Is the Zaanse Schans free?
    The village is free to walk round, and many of its workshops are free to enter. The windmills and museums charge for entry.
    Are the windmills at the Zaanse Schans real?
    Yes. They are old working mills, most of them moved here from elsewhere in the region in the 1960s and 70s, and some still saw wood or grind pigments when the wind blows.
    How much time do you need for the Zaanse Schans?
    Allow 4 to 7 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

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