Windmill tours near Amsterdam offer a relaxing escape into the Dutch countryside, featuring historic windmills, clog workshops and factories, museums, cheese farms, tasting gouda cheese, the Zaan River, and scenic Dutch villages. Book a boat ride from Amsterdam to explore Zaanse Schans. The boat trip takes approximately 90 minutes with a welcome drink and local captain included. You can choose a flexible itinerary.
What Makes a Zaanse Schans Boat Tour Special?
The Zaanse Schans tour from Amsterdam offers a unique way to experience the Netherlands by combining Amsterdam’s historic canals with the Dutch countryside in one seamless journey.
The best time to visit Zaanse Schans is from April to October, when spring, summer, and early autumn bring blooming tulips, longer daylight hours, fully operating windmills, and pleasant weather for exploring the beautiful village.
Instead of travelling by road, a boat tour can be very efficient to explore Amsterdam on a single tour. As the cruise continues towards the IJ Waterfront and the North Sea Canal, the scenery changes from historic canals to harbours and commercial shipping routes. When we reach the Zaan River, the urban landscape transitions to the picturesque Zaanse Schans villages, featuring green wooden houses, windmills, and open countryside.
The tour typically begins along the Prinsengracht; we also offer hotel pickup for our customers. Please WhatsApp or contact us for the related information. A Zaanse Schans boat tour allows you to explore the Netherlands’ iconic landmarks in a journey. You will pass through the UNESCO-listed Canal Belt, canal houses, charming bridges, historic warehouses, and traditional houseboats.
We offer a private tour of Zaanse Schans to ensure that you can relax and enjoy with your group. It’s a relaxing, scenic experience that combines culture, history, photography, dining, drinking and nature in a single trip.
Choose a Boat for Your Windmill Tour
Our boat is a fully electric canal boat. We have 3 types of vessels—open, semi-open, and saloon boats. Our boats are made for all weather, from summer to winter. Even if you are on the open boat tour, you don’t need an umbrella because the boats have a foldable roof.
Join an Exclusive Zaanse Schans Windmill Tour by Boatboys
Starting Price
€250 per hour
Cruise Time
Approximately 90 minutes (one way)
Included
Welcome drinks
Person
Upto 12 Guests
Available Facilities
Mini Bar & Restroom
Guided in
6 Languages
Optional Add-ons
Food, drinks, photography, decorations, Multilingual Tour Guide
Testimonials
Pick the Right Private Windmill Tour for You
When you choose a one-way tour (1.5 hours), we include only welcome drinks. However, our recommended Zaanse Schans tour duration is up to 4 hours. Amsterdam Windmill Tours is a slow-paced, relaxing excursion.
You can take a half-day or customize a full-day tour on a private canal cruise to discover the best windmill tour in Amsterdam. However, we ensure flexible timing, tour guides, a customizable pace, travel logistics, and a stress-free experience.
We are partners of top canal-side restaurants in Amsterdam, such as Red , Vegan Sushi Bar, Pizza Cruise, Nim Amsterdam Restaurant, etc. We offer vegan options alongside non-vegetarian dishes. In addition, Contact us to discover our popular dining options and exclusive packages available for Zaanse Schans.
| Food Courses | Trip Duration |
| 3 courses | 3 hours |
| 4 courses | 3.5 hours |
| 5 courses | 4 hours |
| 6 courses | 4.5 hours |
| 7 courses | 6 hours |
Why Take an Amsterdam Windmill Village Tour
The Zaanse Schans features timber houses painted green, handicraft shops, and 18th- and 19th-century operational windmills; traditional cheese and clog-making workshops; and museums. Day trips from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans offer an opportunity to explore this popular Dutch village. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the heritage area. A row of historic sites is open to the public.
Once you purchase a ticket to access the Zaanse Schans, you can visit the Verkade Experience, the Weaver’s House, the Zaanse Tijd Museum, the Heritage Chambers Kalverringdijk, and the Windmill Museum; use the digital audio tour; and explore many other locations. You can find more details at this website link for the Zaanse Museum.
In Addition, our captain is friendly and shares fun stories about what to do in Zaanse Schans, historical landmarks like the iconic skinny bridge (Magere Brug), dancing houses, houseboats and museums so that you cannot miss anything if you are a first-time visitor in the Netherlands.
Highlights of an Amsterdam Windmill Tour
An amazing windmill tour combines slow travel with an educational experience led by an expert tour guide. You can taste authentic Dutch cheese, explore windmills, and enjoy peaceful village views. The Zaanse Schans opens daily between 09:00 – 17:00 but the outside area is always open.
Cycling in Zaanse Schans
As you cycle through Zaanse Schans, you’ll pass iconic windmills along the Zaan River, scenic canals, open polders, traditional wooden houses, working mills, wooden shoe factories, cheese farms, historic bakeries, charming farmhouses, narrow country roads, wooden bridges, and many other picturesque sights.
Visit Cheese Farms
Visit to the iconic windmills and traditional farm in the Zaan Region Polders. This Family-Run Estate showcases genuine cattle husbandry and time-honored methods.
The Cheese Farm “Catharina Hoeve” by Henri Willig is located directly among the windmills. You can watch the cheese factory in action: Traditional Rennet & Curds transform fresh milk into world-famous dutch cheese varieties. Join a hands-on workshop to craft your own, embracing farm-to-table freshness. Explore shops stocked with flavorful options, including lactose-free varieties.
Award-Winning Gouda Cheese Tasting
In Zaanse Schans, you can see behind the scenes at a traditional Artisanal Dairy to witness the soul of Dutch gastronomy and how it’s made. You can visit a family-run organic cheese farm where the cows graze on lush polder grass, Supporting Sustainable farming and producing high-quality local cheese that has made this region world-famous in Holland.
During the pairing Experience, explore the complex of authentic Raw-Milk Varieties. Our expert guides share insights through the delicate art of Affinage (Ripening). Creamy Dutch cheese slowly transforms over months into a salty, crystalline masterpiece.
Visit a Traditional Clog-Making Factory and Join a Workshop
Right in the middle of Zaanse Schans, you can visit the clog factory where people still make klompen the old-fashioned way.Visit to the Wooden Shoe Workshop (Klompenmakerij). You can watch a live carving demonstration as artisans turn blocks of poplar and willow wood into classic Dutch wooden shoes.
The Clog shoe is a proper Dutch folk craft, and you can join the wooden shoe workshop and try to make a clog for yourself during the hands-on workshops. The clog making factory keeps Holland’s traditional craft alive in Dutch history, generation by generation.
Visit the Bakery Museum "The Gecroonde Duyvekater"
The Bakery Museum “The Gecroonde Duyvekater” can be found in Zaandam city, Zaanse Schans. Incredibly, a 17th-century authentic shop and the building still retain their original 1658 architecture, with wooden beams, tiny windows, and that old-world charm you can almost smell. The Bakery Museum is situated near the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm.
The popular item is Duivekater (or deuvekater), a traditional Dutch pastry made from slightly sweet white bread from the Netherlands’ Zaanstreek area and North Holland. Visit the bakery museum where bakers slide trays into the old-fashioned stone oven.The bakery shop sells fresh batches, along with other classic treats, coffee, and little souvenirs, so that you can take a piece of that history home.
Plan The Perfect Windmill Tour
Amsterdam’s windmills stand as guardians of time, gracefully blending past and present. Whether you’re savoring craft beers at the Windmill Brewery, navigating canals on a private boat tour, or venturing to windmills near Amsterdam, each experience unfolds a new chapter in the city’s rich narrative.
Book your Zaanse Schans cruise with us! We are located in Amsterdam’s famous Jordaan District. So, let the winds of time guide you through the charming lanes and waterways, where the whispers of windmills tell tales of a bygone era, seamlessly woven into the vibrant fabric of modern Amsterdam. The waiting had ended. Enjoy a private Amsterdam windmill tour with expert local coordination from weather-ready tips to amazing insights into Holland.
info@amsterdamprivateboat.com
+31 (0) 6 45 25 1000
People Also Ask
Is it worth visiting windmills in Amsterdam?
Yes – iconic Dutch history and landmarks, and an easy day trip.
What should I wear for a windmill tour?
In summer, we always recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes and carrying a waterproof jacket, as wind/rain are very common.
What is the Zaanse Schans entry fee?
Once you pay €29.50 per ticket, all sites and facilities are open with no hidden charges.
Can I take a boat to the windmills?
Yes, private or small-group boat tours from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans (1.5+ hours one way).
How do I get to the windmills from Amsterdam Centraal?
You can take a bus, train, private boat, or ferry for the windmill tour from Amsterdam.
How long should I spend at Zaanse Schans?
We recommend spending 2.30 to 4 hours visiting museums, workshops, and the flower gardens.
Which windmills are closest to Amsterdam city?
The closest windmill is De Gooyer (in Amsterdam Oost), then Riekermolen (south along the Amstel), and then Zaanse Schans.
Are the windmills at Zaanse Schans still working?
Yes, several are operational (saw, oil, paint mills) and open seasonally.
Where can I see cheese-making and windmills together?
You can visit the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm in Zaanse Schans, Biokaas in Kinderdijk, Cheese farm de Jacobs Hoeve by Henri Willig at Katwoude, Rembrandt Hoeve, and Clara Maria Cheese Farm & Clog Factory at Amstelveen.
Which is better, Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk?
Both Zaanse Schans and Kinderdijk are popular day trips from Amsterdam. However, Zaanse Schans is only 17 km away, making it the more convenient option with a wider variety of tourist attractions. In contrast, Kinderdijk is located about 100 km from Amsterdam.