Windmills at the Zaanse Schans
Schansend 7
1509 AW ZAANDAM
1509 AW ZAANDAM
The Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum that’s fun for all ages. Open year round, Zaans Schans is a free outdoor park with a colle...
In its 18th and 19th century heyday, the Zaan region was an important industrial area dotted by hundreds of windmills producing linseed oil, paint, snuff, mustard, paper and other products. Many of the Zaanse Schans' characteristic village houses are now museums, gift shops or workshops while others are still used as private residences. Some of the Zaanse Schans' remaining windmills are also open to the public.
Visiting Zaanse Schans
The Zaanse Schans attracts nearly a million visitors per year and it's one of the Netherlands' best loved attractions. The outdoor portion of the Zaanse Schans is open to view without paying admission, but opening times and entrance prices vary at each of its museums, workshops, and windmills.
Entry to many of the paid attractions is included in the cost of the City Card. What’s more a windmill cruise is also included as part of the deal.
How to get to Zaanse Schans
Many choose to visit the Zaanse Schans as part of a guided tour or excursion, but the village is also easy to reach under your own steam by car or public transport - just catch the train from Amsterdam's Central Station. A 15-minute train ride will take you to Koog-Zaandijk and it's a 10-minute walk from the station. Just look for the windmills!
Zaanse Schans attractions
Tip
Zaans Museum & Verkade Pavilion
Schansend 7
1509 AW ZAANDAM
1509 AW ZAANDAM
The Zaans Museum tells the story of daily life in the Zaan region over the centuries. The Zaan was one of the oldest industrial ar...
Museum Zaanse Tijd (Zaan Time Museum)
Kalverringdijk 3
1509 BT ZAANDAM
1509 BT ZAANDAM
Timekeeping is at the heart of science and technology, and this museum pays homage to it with its unique focus on the craft of the...
Kuiperij
Schansend 7
1509 AW ZAANDAM
1509 AW ZAANDAM
Discover a piece of history at Kuiperij in Zaanse Schans. This is where barrels were made to transport goods. The historic family ...
Museumwinkel Albert Heijn
Kalverringdijk 5
1509 BT ZAANDAM
1509 BT ZAANDAM
Take a trip back in time to visit the very first Albert Heijn grocery store in the Netherlands. This monumental building is now a ...
In de Gecroonde Duyvekater Bakery Museum
Zeilenmakerspad 4
1509 BZ ZAANDAM
1509 BZ ZAANDAM
In de Gecroonde Duyvekater Bakery Museum is located in a charming house dating back to 1658. The bakery is decorated in 19th-centu...
De Zaanse Schans Clog Workshop
Kraaienest 4
1509 AZ ZAANDAM
1509 AZ ZAANDAM
Visit the wooden shoe workshop at the Zaanse Schans! See the clog makers at work in the workshop and learn about the history of wo...
Catharina Hoeve cheese farm
Zeilenmakerspad 5
1509 BZ ZAANDAM
1509 BZ ZAANDAM
The Catharina Hoeve is an authentic 17th-century cheese farm, situated at the Zaanse Schans, close to Amsterdam. The Zaanse Schans...
Wevershuis
Schansend 7
1509 AW ZAANDAM
1509 AW ZAANDAM
Molen De Bonte Hen
Kalverringdijk 39
1509 BT ZAANDAM
1509 BT ZAANDAM
Molen Het Jonge Schaap
Kalverringdijk 31a
1509 BT ZAANDAM
1509 BT ZAANDAM
Het Jonge Schaap ('the young sheep') is a replica of a wooden wind-powered sawmill in the Zaanse Schaans. Originally built in 1680...
Windmill de Kat
Kalverringdijk 29
1509 BT ZAANDAM
1509 BT ZAANDAM
This windmill used to grind chalk and other raw materials for paint and was built in 1646 in the historic village of Zaanse Schans...
Molen de Zoeker
Kalverringdijk 31
1509 BT ZAANDAM
1509 BT ZAANDAM
This windmill, dating from 1676, is the only remaining functioning oil mill – a windmill used to process oily seeds – in the world...
