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ZaandamOutdoor activities

Our most recommended Zaandam Outdoor activities

Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Volendam, and Marken Day Trip

1. Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Volendam, and Marken Day Trip

Enjoy the picturesque Dutch countryside on a day trip by comfortable bus. Encounter the famous windmills, and learn about Dutch traditional crafts.Take advantage of free WiFi on board the bus as you travel. Discover the unique village of Zaanse Schans. Stroll around at your leisure and admire the well-preserved historic windmills and houses. Explore the fishing village of Volendam, visit a cheese shop still making cheese using a traditional Dutch method, and join a demonstration about Volendam cheese. Enjoy lunch at a traditional fish restaurant at your own expense, before exploring more of Volendam. Select the all-inclusive tour option for more activities including a boat ride to Marken, a visit to an operating windmill, and a clog-making demonstration.

Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam & Marken Bus Tour

2. Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam & Marken Bus Tour

Visit Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken on a guided bus tour from Amsterdam. Admire the famous windmills of Zaanse Schans, attend a clog-making demonstration, and sample Edam and Gouda cheese. Depart Amsterdam by luxury bus on this exciting tour and head north of the city to see the historic windmills of Zaanse Schans on the banks of the river Zaan. Explore the traditional 17th-century houses and a collection of beautifully preserved windmills from the nation’s industrial heritage. Continue on to visit Edam, a beautiful town known worldwide for its cheese. Enjoy a cheese tasting and an exciting clog demonstration. Before the end of the day, go to Volendam and Marken, passing many authentic polders, the name given to land reclaimed from the sea. Wander down narrow streets, past colorful houses and visit the harbors full of fishing boats. You will have some free time to shop for souvenirs and sample the local fish specialties. Back in Amsterdam, you will be dropped off at the meeting point.

From Amsterdam: Guided Zaanse Schans & Cheese Tasting Tour

3. From Amsterdam: Guided Zaanse Schans & Cheese Tasting Tour

Join a guided bus tour from Amsterdam to visit the windmill village of Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum housing working windmills, wooden houses, barns, and shops dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Enjoy live commentary from your guide, a clog workshop, and a cheese-making demonstration. Meet your guide and driver at a central meeting point just across from Central Station in Amsterdam. Settle in for a comfortable, air-conditioned ride on a single deck bus that will take you to your destination in just 20 minutes. Upon arrival in the village, follow your guide for an orientation tour of the village. Visit the clog museum for a live wooden shoemaking workshop. Then, taste some Dutch farmer cheese on the cheese farm. Get a sense of what the village was like in the 18th and 19th centuries. Alongside windmills and barns, see houses that were originally built as homes for rich windmill owners and merchants. Admire their colorful facades painted in traditional hues of green, beige, and light blue. Finally, it is time to further explore the village on your own. Before you set off, take insider tips from your guide and learn about the region's local history and culture. At the end of the tour, hop back on the bus for your return journey to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans 3-Hour Small Group Tour

4. Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans 3-Hour Small Group Tour

Starting from Amsterdam, enjoy a comfortable drive to Zaanse Schans. There, hear your guide tell you about the sights and history of this unique, small village and region. Visit a wooden shoe workshop to see how the traditional wooden clogs are made. Also, enjoy a trip to a local cheese farm to learn how the Dutch Gouda cheeses are made. There, taste all kinds of delicious cheeses. After hearing about the magnificent windmills from your guide, enter one to see how these wind-powered industries operate. Get out on the balcony to experience the power of the wind yourself and to enjoy the lovely view of the countryside. After your guided tour at Zaanse Schans, head back to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam: 1, 2, 3, or 5-Day Go City All-Inclusive Pass

5. Amsterdam: 1, 2, 3, or 5-Day Go City All-Inclusive Pass

Enjoy unlimited access to Amsterdam's hottest attractions with a pass valid for 1, 2, 3, or 5 days. With Go City you pay nothing at the gate but get to save up to 50%* off at top Amsterdam attractions. Visit the Moco Museum (Bansky & more), discover world-famous collections of historic art at the Rijksmuseum, visit the brewing home of Heineken, and admire the city from the canals with a sightseeing cruise. Easily display your pass on your phone and use the included Go City app to help you plan your itinerary and make reservations when necessary. There is something for everyone with over 30 attractions and tours. Attractions/Activities included with your Amsterdam All-Inclusive Pass: • Heineken Experience (reservations required) • Moco Museum • A'DAM Lookout • Rijksmuseum (reservations required) • Houseboat Museum • This Is Holland (reservations required) • Rembrandts Amsterdam Experience • Tour de BonTon • Royal Experience - Royal Coster Diamonds (reservations required) • Madame Tussauds Amsterdam • The Amsterdam Dungeon • Amsterdam Canal Cruise • The Life of Anne Frank & Neighbourhood Tour • 1-hour pedal boat • MacBike bike rental • Diamond Museum Amsterdam • Amsterdam Pipe Museum • House of Bols cocktail experience • Amsterdam Tulip Museum • AMAZE Amsterdam – a new immersive experience by ID&T • Rembrandthius Experience • Ferry to Muiderslot Castle (April to October) • Muiderslot Castle • Keukenhof Tour (spring) • Keukenhof skip-the-line entry and coach transfers (seasonal/reservations required) • Zaanse Schans Tour (reservations required) • Volendam, Edam, and Windmills Tour (reservations required) • Rotterdam, Delft, and The Hague Tour (reservations required) • Day Trip to Antwerp from Amsterdam • From Amsterdam: Full Day trip to Paris • Day Trip to Bruges from Amsterdam • National Maritime Museum *Savings based on sample itineraries on the Go City website.

Amsterdam: Edam, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Guided Tour

6. Amsterdam: Edam, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Guided Tour

Leave Amsterdam for half a day on this guided tour of the rolling Dutch countryside. Sit back and travel comfortably in a coach to the rural village of Edam. Take a walk through the quaint streets of Edam. En route to Volendam, stop to visit an old cheese farm to see how authentic Dutch cheese is made. Indulge in trying some of these huge spheres of delicious cheese. Upon arrival in Volendam, follow your guide on a journey through the fishing village’s winding streets. Hear about how this bustling place was once the harbor for neighboring village Edam. Enjoy some free time to eat lunch. Next, move on to visit the windmill village of Zaanse Schans. Once used to ground spices, dyes, lumber, oil, cocoa powder, and many other items, the mills are still in use today. Some are now living museums where you can learn about the ins and outs of milling. Visit a wooden shoe factory and behold how traditional clogs are created using antique machines. Filled with newfound knowledge and a taste of the traditional Dutch ways of life, relax and reminisce about your trip while on the journey back to Amsterdam.

Zaandam: Zaanse Schans Card - Attractions & Museums Tickets

7. Zaandam: Zaanse Schans Card - Attractions & Museums Tickets

Go on the perfect Dutch trip from Amsterdam and head to Zaanse Schans that brings the 18th and 19th centuries back into the present-day Netherlands. Explore the wooden houses, barns, and workshops, and get even more value for money with this ticket. Visit the Weaver’s House, where two families lived with their five looms. See the Coopery, where you'll observe how barrels were made. Get free entrance to the Zaans Museum and to the Verkade Chocolate and Biscuit Factory and experience a real-life Willy Wonka event. Benefit from a free audio guide in 8 languages offered at the Zaans Museum.

From Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Zaanse Schans Tour w/ Boat Ride

8. From Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Zaanse Schans Tour w/ Boat Ride

Explore Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum in the Netherlands on a day tour from Amsterdam. See the cheese farm, clog factory, and more before a cruise tour through Giethoorn. You will pass through the small canals, beautiful houses, and cobbled stone lanes of the Dutch village. Your experience begins as your guide meets you near Amsterdam's Central Station, from where you travel to the typical Dutch windmill village of Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum complete with a cheese farm, clog factory, diamond museum, bakery museum, and Kuiperij, where barrels were made to transport goods, green timber houses, traditional crafts, and windmills. Next, head to the unique Dutch village of Giethoorn, heading further north out of Amsterdam. As you travel, listen to learn about the history and significant elements in the Giethoorn region. The journey will take roughly 2 hours, with a break included ensuring a pleasant journey. Giethoorn is beautiful in all seasons and contains a simple beauty that hardly seems real. Discover this as you glide gently through its small canals, passing old but pretty thatched-roof farmhouses. Your captain will serve as a guide throughout this 1-hour boat trip around town. Get to know everything about Giethoorn, with extra time after your boat trip to walk or bike along a narrow footpath, or to learn how to operate the ''whisper boat'', an electric-motor boat. In the evening, arrive back in Amsterdam's center with the rest of your night to look forward to.

Amsterdam: Giethoorn, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Tour

9. Amsterdam: Giethoorn, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Tour

See three different regions of the Netherlands with pickup and drop-off from Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre. Sample local cheeses, enjoy lunch, dress up and take pictures, and take a cruise in Giethoorn. First, start with a visit to the 17th-century village, Zaanse Schans. See windmills from the country's industrial background, and stroll among the green residences. Then visit a factory that makes the popular clogs in this region of the Netherlands.  Before continuing to Volendam, stop at Catharina Hoeve Farm, where you can sample cheese and learn how its made. In Volendam, see brightly-painted wooden buildings and residents dressed in vibrant regional clothing. Your guide will lead you on a brief stroll around Volendam harbor.  Pick up souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home, and take photographs in traditional Dutch costumes. Stop for a local lunch, then continue to Giethoorn in the northeastern Netherlands, known as the "Venice of the North". See the numerous canals and lack of motorways in Giethroon. During a 1-hour guided boat trip, you'll learn about this fairy-tale village with less than 3,000 residents. Next, stroll through the preserved village.  Finally, explore the village's small footpaths to find hundreds of bridges and take in the tranquil ambiance before returning to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam: Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans Windmills Day Trip

10. Amsterdam: Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans Windmills Day Trip

From Amsterdam: Daytrip to the windmill village Zaanse Schans and Keukenhof Set off on a self-guided day trip from Amsterdam and immerse yourself in Dutch culture. Discover the world's largest flower garden at Keukenhof and visit the traditional windmill village, Zaanse Schans where you can admire the windmills, sample some Dutch cheese, and see the Wooden Shoe Museum. Depart from Amsterdam and transfer to the Zaanse Schans. Go at your own pace and check out the activities on offer including wooden shoe-making and clog painting workshops (at your own expense). Use our great app for a walking tour and tips from locals. Try some Dutch cheese and see the historic buildings and windmills that the Netherlands is so well known for. Head to Keukenhof and admire millions of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils in bloom. Enjoy the flower shows, visit special exhibitions, and take part in different activities. The garden also features a sculpture park, a maze, and a fairytale garden. Stay as long as you like in Keukenhof. Return to Amsterdam at your leisure. Schedule: Schedule A 08.30: Departure from Amsterdam 09.00: Arrival Zaanse Schans 12.00: Departure Zaanse Schans to Keukenhof 13.00: Arrival Keukenhof -- Stay as long as you like in Keukenhof, last bus back at 18:30 Schedule B 10.00: Departure from Amsterdam 10.30: Arrival Zaanse Schans 13.30: Departure Zaanse Schans to Keukenhof 14:30: Keukenhof -- Stay as long as you like in Keukenhof, last bus back at 18:30 Schedule C 11.00: Departure Amsterdam 11.30: Arrival Zaanse Schans 14.30: Departure Zaanse Schans 15.30: Arrival Keukenhof -- Stay as long as you like in Keukenhof, last bus back at 18.30

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Frequently asked questions about Zaandam Outdoor activities

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Other Sightseeing Options in Zaandam

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What people are saying about Zaandam

I had a wonderful experience, learned a lot both from the audio recordings and our guides. The motor coach was very large, double decker, comfortable. I didn’t expect it to be that large and packed with fellow tourists in mid-February. If I went by myself I’d probably spend more time in each place, I guess I felt slightly rushed. We covered a lot of ground in short period of time. Our guides were extremely kind, helpful and knowledgeable! Very funny, too! Our driver was also super professional and supportive of all our needs. I’m not sure I could take care of everyone the way they did! Many thanks to the entire team, they were brilliant. If I went again, I’d have an early lunch before the trip or be prepared with some healthy snacks until the 3-4 pm. meal.

Ester was a really good guide, lots of knowledge for the tour (also added her personal touch to the tour from facts of her own life as she was raised in a windmill herself which was really interesting) and she made the whole experience the highlight of our visit to Amsterdam. Highly recommended tour and Ester as a guide.

The day could not have been better! The guide, Eva, went above and beyond to keep her audience engaged. It was a beautiful sunny day, which helped, and I felt we saw everything we wanted to, and learnt so much at the same time.

A must do when in Amsterdam. Tony and Merriam were our great host. They are very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Evelyn is so knowledgeable and our tour driver is so helpful. Places are fantastic except for the rainy weather