Half-Day Trip To The Charming Windmill Town Of Zaanse Schans

Remember my earlier post sharing my first-time experience in the Netherlands [1st Time In Netherlands: Markets, Museums, Windmills & More In 3D2N], where I listed windmills, museums, canals of Amsterdam and millions of bicycles as iconic symbols of the country? If you had been following my blog, you would have read about my time spent to check these [How We Made The Best Of Our Short Day In Amsterdam] out thus far. 😉 Almost all must-dos in the Netherlands have been covered, except visiting the windmills. Of course we wouldn’t leave that out despite the short time in the Netherlands. But we didn’t want to settle for just any windmill. Therefore, we did our research and found Zaanse Schans, one of the best places in the country to see well-preserved historic windmills and houses dating back to the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Without much hesitation, we booked a half-day trip to the charming windmill town of Zaanse Schans before flying home that night!

How To Get To Zaanse Schans

For convenience, we booked a small-group Zaanse Schans Half-Day Tour from Amsterdam on Viator, as we wanted to maximise our limited time exploring noteworthy attractions instead of spending time travelling from one place to another. Besides, we preferred a small tour bus to a big coach as more time would usually be spent waiting around for a big group versus a smaller one, and this tour that we booked, promised a small group with no more than 16 passengers. ✌ In addition, we thought it’d nice to gain more insights of the historic town through a local guide than roaming around aimlessly.

Nonetheless, if you have time to spare and would like to save some bucks travelling on public transport, Zaanse Schans is easily accessible from Amsterdam, either by bus, train or bicycle. The fastest way would be by the NS Sprinter train (one-way €4.40/ ~S$6.60) from Amsterdam Central Station to Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans Station (in the direction of Uitgeest). The ride will take 17 min, after which you can follow the signs to the town with a 15-min walk.

For us, it was a hassle-free journey, as we met our friendly lady driver-guide in front of the 5-star Barbizon Palace Hotel in Amsterdam Central for the transfer to Zaanse Schans in Zaandam. 🙂

The 3-Hour Zaanse Schans Tour

We’ve arrived at Zaanse Schans!

Within a quick 20-min drive, we reached the historic windmill town of at least 250 years old, for a fascinating tour of traditional Dutch life.

From the town’s main entrance, we crossed the bridge set on the river Zaan to explore the living open-air museum. I must say that it was an enchanting view that welcomed us along the bridge, with plenty of windmills and traditional Dutch houses dotting the river. It was like a dream come true, with the captivating sight popping right out from a fairy-tale book! 😍

Spotted this big tour group while we wandered about in the scenic town

So glad we made the right choice to book a small-group tour instead of a cheaper but bigger group tour. With just 4 of us in the group, we didn’t have to waste too much time waiting for one another, and it was easy to interact with our knowledgeable local guide (she is an authentic Zaanse Schans resident!) directly. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to enjoy as much if I were in the same group as those in the above photo. 😛

These beautiful windmills are still functioning, and used by the local residents to grind spices, produce paint, saw wood and make oil

Precious opportunity for a lovely stroll in an open-air museum with real live-in residents 😉

Our first stop in the charming town was at Kooijman Souvenirs & Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop, where we could see a variety of wooden shoes (Dutch: klompen) in its small museum, and attend a live clog making demonstration. A range of traditional Dutch souvenirs, such as real wearable klompen and klompen in the form of magnets and keychains were also found in the shop.

Here’s a 4-min video of the live clog-making demo at the workshop:

PS: I did a “fitting test” with a few pairs of wooden shoes in the souvenir shop, and gosh, they were so heavy! Applause to the Dutch people who are able to walk around freely in those clogs! 😂

After that, we also stopped at the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm, which was a replica of an old farm from Oostzaan. Coincidentally, the farm was actually owned by the cheese shop (Henri Willig) we visited in Delft [read more about our pleasant tour in Another Laid-Back Day In The Hague & Delft, South Holland].

Besides a live demonstration at the farmhouse to show us how cheese was produced, we also had the opportunity to taste a myriad of cheeses, from Gouda (made from cow’s milk), to goat and herb cheese. There were also many different types of cheese goodies that we were so tempted to bag home! Outside, we also spotted goats, chickens and ducks roaming freely in the open area. Visitors, regardless young or old, were intrigued by these adorable farm animals. 😉

Last but not least, we were brought to Molen De Kat, an ancient mill originally constructed in 1646 to function as an oil mill. In 1960, the octagonal mill was restored and partially rebuilt, fitted out to grind colouring materials since then. Located in the historic town of Zaanse Schans, De Kat is proud to be the only remaining working windmill in the world that produces paint.

On the ground level of the mill was a small souvenir shop and cafe selling aromatic hot chocolate. We were then ushered to the back, to climb back a flight of narrow staircase to the top of the windmill. It was an indescribable feeling atop the working windmill, where we had to put up a strong fight against the powerful wind to stand still. You gotta see it to believe it! 😅

FYI, according to our local guide, the wind speed we experienced that afternoon was considered mild (about 4 or 5 on the Beaufort wind force scale). 😯 I wonder how long we would be able to stand in the open if it were wind force of 9 or more! 😣 Under such “mild” wind conditions, we already found ourselves retreating back inside the mill to seek some warmth after less than 10 min. 🤣 But it was also an eye-opening experience inside the paint mill too:

Soon, it was time to head down for a cup of flavourful hot chocolate. For safety reasons, we had to climb down another flight of steep stairs instead of the one we came up on. There was also a safety precaution sign advising how we should walk down the steps.

I must say it was an interesting tour of the old working windmill, and the best part was the sweet little reward – a cup of rich hot chocolate (€2/ ~S$3) waiting for us before we left De Kat. 😋

All good things gotta come to an end, and the same goes for our idyllic half-day trip to the charming windmill town. We were driven back to Amsterdam city centre after a short and smooth 20-min drive.

Post-trip thoughts

We certainly didn’t regret making the choice to join this fascinating tour to the picturesque windmill town of Zaanse Schans in Zaandam. Not only was it an enriching tour for us to learn more about Dutch history and culture, it was also a refreshing experience to see so much green (the extensive meadows) in a typical “dull” winter colour. For travellers who appreciate nature and scenery like us, Zaanse Schans is definitely a must on any Netherlands itinerary at least once! 🙂