Day trip to Zaanse Schans – The Windmill village with Chocolate flavor
For my 30th birthday, my husband offered me the perfect gift: a trip to Amsterdam and tickets to a U2 concert! And since it was our second time in the city, we figured we would explore other places outside the Dutch capital, such as a day trip to Zaanse Schans, the Windmills Village.
I have to admit that before this trip, I had no idea what else I could do in the Netherlands apart from visiting a selection of unusual things in Amsterdam, windmills, the tulip fields in April, and, of course, The Hague.
After doing some research (the usual: ask a friend, ask a colleague, search on Pinterest), I devised a plan for a perfect day trip from Amsterdam. It was a very good plan, if I might say so myself.
My husband was terrified he would have to walk the 20 – 30 km per day I usually do on city breaks, but he went along with it. After all, it was my birthday, right?
The only thing he complained about now and then was his walking app alerting him that he had broken yet another record!
With that in mind, we set out on a lovely summer morning for a day trip to Zaanse Schans.
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Table of Contents
- Zaanse Schans day trip – getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans
- My one day in Zaanse Schans guide – see the Zaanse Schans windmills
- Zaanse Schans ticket price & Opening Hours
- When to visit Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans day trip – getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans
Getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans by train
Getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans could not be easier, and it takes only four train stops and less than 20 minutes, making it the perfect way of spending half of the day outside of Amsterdam.
You need to go to Amsterdam Centraal (Amsterdam Central Station) and take the first train passing through Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans, where you will need to exit the train. More about the timetable and route for the train from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans here.
You can buy a ticket from the train station in Amsterdam (or online from the above link) and validate it before getting on the train.
Getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans by bus
Of course, you can always take the bus and see different scenery.
Your option would be to take the 319 bus, the Industrial Heritage line. Apart from getting you from Amsterdam to Zaansche Schans, your final destination, the bus will also give you the chance to visit NDSM Wharf and Zaandam Centre (you have indeed seen the colorful, one-of-a-kind buildings that Zaandam is famous for).
Getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans on a guided tour
There’s always the option of booking a guided tour when planning a day trip somewhere.
Our travel style combines DIY travel experiences and activities with guided tours. We like to book a guide whenever we don’t have too much time on hand, and by organizing everything, we can see way more than we would on our own.
Or even when the destination we want to get to is not easily reachable and can be linked to other lovely places.
In this case, we took the train to Zaanse Schans and booked a day trip from Amsterdam to other pretty Dutch villages because we had the time to do both.
But when you only have a few days in Amsterdam and want to explore the Dutch countryside, you can take a day trip that includes Zaanse Schans plus other lovely villages.
Or book a hop-on-hop-off tour where you will still have the flexibility while having the transfer covered.
From Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, & Marken Full-Day Trip
Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Volendam, and Marken Day Trip
Amsterdam: Giethoorn, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Tour
My one day in Zaanse Schans guide – see the Zaanse Schans windmills
Ok, so you took the train, got off at the right station, and asked the nice guy in the coffee shop how to find the windmills at Zaanse Schans. You are on your way to …well…this small paradise. I’ll help you with everything you must know for your Zaanse Schans self-guided tour.
If you’ve decided to book that tour, that would be good for you! Keep on reading to learn what to expect from your visit. Since you’ll have limited time, you could use all the Zaanse Schans tips you can get, right?
The first thing that struck me when I stepped foot on the main street leading to the windmills of Zaanse Schans was the smell. Yes, you read it right—the smell!
Oh, what a wonderful smell that was!
This is one of the few times I wished cameras could also record the smell of a place.
The air was filled with chocolate dust in this little fairy tale city!
I felt like opening my mouth wide and taking all the air in without risking gaining any weight!
And I did it. I forgot I was turning 30, not 13, and I even encouraged my husband to do the same!
Visit CacaoLab at Zaans Gedaan
And now, to answer the question you are asking yourself: where did the smell come from?
Well, as you might know, the Netherlands used to be a great (the greatest for a period) colonial power in the world, thus bringing large amounts of spices on water from distant places such as Indonesia. You’ve guessed it: In Zaanse Schans, you will find a chocolate and cocoa factory and a chocolate museum.
Unfortunately, the museum was closed when we got there, but we still got to see the demonstrations people made in all the small shops in the windmill village. But maybe you will be luckier than us and get to see the real deal 🙂
When taking a Zaanse Schans self-guided tour, you might want to consider the Amsterdam City Card, which grants you access to over 100 top attractions in Amsterdam and its surroundings.
Sit down and sip a cup of hot chocolate!
I have to admit I almost missed this, choosing to drink a glass of prosecco instead. Luckily, someone else was smarter and made me try the cocoa. And boy, I’m happy I did it!
Never have I tasted something similar, so silky, so dense, with such an intense taste! Make sure to try it!
Drink your chocolate and walk around on the small streets between the waters of this open-air museum windmill village, admire the view, the flowers in bloom so beautifully colored, the old windmills (you can even visit some of them, free of charge, get to see how people used to live in the 18th century and what the windmills were used for).
Visit an old windmill on the inside
How many times would one get the chance to visit an old windmill? Well, in the Netherlands, and especially in Zaanse Schans, this is a must, and that is why most people come here.
In the small windmill village, you will find the last paint mill in the world, and you can visit it from the inside and immerse yourself in Dutch history.
Dutch cheese and clog museum
Make sure not to miss the traditional Dutch cheese factory in Zaanse Schans and the cheese museum, where you can taste all sorts of cheese.
Move forward and stop at the clog workshop, where you will have difficulty choosing between hundreds of types and colors of traditional Dutch clogs. This is a wooden shoe museum, in other words. We saw wooden shoes from all over the world, but we had never considered Japanese wooden shoes, medieval European ones from different countries, Korean ones, and even Turkish ones.
Here, we saw the process of clog making and how they make these pretty yet strong wooden shoes, originally designed for risk-prone work on a farm.
Don’t leave the open-air museum before visiting the bakery museum and the fisherman’s cottage.
Buy some traditional Dutch goods
I fell in love with the Netherlands’ amazingly beautiful Delft blue ceramics on every visit. They have them on their walls, and the patterns are on different ornaments or everyday products.
I’ve even seen the tiles in Lisbon in their famous pasteis de Nata place.
So that’s something you should bring home as a souvenir for yourself or your dear ones. That, along with some fresh cheese, is directly from the cheese farm in Zaanse Schans. I’m a huge cheese addict.
And don’t forget about the delicious cocoa powder and some excellent quality chocolate.
Rent a bike and go on the Zaanse Schans Cycling Route
When you have more time to spend on your day trip to Zaanse Schans and have the whole day to spare, this is a great way of exploring the Dutch countryside.
This biking route to Zaanse Schans starts from Amsterdam Central Train Station. It leaves the city, heading northwest, and crosses the IJ by ferry. The Amsterdam—Zaandam Ferry is free and runs 24 hours a day, with very regular crossings.
You don’t have to do it all; just create your cycling route by looking at this map.
Zaanse Schans ticket price & Opening Hours
When it comes to the Zaanse Schans ticket price, the most efficient and cheapest way to see all you can (when you don’t book a guided tour, of course) is by investing 15 EUR in a Zaanse Schans Card.
Buy your card in advance here or at the ZaanStore at the entrance to the Zaans Museum.
Before planning a day in Zaanse Schans, the windmill village, you might want to check out the timetables for all the museums, cafes, and restaurants. You can do that by accessing this link.
When to visit Zaanse Schans
I think the best time to visit both the Netherlands and Zaanse Schans windmill village is during the Summer.
While I always recommend seeing the more important travel destinations during shoulder season (off-season) so that you can avoid the crowds and pay extra for almost everything, the Netherlands is quite different.
We visited Zaanse Schans in early August, and I still had a jacket on. Dutch summers are not as hot as those you might expect from Italy or Greece.
That’s why when you want to make the most of your trip, be active, see all you can, and go during summer.
What struck me the most about Windmills Village?
Apart from the beauty of the houses? Yes, they are just stunning, straight out of a story.
I must admit that after this trip to the countryside of the Netherlands, I fell in love with hydrangeas and decided to grow some in our garden.
I guess you got my point 😀
But the thing that struck me the most was the moving bridge. I had never before seen something similar! Traffic stopped for the bridge to open like a gate and for the ship to pass through it. Amazing!
So here it is, my perfect Amsterdam day trip to Zaanse Schans, the chocolate-flavored Windmill village.
Similar Destinations
- Here are a selection of pretty Dutch villages you must see
- Looking for tulip fields near Amsterdam? Look no further! Here’s my guide to seeing the less crowded tulip fields and farms.
- Not convinced about the Netherlands? Explore Germany’s fairytale castles and palaces.
