Best windmills to visit in Amsterdam | I amsterdam (2024)

FAQs

Where is the best place to see windmills in Amsterdam? ›

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 collection of historical windmills. While the Zaanse Schans can be visited any time of year, the majority of the windmills are open to visitors from April to October.

Did you know there were once more than 10,000 fully operational windmills in the Netherlands? Windmills are a quaint symbol of Dutch tradition, and visiting one (or several!) makes for a lovely day out.

Which is better Kinderdijk or Zaanse Schans? Well, both places are amazing to visit however, if you want to explore the landscape, then Kinderdijk is perfect and on the contrary, if you want to explore nearby Dutch houses and crafts, then Zaanse Schans is perfect.

About 11 miles from Amsterdam, this windmill in Haarlem offers tours. Visitors can explore the interior and learn about its history and operation, as well as enjoy views of the Spaarne River. The journey between Amsterdam and Haarlem by train takes around 17 minutes.

Absolutely. It's a cute Dutch village, an open-air museum where people also live. And it has working windmills and museums worth your time. The Zaanse Schans is a popular tourist destination for a reason, despite it being extremely touristy.

Ticket Zaanse Schans fare is €17.50 for adults and €12.50 for children. Group prices can be found on the Ticket Zaanse Schans page. The area and other locations are freely accessible.

It is not hard to travel to Zaanse Schans Windmills without a tour and for a family of four it might also keep the costs down a little too. The “Plan your Visit” button on the Zaanse Schans website is helpful and tells you how to take the bus, the train or even a boat.

About 15 kilometres north of the Canals of Amsterdam is the beautiful windmill village Zaanse Schans. It is a unique village in Holland, full of wooden houses, windmills and barns. You will experience Holland in the year 1850.

Favorable sites include the tops of smooth, rounded hills; open plains and water; and mountain gaps that funnel and intensify wind. Wind speeds are generally higher the greater the distance above the earth's surface. Large wind turbines are placed on towers that range from about 500 feet to as high as 900 feet tall.

The good thing is you will not have to stop somewhere to eat, simply eat at any of these places you visit. Zaanse Schans itself is worth 2-4 hours, depending on how many attractions you visit. Then again, you could do Zaanse Schans First, then the others, and travel back to your hotel in the dark.

Can I visit Kinderdijk without ticket? ›

These walking and cycling paths are publicly accessible and completely free to enter. If you want to learn more about the history of Kinderdijk and the windmills, we'd recommend buying a ticket that grants access to two museum windmills, the Wisboom pumping station, audio tours and boat tours in Kinderdijk.

Unfortunately, we found this tourist attraction to pale in comparison to everything else the Netherlands has to offer. Despite being a pretty collection of museums and Dutch paraphernalia, Zaanse Schans is the epitome of a money-grab.

De Gooyer is one of Amsterdam's most famous windmills. A corn mill, De Gooyer is located in the city center and spins its wings every first Saturday of the month.

If you are on a more ambitious mission of cycling in the Netherlands, there are good news! In fact, cycling from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is actually possible.

Get more out of a visit

The Zaanse Schans is a unique Dutch heritage and is, without a doubt, a destination not to be missed on your bucket list. The Zaanse Schans is open daily. Museums and mills are open ranging from 09:00 - 17:00. Museums closed on 25 December and 1 January.

Zaanse Schans, located north of Amsterdam, is an open-air museum and a preserved piece of Dutch history. This area is home to a collection of well-preserved, historic windmills and houses.

The Kinderdijk, in the Dordrecht area, has 19 mills that were built around 1740. The entire Kinderdijk was a complex water management system used to prevent flooding.