Planning a day at Zaanse Schans: boat tour, windmills and the quiet spots

Morning: arrive early

Zaanse Schans is free to enter and busiest between 11:00 and 15:00. Get there at 9:30 and you'll have the mill paths almost to yourself, with the best light on the wooden facades.

You can park at the visitor centre; by train it's about a ten-minute walk over the bridge from Zaandijk Zaanse Schans station.

Late morning: the boat tour

Around midday is a good moment to head onto the water — exactly when the paths get busy. Our 30 minute boat tour departs from the jetty at Boutique Hotel Zaandijk, Lagedijk 32.

You see the windmills from the side almost nobody reaches, and your skipper will point out what's worth coming back to later.

Afternoon: mills from the inside

Pick two or three — doing all five is too much of a good thing:

• De Kat for the pigments and the smell of linseed oil.
• Het Jonge Schaap if you like machinery and woodwork.
• De Huisman for mustard straight from the mill.

Late afternoon: the quiet side

Walk along the Kalverringdijk away from the centre. Past the last windmill it goes quiet and you look out over the polder — the Zaan landscape without the crowds.

Practical details

• Boat tour departure: Lagedijk 32, 1544 BG Zaandijk
• Sailing times: daily 10:00 – 17:00
• Price: € 7.50 p.p.
• Duration: 30 minutes

Combine your visit with a cruise and you'll have seen the best of Zaanse Schans in half a day. View the cruises.