Experience three quintessential icons of the Dutch countryside — windmills, cheese and wooden clogs — on this 6.5 hour tour from Amsterdam. Journey to the North Holland towns of Zaanse Schans, Edam and Volendam, where you can view working windmills at an open-air museum on the Zaan River, visit a dairy farm or cheese weighing house, and step inside a clog factory. You’ll travel outside the city aboard a single-decker coach, allowing for a smaller group experience with your professional guide.

Explore the historic windmills of Zaanse Schans
Marvel at the landmark monuments of Volendam, including the old fish auction rooms
Stroll the twisting street of Volendam and soak up the fishing village atmosphere
Watch traditional craftsmen at work, making clogs and other artifacts
See the cheese weighing house in Edam and learn how Dutch cheese is being made in an old farm
Travel on a comfortable, single-decker coach with an onboard guide

What's Included

Professional guide
Multi - Lingual Guided tour of Zaanse Schans, Edam and Volendam
Air-conditioned vehicle
Pickup and drop-off from designated meeting point
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Live commentary on board
Desinfact handgel
Amsterdam Canal Cruise Voucher ( if option selected)
Visit a clog (wooden shoe) maker
Tasting of a local cheese with a visit at a cheese farm

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Entry fee to the windmills at the Zaanse Schans

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

De Ruijterkade 105
De Ruijterkade 105, 1011 AB Amsterdam, Netherlands
From the front of the Amsterdam Central Station, turn to your left and walk in the eastern direction. Keep on walking and cross the bridge. Walk until you reach the Hilton hotel. Turn left and follow the walkway underneath the railway crossing. Check-in inside Grand Cafe 1884

Start time

09:30 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Escape the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam on a half-day guided tour of the Dutch countryside, starting with a 20-minute drive to the windmill village of Zaanse Schans. This outdoor conservation area is situated on the banks of the Zaan River and is home to traditional 18th and 19th century architecture, including several functioning windmills. Watch live demonstrations of craftsmen at work, including a clog maker crafting the famous wooden shoes of the Netherlands. There will be some free time to explore the village on your own, before traveling through the distinctive polders (land reclaimed from the water) of the Beemster area.

From there continue on to Edam, also commonly referred to as the pearl of the Zuiderzee. Edam’s ancient streets and tranquil canals are lined by beautiful 17th century buildings, including the leaning Carillon tower, the Great Church, and town hall. Most famous in Edam is beyond any doubt the public weighing house, where in summer still every Wednesday the famous Edam Cheese is being sold. After a stroll around this history-rich town, you’ll have the opportunity to see how Edam’s world-famous cheese is made and, of course, to taste it in a closeby cheesefarm.

Finally, you will stop in the beautiful seaside village of Volendam. This typical fishing village with its bustling harbor has been a major tourist attraction as early as 1875. People come from all over to see the small buildings and houses and take in the locals in their traditional Dutch clothing. This is a great place to pick up souvenirs for those at home or a memento for yourself, and to have photos taken in traditional Dutch costume. Your guide will take you on a short walk through the oldest parts of the city, exploring a labyrinth of twists and turns to sites such as St. Vincent’s Church, the wooden Stolphoevekerk and the Visafslag (Fish Auction).

Kaaswaag Edam

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Alidahoeve

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Not recommended for travellers with back problems
Tour Company will strictly follow all RIVM COVID-19 guidelines.
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

I do not think children under five years old should be allowed on tour.

I suggest to buy the I-Amsterdam city card before travelling as it includes the entries to additional attractions

You will have ample of time to enjoy the many restaurants at the village and also to walk around.

Reviews

4.5

372 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 372 reviews

Perfect sights to see while in Amsterdam

Lori_C, Mar 2023

Great stops. Fun tour guide. Very enjoyable. Only complaint it was done in two languages. English and German. So it took longer then. We’d be because one tour guide has to say everything in both languages.

Our tour guide was...

Michelle_F, Mar 2023

Our tour guide was amazing. She shared so much information during the trip, that just her talking would have been worth the price. Learned so much about NL and the water. Voldendam isn’t good for much other than lunch and souvenir shops, but the rest of the stops are amazing. Highly recommend!

The guide (Fleur) was...

Joy_L, Mar 2023

The guide (Fleur) was extremely friendly enthusiastic and informative. She truly made the trip more enjoyable with her stories and energy

Seeing a bit of Holland

Daniel_R, Mar 2023

My spouse and I took this tour on March 12 with Diederik as our guide. There were about 48 on our bus but it was very spacious and well-miked so no problems hearing. Diederik proved fun and enthusiastic and extremely caring for his group. Edam was likely our favorite, followed by Zaanse Shans and Volendam (in that order). Leisurely paced and easily walkable. Lunch break in Volendam but not many food options other than fried fish. Klompen (wooden shoe making) was fascinating and the shoes are surprisingly comfortable. Many cheese options at the Edam cheese factory. Tour ran from 10:00 a.m. when you board the bus to about 4:30 p.m. -- and included a canal tour, which you can take from in front of Central Station to fit your schedule. We were too tired to tour the windmills (the wind gusted strongly all day but the weather was gorgeous) but will go back (easily done on a bus straight there from Central Station). This was a chance to see a bit of the "real" Holland -- outside of Amsterdam -- and was completely worth the time and slight expense.

Great half day tour

Tina_E, Mar 2023

This was a great half day trip to do without wasting all day of sightseeing. Meeting point was close to my Hilton hotel (that’s why I picked this tour) and I was able to check in efficiently. The actual busses were located elsewhere and unfortunately the tour guide wasn’t mindful of the slow walkers and the elderly, the distance to the bus was far and he walked so fast that we didn’t see which white bus waiting was ours. Older people were out of breath. We first went to a cheese farm, wasn’t able to see the demonstration because the area is small and everyone is just huddled in there, and I am short. No big deal. Cheese tasting was good, found some souvenirs. Then we moved on to a fishing village, the time allowed was too long, as the weather was cold, rainy and windy, most of the stores weren’t even open. Then moved to the City of Edam for small walking tour, this was a very beautiful place. While the tour guide was explaining about the tea houses there was an Indian couple on video speakerphone call to relatives, which was very disrespectful to the guide and the rest of us who wanted to listen to the tour guide and not Punjabi. Bus picked us up again and we moved on to the windmills. Saw the wooden shoe making shop, another cheese store and some windmills. Again time allowed here was too long, the weather was awful, I was solid frozen although I had 4 layers of clothing. Luckily the bus driver let me in and I sat and waited in the bus. We got back in town still plenty of time to go for dinner and do other things.

3 fabulous Dutch locations, one day.

Clare_L, Mar 2023

Harold was a great tour guide and Ricardo was a great driver! Kept up the chatter and interesting facts all through the drive, great value for money to see 3 places plus watching craftsmen do what they do best and eat wonderful cheese! Volendam especially is picture perfect, beautiful green houses bridges and windmills, clog workshops, this tour is quintessential Holland. Would recommend!

Great time!

Jon_D, Feb 2023

My favorite part was visiting the windmills and seeing how a working windmill from 1782 is constructed- impressive!! Oh! And don't forget the cheese - incredible!

Nice day trip!

Rosalina_H, Jan 2023

Very good guided day tour that is different from the city experience. Highly recommended for any age and group!

Very enjoyable tour for...

Paola_R, Dec 2022

Very enjoyable tour for sightseeing of the countryside. Busy agenda to be able to see three locations with the guide and also have some spare time for yourselves.

Wonderful

Miguel_M, Dec 2022

We really enjoyed the places, the pace and the comfort we had during this tour. Very much recommend it.

Relaxing and Informative

Simon_F, Dec 2022

Lovely, relaxing and informative trip with a great guide! We got to see a lot and the tour guide was able to keep us informed on all parts of the trip throughout.

Room for improvement

Jill_C, Dec 2022

Wonderful guide, so engaging and interesting... but too many expensive tourist trap stops and not enough time at the lovely Volendam

Tourist buying trap

Bellayogis, Dec 2022

The trip was a last minute booking since we wanted to see the windmills and take some old time photos in Volendam. I was disappointed about how the tour basically took us to places to buy things for tourists. The town of Edam was small and we just walked about and looked the houses. There was only 1.5 hrs in Volendam, which ever shop there was selling mg a Amsterdam souvenirs. The last stop was sans schones. A sort of made up windmill area. A Disneyland sort of appearances. You briefly get to see a shoe being carved but it’s really about selling the items of shoes to buy. I’d recommend I guess if you want to buy things, but not to see anything being made.

Enjoyable day - lots to see!

Manpreet_K, Nov 2022

Lovely day! The tour guide Derek was knowledgeable and kept us engaged throughout the entire day. We felt like the day flew by but at the same time was relaxing, got time to see a lot of sights and enjoyed it all. Favorite part of the tour was the cheese tasting - such variety of cheeses! Definitely recommend.

Awesome

Gianina_C, Nov 2022

Overall great experience. The driver and the guide were friendly, nice and professional. We had plenty of time to take pics, shop and wander around. No complaints at all. Definitely recommend!

Happy Day

Michel_H, Nov 2022

Great transport and commentary. Everything was on schedule and just as advertised. We visited wonderful and colorful places. The cheese place had amazingly tasty selections (and a nice horse to pet). The wooden shoe presentation was great. It was surprising how much water that small shoe holds until it cures.

Great places to visit, maybe better on your own.

Arina_Y, Nov 2022

this tour started almost on time, and we thought it would be a great experience. We were very happy with the places we visited, but the tour itself was not greatly organized. First, the guide was doing the tour in two languages, and sometimes she would tell more in one then translate in the other. Then, when we had stops, the timing for stops was really poorly allocated. Too much time in one place, and too little time in the other. At the end, we were so rushed that we did not visit what was on the list to visit.

Don’t miss this tour!

Jill_R, Nov 2022

I spent a week in Amsterdam and took this trip to see the windmills. It exceeded my expectations. We made four stops…at a cheese factory to see how cheese is made and sample all the cheeses. We stopped in Edam and had a walking tour of the town. Next stop was Voldenham…such a quaint village in the water. We also had an hour there to sightsee on our own. Last stop was Zaanse Schans…the windmills! We saw how clogs were made and toured a windmill - The Cat- where we got to walk up the ladder inside the windmill and go out on the balcony of the windmill. We also had time to explore on our own. Find the hot chocolate “make your own” bar and have a cup. Best hot chocolate ever. Best 44 dollars I spent in Amsterdam was this your!

It was terrible , the...

Khaled_M, Nov 2022

It was terrible , the guide didn't like the country we from and at volendam they left us and we call her to wait she tell we can't wait

Good experience

Kevin_H, Nov 2022

Great info. Learned a lot about Holland and the history. Would recommend. Our guide and driver were very personable.

...

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Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans Windmills Live Guided Day Tour from Amsterdam

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