DAYTRIP: Zaanse Schans - Windmills, Amsterdam

De Bloem is a mill that original was constructed in 1768 to grind corn.

The building has been moved a number of times.

The mill is not open to the public (only on special occasions like the National Mill day).

molen van sloten
only operating windmill in amsterdam.
the sloten windmill is a working mill. it is renovated and originates from 1847.

it can be visited daily from 10.00 and last tour 16.30
closed 25th,26th december, 1 january and 30th of april.
you can get explanation during the guided tour.
the windmill has an elevator till the second floor for disabled and older people.(so not to the highest)
upon request for groups other times are possible.
reservations 0031-(0)20-6990412
prices 2011
adults € 6
childern 4-12 € 2.25
65+ € 5

When you buy your train ticket at Schiphol train station, then ask for a 'Dagretour' or day-return-ticket. It's 7,10 euro (that's cheaper than 2x 3,70 euro) and you can just hop on the train back to Schiphol in the evening.

For your preparations, you may want to know that:

all train schedules in English can be found at:
http://www.ns.nl/cs/Satellite/travellers

all public transportation schedules in English, including trains, can be found at:
http://journeyplanner.9292.nl/

Also, if you want to go to Zaanse Schans straight from Schiphol, then do as follows:
Buy a 'dagretour' ticket from Schiphol to Amsterdam Central VIA Koog-Zaandijk. This way, you can visit Zaanse Schans, then take a train to Amsterdam and enjoy yourself, and then take a train back to Schiphol, all on the one ticket.

The ticket will cost you 12.40 euro and the train ride is just over 30 minutes, with one change at Amsterdam Sloterdijk. There are 4 of these trains per hour.
Check my information against the websites I mentioned above!

Once you arrive at Koog-Zaandijk, you walk 10 minutes to Zaanse Schans.

By bus
From Amsterdam
There is an excellent bus service operating from Amsterdam Central Station direct to the Zaanse Schans. Bus 91 leaves Amsterdam Central Station twice hourly and stops at the St. Michael College next to the Zaans Museum and Zaanse Schans.

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Located in Zaandam, Zaanse Schans is a collection of historic windmills and approximately 35 houses which were moved there in the 1970s.

Zaanse Schans houses are not open to the public as they are lived in but you can take a stroll through the narrow canal-side walkways. It is easily accessible from Amsterdam as it is just 9 miles to the north and is served by public transport routes.

The open-air museum features a wooden shoemaker, a pewter factory, bakery, cheese and dairy farm, and a century-old grocery store.

Opening hours :
Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00
Admission to the open-air museum is free whilst there is a small fee for the museums and mills.

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Zaanse Schans is a living museum created in 1960.It has a working mills,cheese-making factory and a clog workshop,all situated on a canalside.Some of the attractions here are free to visit while some requires entrance fees.

Zaanse Schans is a must-see place if you are visiting Amsterdam. It is a beautiful landscape dotted with several beautiful windmills...the place has many museums but I personally dont think that all of them are worth a visit...probably only the Zaans Museum may be seen but I hav enever been there in my 3 visits so far...it is much better to be out in the open and enjoy the view rather than roam in a museum.

The best way to view the Zaans is out in the open...be prepared for some really strong winds but if you are visiting on a sunny day in the summers then that is not a problem! prepare some home-made food if you like and picnic...thats how I have done it every time!

It takes only a 10 minutes train ride from Amsterdam Sloterdijk station to reach Koog Zaandijk and the same day return journey costs 3 euros 90 as of September 2009. From the rail station, just follow the sign boards till you get to the landing platform for the Connexxions Ferry which is a free service to visitors travelling to Zaanse Schans. Once you have crossed the waterbody using the ferry....welkom in het Zaans!

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From Central Station we took a train to the town of Koog-Zaandijk. We walked 15 minutes to Zaanse Schans, a little village on the banks of the river Zaan. It was full of wooden houses, tradesman’s workshops, gardens, and windmills in 17th century style.

We walked along the paths to the windmills (with some sheep accompanying us) and went inside. The first one was the paint mill De Kat where they grind raw materials such as chalk to make colored pigments for paint. The second windmill we went into was the oil mill De Zoeker where they grind and pound nuts and seeds to make oil. This mill smelled. There were other mills including a saw mill and a mustard mill, but the rest were not open that day. In the two we did go into, we climbed the narrow stairs to the top and out onto the deck. Fortunately the wind was blowing so we got to see the mills in action.

We had cappuccino and a muffin in one of the restaurants and then checked out some of the workshops - cheese making - and the clog workshop where they displayed some really interesting clogs including Sunday “dress” clogs and clog roller skates.

One of our favorite days in Amsterdam (area). I would definitely recommend visiting. Can spend 1 hour or several hours exploring!

Open daily 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is free for the workshops, small charge for the windmills and museums.

Visitor information is correct as of this writing.

takes fifteen minutes into amsterdam by train although the only windmill close to the city is actually a restarant and its on the outshirts.

Leiden which is a town about 15 mins from Schipol and here is a windmill museum which is close to the train station (most train stations have machines that you can print maps off that also allow you to type in your destination and in English also) Even with a couple of hours in Leiden you could still get in a few hours in amsterdam after as there are main trains to Amsterdam from here which takes 30mins.

Zaanse Schans is another alternative but this will have to be instead of amsterdam but you would still have plently of time there. This is a collection of houses and windmills.

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I almost had no words when I entered the village. Everything was so in balance, in harmony, even the colours of the houses compared to the nature and compared to each others.

Here and there many windmills still up and running. Summertime you surely see lots of tulips too.

A perfect escape from the city centre (even if Amsterdam is a very nice and friendly and easygoing city itself).

Don't miss this one! Especially if you are romantic, like to photograph, like beautiful things and nature and silence.

Nowadays the place might have become a more touristic place; I was there in 2003 so you might want to check it out first.

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This was a bit of an unexpectedly pleasant find for me as I passed quite an attractive windmill on the No 26 tram going into the city from my hotel out on the Eastern Docks - the windmill turned out to be a brewery!! The Brouwerij't IJ to be precise and so the following day it was time for a visit :)

Arriving at lunchtime I discovered that the brewery's tap room didn't actually open until 3 pm and so I had to seek shelter from the afternoon's torrential rain - fortunately there are plenty of little bars around to do so and a Heineken or 2 served to refresh the palate before the real work of the afternoon commenced.

The 6 different beers on tap this afternoon ranged from the relatively innocent 5% Plzen up to the serious Struis at 9% and made for a rather interesting little research project as the Tap Room filled with damp but thirsty customers all obviously embarking on their own personal researches - yep this is well worth a visit even if it's not a rainy day!!