Private Zaanse Schans & Volendam Tour: Windmills, Cheese & Clogs

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. First, visit the Zaanse Schans, a picturesque village that takes you back in time to the 18th and 19th centuries. Here, you’ll witness the traditional windmills in action, including the famous paint mill, sawmill, spice mill, and even a peanut oil mill. Next, stroll through the quaint streets lined with historic wooden houses, and take in the beautiful scenery. You’ll also have the chance to visit a clogs workshop, where you’ll learn the art of crafting traditional Dutch wooden shoes—a true symbol of Dutch culture. Afterward, enjoy a visit to a cheese farm, where you’ll discover the secrets of the cheese-making process. Don’t forget to treat your taste buds with a delightful cheese-tasting session, featuring over 30 varieties of delicious, authentic Dutch cheeses!

   2.5 hAdmission included

2. As the tour continues, stop by Volendam, a charming Dutch fishing village. Stroll along the scenic harbor, explore the unique local shops, and maybe even grab a bite at one of the best seafood restaurants in the Netherlands. You can also indulge in a sweet treat of traditional Dutch waffles or simply take in the beautiful surroundings. After a day filled with rich history, culture, and breathtaking views, your driver will take you back to your accommodation, ensuring you leave with lasting memories of your Dutch adventure.

   2.5 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 58 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Perfect family day!

  This tour was the highlight of our Netherlands trip! Seeing the windmills, cheese-making, and clog-crafting was fantastic.Our tour guide TJ was spectacular—full of energy and knowledge that kept everyone engaged.It is incredibly family-friendly. Our school-age kids were completely captivated by the interactive demos. Perfect blend of education and fun!

  Yun_GAugust 2026via Viator

• 5Fabulous tour!!

  Wonderful guide, fun itinerary!! Nice vehicle - all around wonderful experience! Thank you to Sven for a fantastic day!! We saw windmills, and their inner working mechanisms. We saw a demonstration of how they used to make wooden shoes and how they do now. There was a fun tour of the famous Henri Willing cheese farm! And time on our own in Vollendam, a charming lakeside village. Great day!!!

  Heidi_WAugust 2026via Viator

• 5Unique Amsterdam experience.

  Windmills can only be experienced in Amsterdam. The cheese farm amazed with its technology. Happy cows - happy milk. Samir our guide was excellent, informative and considerate.

  Judy_KJune 2026via Viator

• 5This Private Tour is Highly Recommended

  This was a fantastic tour, and a great way to spend part of our final day in Amsterdam. The car was clean and comfortable, the guide was friendly and knowledgeable and the itinerary was just as advertised. Super easy!

  Bryan BMay 2026via Tripadvisor

• 4Interesting

  Sheet was very enthusiastic and knew a great deal about the country, the region, zaanse shanse and volendam. The description of the tour was not as informative as descriptions of other tours we have taken.

  michaelc787October 2025via Tripadvisor

• 5Best Private Tour Ever

  Sam was our tour guide on this private tour. I would give Sam 10 out of 10 stars. He was absolutely fantastic! He communicated with us before our tour to let us know he was on his way. He arrived 5 minutes before scheduled but we were ready so the tour began. Sam was very personable and we had nice chats our entire tour. He first took us to the windmills. They were awesome! At the windmills Sam took pictures of me and my son with our cameras which was much appreciated. We didn’t even ask him too, he just volunteered. We walked to the working windmill that cut wood into lumber. We first saw a video as to how they rebuilt the windmill in 2007. It took 2 years to rebuild. Very interesting and informative! Impressive how it was rebuilt, the workmanship was amazing! We were given a tour of the inside of the windmill by a very knowledgeable lady. They weren’t doing any wood that day but they put a piece in just to show us how the bark is stripped away. Again very impressive! We then went to the clog making show to see how clogs were made. We didn’t have to wait in the line because Sam got us in right away. Very interesting how they take a piece of fresh wood and make it into a clog! After making it, it takes 4 weeks to dry. We then went to a cheese factory. Also very interesting and the cheese samples were delicious! Sam offered to take us to a dairy farm to see the owners of the farm milk cows, we passed on that as we have seen that before. We continued on to Volendam. Volendam is a really cute fishing village with beautiful homes, lots of restaurants, shops and beautiful yachts! Sam then took us through several streets in Amsterdam to get a quick view of Amsterdam. I have been in Amsterdam before and after seeing the hoards of people, my son really had no interest in walking the streets of Amsterdam. After our drive through Amsterdam,Sam took us back to the ship after our 4 1/2 hour tour. I can’t say enough good things about Sam. He was absolutely fantastic, the best!! Always making sure we were seeing what we wanted to see! He was a safe and cautious driver. If I ever come back and book another tour I will book with this company and request Sam as our tour guide! I highly recommend this tour, it is worth every penny you pay!!!

  Michael RAugust 2025via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Amsterdam

• Its from-price is 145% above the median of the 293 city tours we list in Amsterdam.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 57 of 293.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Amsterdam

Amsterdam rings its golden-age centre with tree-lined canals, gabled houses and bridges, packing great art and easy cycling into a compact city.

The canal ring, dug in the seventeenth century, curves around the old centre in concentric arcs: Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht, lined with tall merchants' houses. The Jordaan, just west, is a maze of small canals, courtyards, brown cafés and independent shops, and the Anne Frank House stands on the Prinsengracht at its edge.

Top-ranked sights in Amsterdam: Amstel River, Skinny Bridge (Magere Brug), Anne Frank House.

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