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Dutch Countryside: Windmills and Villages
4.2
4,448 Ratings
Amsterdam
Embark on a captivating day tour from Amsterdam to explore the charming countryside, including Volendam, Marken, and traditional windmills. Immerse yourself in Dutch culture, witness traditional crafts, and indulge in a delicious lunch at a fishing restaurant.
Embark on a captivating day tour from Amsterdam to explore the charming countryside, including Volendam, Marken, and traditional windmills. Immerse yourself in Dutch culture, witness traditional crafts, and indulge in a delicious lunch at a fishing restaurant.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Zaanse Schans - Zaanse Schans is a delightful historic village close to Amsterdam, celebrated for its iconic Dutch windmills and traditional green wooden houses. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely walk along the picturesque riverbanks, visit artisan workshops, and witness the making of clogs and cheese. A standout feature is the line of operational…
- Zaanse Schans - Zaanse Schans is a delightful historic village close to Amsterdam, celebrated for its iconic Dutch windmills and traditional green wooden houses. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely walk along the picturesque riverbanks, visit artisan workshops, and witness the making of clogs and cheese. A standout feature is the line of operational windmills, each serving a unique function such as sawing wood or grinding spices. The all-inclusive tour allows you to step inside one of these windmills for an intriguing view of Dutch engineering in action. It’s an ideal day trip to experience the Netherlands’ rich cultural heritage.
- Marken - Marken is a charming former island village renowned for its wooden houses, serene atmosphere, and traditional Dutch allure. Visitors can explore the Marker Museum (Markerhuisje), which displays local life and history in original fishermen’s homes. The village also hosts a wooden shoe factory, where you can observe the handcrafting of clogs. Both the Markerhuisje and the clog factory are part of the all-inclusive tour. Marken provides a unique insight into authentic Dutch heritage by the water.
- Volendam - Volendam is a scenic fishing village on the IJsselmeer, known for its historic harbor, colorful boats, and traditional Dutch attire. Once a bustling fishing community, it still retains its maritime heritage throughout. As you wander through the village, you’ll discover charming streets, fresh seafood, and welcoming locals. The all-inclusive tour also includes a visit to a local cheese factory to learn about Dutch cheese production and enjoy a tasting. It offers a delightful mix of culture, history, and local flavor.
- Centraal Station - The tour concludes in central Amsterdam.
What's Included
- Traditional Marker house tour (All-Inclusive only)
- Clog making with antique steam engine (All-Inclusive only)
- 30-min boat tour between Volendam and Marken (All-Inclusive only)
- Zaanse Schans windmills up-close
- Tour of operating windmill (All-Inclusive only)
- Cheese-making demonstration
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Lunch on Charm of Holland tour (Fridays only)
-…
- Traditional Marker house tour (All-Inclusive only)
- Clog making with antique steam engine (All-Inclusive only)
- 30-min boat tour between Volendam and Marken (All-Inclusive only)
- Zaanse Schans windmills up-close
- Tour of operating windmill (All-Inclusive only)
- Cheese-making demonstration
- Lunch on Charm of Holland tour (Fridays only)
- Experience traditional Dutch villages Volendam & Marken
- Luxurious bus with air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional Information
Leave Amsterdam behind for a few hours and discover the typical Dutch countryside outside the capital. You’ll drive through a picture-perfect landscape crisscrossed with canals, see authentic wooden houses, windmills and fishing villages, and witness traditional crafts from days gone by.
The picturesque village of Zaanse Schans is famous for its original…
Leave Amsterdam behind for a few hours and discover the typical Dutch countryside outside the capital. You’ll drive through a picture-perfect landscape crisscrossed with canals, see authentic wooden houses, windmills and fishing villages, and witness traditional crafts from days gone by.
The picturesque village of Zaanse Schans is famous for its original buildings, vividly capturing Dutch life in the 17th and 18th centuries. Much like the World Heritage Kinderdijk, this town is lined with classic Dutch Windmills.
Experience the old Dutch life in Volendam and Marken with an abundance of inside information from your guide. You’ll see the historic shipyard and windmills. Visit a shoemaker who works with wood and watch his clog-making techniques first-hand!
Opt for the Charm of Holland tour option to experience the best of old Holland in a small group, with all of the all-in option inclusions plus lunch at a traditional Dutch fishing restaurant. This luxurious tour departs every Friday!
- Children up to and including 3 years old are free of charge (not occupying a seat)
Location
Tours & Tickets Amsterdam
De Ruijterkade
The Tours & Tickets Shop is located in the IJ hall of Central Station / Amsterdam Centraal Station - on the far eastern side (Tip: Enter the address into Google Maps). Show your (smartphone) ticket at the Tours & Tickets office, where you'll be guided to the bus across the street.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.2
(4448 Ratings)
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Kirsty_d
Nov 5, 2024
Highlights of Holland - Really great tour, all ran to schedule and showed us some amazing highlights of the Dutch countryside. Stops were all relevant, interesting and very photogenic. Would recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_h
Oct 25, 2024
Interesting - A variety of stops that introduced us to several different traditions of Netherland, sawmill, cheese making, making clogs, making waffles. And samples of the food was offered. It was fun, interesting and educational.
Review provided by Viator
Caroline_b
Oct 25, 2024
A lot of fun and a great vibe within the group. - Just walking through and experiencing the beautiful villages of Volendam and Marken lovely little places.
Review provided by Viator
David_a
Oct 11, 2024
A+ - This was one of the best tours I have ever been on. The tour guide/driver was a blast! He was helpful and informative too.
Review provided by Viator
Kristine_k
Sep 4, 2024
Get out of Amsterdam and do this excursion - A total tourist adventure, but it was fun and the landscapes were beautiful. Stopped in Zaanse Schans to see the windmills. Then, went to a clog workshop in Marken and got a demonstration on how clogs are made. Got a a ferry from there and had a nice 30 minute ride over a Volendam. We toured a cheese factory and then had some free time to grab lunch and a stroopwafel before getting on the bus to head back to Amsterdam. It was a beautiful day for this little adventure.
Review provided by Viator
Belinda_s
Sep 29, 2024
Good tour - Good tour of the Windmills. The tour of the cheese demonstration was hectic, too many people in a small space. Otherwise a good tour.
Review provided by Viator
Julia_h
Oct 31, 2024
Average tour - Big group . Paid extra to see demos but couldn’t see as too many people
Would of liked more free time
Review provided by Viator
Denise_b
Sep 18, 2024
Rushed for a bit - We felt very rushed going into the first and second parts of the tour (windmills and cheese) but things slowed down and were more casual once we boarded the boat and headed to Marken. We really enjoyed the wooden show presentation.
Overall, we were glad to have had the experience but if we were to do it again, we may get a small group tour so that we didn’t have so many to try to keep up with.
Review provided by Viator
Charlie_v
Aug 22, 2024
Very Cheesy so I left the tour early - As the title says, this tour is very cheesy!!! It also is not 5 hours like it says, it’s about 5 hours 45. Albeit the windmills were fantastic and the audio information on the bus was great, however everything about the tour feels fake.
No demonstration at the windmills, only talking about what you would do to make peanut oil and a video. Seeing the workings of the windmill and getting up close was cool!
Clog making, I highly doubt a 20 year old has mastered the craft of clog making and that there is no way it’s an operational clog ‘factory’. As another review says, this is not the traditional way to make clogs. They sell the same stuff in their shop as every other place.
Cheese ‘factory’, again highly doubt that this is a cheese factory as the label on the cheeses was not from the same city we were in. Felt like the staff at the ‘factory’ were acting and heavily trying to sell you cheese to bring home. No demonstration, only telling you what they would do.
When it came to free time, I literally took the public bus back to Amsterdam.
RECOMMENDATION: take the public bus to the windmills just by tapping your credit card (tap on and tap off) and save yourself the tacky tour.
Review provided by Viator
880amr
Aug 27, 2024
Tours&tickets Amsterdam horrible service - As expected we get to see the windmills and some tiny towns but what bothered me was the company tours-tickets where we booked our tour. I should’ve opted with Viator but since it was a last minute plan we chose this company. The broken seat in front of me was leaning close to my personal space which was uncomfortable. I can barely move. I was assured by Laura the assistant that we will get a refund for the inconvenience. I was never asked to move seats. Now that I contacted them re the refund, they blatantly refused coz they said they never promised it. Just disappointed that the staff did not honor their word. Money can be earned but what they did is a poor reflection on how their company handles cases like this. They can’t be relied on and when a similar incident happens to anyone, make sure ask the employee to put it in writing. I will never use their service again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
