Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans (Zaandam)

Green windmills turning along the river, clog workshops below

Hours

Village always open; mills and museums mostly 9am–5pm (each differs; see the official map)

Tickets

Village free (official site, checked Oct 2026). Mills and museums sell their own tickets on site. Parking €15 a day, card only

Address

On the east bank of the Zaan; the Zaans Museum is the usual starting point

Cross the bridge from the station and there they are across the water, half a dozen windmills turning in a row. Up close the sails are louder than you'd think, and inside, wooden cogs clatter as they grind oil seeds or pigment. Between the green wooden houses a cheese shop pushes samples at you and a clog workshop machine-carves a block of wood into a shoe. Half a day covers it, so many people go in the morning and are back in the city after lunch.