Zaanse Schans Windmills, Marken and Volendam Half-Day Trip from Amsterdam

Leave Amsterdam behind for a few hours and discover the surrounding Dutch countryside and its wonderful windmills! Drive through idyllic landscapes criss-crossed with canals, see authentic wooden houses and old-fashioned cheese-making in Volendam. Watch a shoemaker make clogs in Marken, and capture photos of the windmills the Netherlands is famous for in the picturesque village of Zaanse Schans. Throughout this half-day trip, listen to commentary about the history, culture and sights of the Netherlands.

Meet in central Amsterdam and travel into the Dutch countryside by luxury coach, passing polders -- or land reclaimed from the water -- and dykes. Learn about the sights you see and the history of the Netherlands through an audio guide in one of 16 languages.

Visit the fishing village of Volendam and see old fishing boats and locals wearing colorful traditional dresses. During your 45-minute stop in Volendam, visit a cheese factory and watch a demonstration of how cheese is made. Then, take a 20-minute boat ride to Marken (summer only). Spend some time exploring this traditional fishing town that was once an island and admire the old wooden houses built on stilts to protect them from flooding. You’ll even visit a local shoemaker to watch him make clogs!

Continue to Zaanse Schans, best known for its massive, well-preserved windmills. See the historic shipyard and many original buildings that vividly evoke Dutch life in the 17th and 18th centuries. And be sure to have your camera ready so you can take pictures of the eye-catching windmills!

Return to Amsterdam by coach and conclude your 5.5-hour tour of some of the Netherlands' most charming towns.

6.5-Hour tour departing at 12:30pm (summer only)
This longer, afternoon tour also takes you to see the Zaanse Schans windmills and the towns of Marken and Volendam. However, this tour gives you more time at all three locations and also includes a visit to a fish auction or museum in Volendam.