Despite being small, the village is full of attractions for both children and adults. If you go on a sunny day, the city is even more beautiful. As you will see in the photos, on my visit, like a typical day in Holland, it was sunny, it was raining, the weather was cloudy, all in one day.
Check out the attractions of Zaanse Schans.
1. Visit the mills
Seeing the windmills up close and even entering some of them is among the main attractions of Zaanse Schans, in fact, it is what attracts most tourists.
The interesting fact is that each mill has a different name and function. Some of them are open to visitors for a price of 4 euros, however the entrance fee and opening hours vary,
For example, De Kat produces paints, De Huisman specializes in spices, and De Zoeker produces oil. In addition to the experience of entering a mill, it is also possible to go up to the second floor and admire Zaanse Schans from above.
About the mills :
- windmills are one of the best known symbols of Holland and a wooden contraption that was very useful in the past;
- as the country is very flat, the most important function of the mills was to drain water from the lowlands back into the rivers;
- they were also used for sawing, pumping and pressing;
- many productions such as painting, paper, bread and even mustard depended on these giants that today have become one of the country’s postcards.
2. Visit stores and factories
In addition to the mills, the village is also full of very charming shops and factories that produce typically Dutch products such as the famous wooden clogs and delicious cheeses of various flavors. It is worth a visit, and detail, the entrance is free.
- Cheese factory : at the Catharina Hoeve cheese factory, visitors can watch an exhibition of how this delicacy is made and, best of all, they can taste cheeses of various flavors.
- Chocolate factory : from afar you can smell the wonderful cocoa smell coming from the CocoaLab chocolate factory . It is possible to see a close-up demonstration of how this treat is produced. It even made my mouth water just thinking about it.
- Clog factory : this one is a must, don’t miss the factory that produces the famous typical Dutch shoes. They are huge clogs of various colors and sizes, and the cool thing is that it is possible to watch a demonstration of how they are produced. And of course, a great place to buy a souvenir since, in addition to the factory, there is also a souvenir shop on site.
3. Visit the museums
And for those who like this type of tour, you can spend the whole day in the village. After all, the attractions of Zaanse Schans go far beyond just windmills. Many of the wooden houses house small museums. Some of them are free to enter, others are paid. Check out the main ones here.
- Zaans Museum : this one is right at the entrance to the village and is the museum for those who want to know a little more about the history of Zaanse Schans.
- Albert Heijin Museum : this was the place where the first Albert Heijin market operated, in fact, a grocery store at the time, which is the most famous supermarket chain in Holland that can be found on every corner in the country.
- Zaan Time Museum : tells the story of making watches in Holland.
4. Boat ride
I didn’t get to take a boat trip in Zaanse Schans, but I’ve already taken a trip to Giethoorn , which is, if you have the opportunity, another mega photogenic village that is worth visiting in Holland.
The boat trip on the Zaan River lasts around 45 minutes and can be done through the company Rederij de Schans from April to September or tours.
5. Take lots of photos of the photogenic scenery
And for those who love photography, photographing typical Dutch scenery is guaranteed fun. And diquinha, one of the places that I liked the most to take a panoramic photo of Zaanse Schans was through the Julianabrug bridge . For those coming by train, it is already part of the journey to cross this bridge that has a spectacular view of the Zaan River and the surroundings of the village. And lucky for me, I had the privilege of seeing a beautiful rainbow the day I went.