The Zaanse Schans is a historic neighborhood in Zaanstad, located close to Amsterdam.

This town was established in 1963 so that national monuments, wooden houses, and 17th century industrial mills from the Zaan region could be relocated to this area, creating a unique cultural landscape.

The Zaanse Schans is a very unique village in the Netherlands as in this area you can see among others, typical old wooden Dutch houses, windmills, a tin factory, a cheese farm and a clog farm.

Many people wonder if Zaanse Schans is worth going as it is located outside of Amsterdam and some travel is needed to be able to get there.

However, it is totally worth to visit the Zaanse Schans if you are visiting the Netherlands/Amsterdam for the first time. Here, you will see many unique Dutch buildings and old windmills (which you still can visit and walk around inside).

If you still need to buy souvenirs, then this is a good place to go as you will have many oportunity to walk around and buy typical Dutch souvenirs here such as cheese at the cheese farm, wooden tulips and cloggies at the clogs farm.

The Zaanse Schans derives its name from the Dutch word “schans”, which refers to a fortification built during the Eighty Years’ War (when the Protestant Dutch were fighting again the Catholic Spaniards).

In the 16th century, there were likely 13 of these military construction in the Zaan region, providing defense against enemies.

The part “Zaanse” refers to the Zaan area.

Today, the Zaanse Schans is a popular tourist attraction, preserving the traditional Dutch landscape and its historic buildings.

Visiting Zaanse Schans in the Netherlands is an experience that everyone visiting the Netherlands should not miss.

Depending on how much time you have available and how much you want to see, you could spend anywhere from a few hours to a full day exploring the area.

The main attractions at Zaanse Schans are the windmills, ranging from small to large, and the many small shops and the Zaans Museum. Exploring the windmills will give you an insight into the traditional Dutch way of living and which goods they made/produced with the windmills during the industrial revolution in the Netherlands.

At the Zaanse Schans you can also walk past different old wooden houses that are unique to this Zaan regio. Don’t forget to visit the cheese and clog factories! At the cheese factory you can taste different types of Dutch cheese ranging from young to old cheese.

So, a few hours (roughly about 2 hours) should be enough to take in the main sights of Zaanse Schans and take some nice pictures. You could also take a boat trip, or take a guided tour to see some of the more hidden places of the area.

We would not say so, as also a lot of Dutch people from across the country visit the Zaanse Schans and enjoy visiting it.

It is true that there are many souvenirs shops at the Zaanse Schans, but that does not make it a tourist trap.

The historical windmills, old wooden houses, green grass fields with cows are super typical Dutch!

The Zaanse Schans is about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Amsterdam City center. You can either go by bus or train.

Taking the train will be quicker compared to taking the bus. If you are taking public transportation to the Zaanse Schans, you will approximately spend about 1.5-2 hours in travelling (back and forth) starting from your hotel/hostel room in Amsterdam City center.

If you take the train from Amsterdam Central Station, you have to get out at the stop “Zaandijk Zaanse Schans” (takes about 17 minutes), from there you have to walk about 15 minutes to get to the Zaanse Schans. It is a nice walk, as the area is very beautiful.

If you take the bus from Amsterdam Central Station, it will take you 50 minutes to get to the Zaanse Schans in Zaandam. There is one bus going to the Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam Central Station and that is bus 391.

The bus ride itself takes about 45 minutes and it stops infront of the Zaanse Schans, from there you only have to walk 2-3 minutes to get to the main entrance.

In the 17th century, approximately 600 windmills were installed around the Zaanse Schans area, and currently you can find 11 old and typical Dutch windmills in the Zaanse Schans park.

The following are some of the windmills: “De Bonte Hen” (an oil windmill), “De Gekroonde Poelenburg” (a saw windmill) and “De Hadel” (a polder windmill).

The windmills are all from the 17th century, and each one has its own unique function and story. There is a windmill at the Zaanse Schans which is called “De Zoeker” (“The Finder” in Dutch).

It is estimated that this windmill was built in 1610, as a polder mill. Since 1672 it functioned as an oil mill in Zaandijk. In 1891 the mill was converted into a paint mill, only to change back into an oil mill 10 years later.

Around 1940, the neglected mill was planned to be broken down, but fortunately, the municipality of Zaandijk bought the mill in the fifties and turned it back as an oil mill again in 1958.

So this windmill is already more than 400 years old and it still works! Many other windmills at the Zaanse Schans have also been functioning for more than 400 years.

To enter the Zaanse Schans park is free of charge, but if you want to enter certain attractions / places, you will need to pay a small fee.

There are also windmills which you can visit for free. The paid and the free attractions are totally worth it!

If you have an Iamsterdam City pass, you can enter the Zaans Museum (located next to the entrance of the Zaanse Schans) for free!

Please mind that you will need to pay for parking fees if you come by car.