a bit touristy but still a fun place to check out, you can catch the bus from the main station to get here. Walk around, sample some interesting flavored cheese and just take a lot of pictures :) it's pretty fun! read more

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My dutchie brought me here- Beautiful Autumn day and the sun was shining bright and warm. A few of the windmills are still active and you're able to get a tour abs learn more about what each one does. Very cool. These windmills aren't just for selfies. They serve a purpose. Very nice Dutchies. Well done. read more

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When my travel was finally booked and I was headed to Amsterdam, one of the places I was looking forward to seeing was the windmills at Zaanse Schans. Yes, it's a touristy place, and yes there are a lot of bus tours in Amsterdam offering to take you there, but be adventurous and save some money and just take public transportation. Don't worry if you do not speak Dutch, you can easily get there. You can catch bus 391 at Centraal Station and it will take you to the front of Zaanse Schans, for about 7 euros. Most of Zaanse Schans is free, to tour a windmill I believe was around 4 euros, so you spend under 20 euros to check out a spot most others have paid a lot of for. I am not sure how much the fee was for the larger of museum because we did not check it out. Zaanse Schans is picturesque, it's truly a beautiful area, the water, the windmills, the wooden path, the houses & shops all around, just a beautiful little place. To me well worth a visit. You will find plenty of shopping from chocolate to cheese to trinkets, and a couple of cafes to grab a hot coffee or chocolate and take in the views and people watch. Don't forget to take a picture of you in some Dutch shoes! read more

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You can't say you've been to Amsterdam/holland without visiting this area for wind mills, cheeses and clogs! With just a short train ride and a short track, you will be greater by one of the most beautiful scenery in town, while eating awesome cheeses and doing a clog dance. I in particularly loved the truffle cheese! read more

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A totally immersive Dutch experience! Zaanse Schans is located in the Holland region of the Netherlands, i.e. towards the northern parts of the country. When you head on up here, there is also a museum you can visit along with all the other sites and sounds. Car parking is €10 per car and located very conveniently next to the premises. Zaanse Schans is a lovely typical Dutch village located in the town of Zaandam close to Amsterdam. You can even take a short boat ride from Amsterdam to this village. The village has working older style windmills from the 18th and 19th centuries as well as houses from that period as well. They are quaint looking windmills and houses that are colored in green, Which gives off a typical wealthy Dutch village vibe as we later learned from our tour guide that green was the color of prosperity back then in the Netherlands. All of the windmills are working windmills used to process different products. The Zaans museum as I mentioned earlier also holds different workshops you can attend. Once you enter the village, there are beautiful shops selling handmade a Dutch goods and water boat tours. This place is indeed a one stop shop if you want to experience all things Dutch and have a little time to do so. read more

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We stopped by this place on our way to Amsterdam! Yes, it is very touristy but so what...? You are tourists anyway! It is a small town with windmills, countryside along the riverbank... It is touristy but is very different from Disney, the Louvre museum, cathedrals... You can step back, relax and enjoy the fresh air, sounds of winds, having a picnic lunch by the river bank... There are many gift stores here with great specialty gifts for friends and family like wooden clogs, porcelain arts, cheeses... The park is free! Definitely worth to stop by when you are on your way to Amsterdam! read more

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A must see when in Holland. I came here a few years ago and enjoyed it with my cousin. It's a great place to point your guest and friends to while they are visiting you in Holland. I recently sent some friends here for sight-seeing and they loved every bit of it. I am sure I would have given them 5 stars if I was a tourist. Make sure to put Zaanse Schans on your to-do​ list when visiting the Netherlands. read more

Thinking back on my original review and I'm not sure it was fair. I might go again if I were in the Netherlands and it didn't take too long to get there. The windmills really truly were beautiful, and the little arranged village was kind of cool. It was raining while we were there, and I actually found it to be nice. read more

This is a must for anyone visiting Holland for the first time. This little dutch town will provide you with so much history about Holland and all the things that make Holland unique; the canals, the delicious cheeses, windmills, the houses and building structures, the flowers, etc. The area is free to walk around in, but to go up in the windmills costs extra, along with the museum and parking. There are some nice restaurants and cafes that have delicious dutch pancakes, which is another must! (Dutch pancakes x100 better than American pancakes). This place can feel a bit touristy (they take your picture when you walk in over the bridge lol), but I think w/ the water and windmills and green fields in the background, this place is just beautiful. Check the website for current hours. Highly recommend seeing at least once! read more

Zaanse Schans - Beautiful dutch windmills along the water, even got the KLM airplane in the distance. - Parks Near Me - Zaandam, New Hampshire

If this is the first time you visit Netherlands and you are in the Amsterdam area, I highly recommend a visit to Zaanse Schans. Easily accessible by train from the Amsterdam Central Station, Zaanse Schans makes a great half day trip to everything Netherlands. You will get a better understanding about the culture, food, history with exhibits, hands on demonstration and tasting. And of course there are shops for all your souvenirs needs. Even a Distillery Museum and Tasting Room? That sound like a fun fill day! Admission to the ground is free but if you do want to get into the different museums. If you planning to visit a couple of Wind Mills or other exhibits, consider getting the Zaanse Schans Card which will offers extra discount. read more

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Zaanse Schans is the perfect 1/2 day trip if you're looking for something to do outside of Amsterdam. It's accessible via public transportation and it's so easy to get to. My husband & I just hopped on a train early one morning and took a short 10 minute walk from the train station. Zaanse Schans gives you a taste of what Dutch life was like back in the 17th/18th century. They have windmills that you can enter (for a fee), clog making demonstrations, a chocolate shop with handmade treats, a cheese shop where you can watch them make the cheese, & a lot of other cute little shops to keep you entertained. Sure, it's incredibly touristy, but don't let that steer you away. We enjoyed walking around the village and had one of those "now I really feel like I'm in the Netherlands" kind of moments. We were one of the first ones there and got to take in all the sights before the tourist buses started arriving. I loved seeing the fog on the water & on the fields. It was just all so peaceful and serene. The chocolate shop owner even took the time to explain the chocolate making process to us which was very nice of her, which wouldn't have happened once all the tourists buses arrived. I definitely recommend going early in the morning and it's very doable to tour the village on your own instead of a group/paid tour. read more

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Zaanse Schans is a traditional Dutch village with six working windmills just a quick train-ride away from the Centraal train station in Amsterdam. You can cycle, run, or walk on the paths near the residential area and the windmill. You can book a windmill cruise tour or sail on the Zaan River. Spend the day enjoying the peaceful, scenic beauty with a picnic, or stop at the bakery, cafe, or one of the local restaurants. I have wanted to visit this area for years but I wanted to go on a beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately, due to COVID many of the shops and tours where closed but they should reopen soon. I was lucky because this gorgeous area was very quiet and peaceful and I had a wonderful day enjoying the fresh air! www.dezaanseschans.nl read more

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This is a historic place and a must-see when in the area. There aren't a lot of windmills still left in the world and to see this many in one place is remarkable. We spent about 3 hours, touring the windmills and many other exhibits. read more

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This place is awesome! It was definitely worth the train ride and walk to the area. There was a museum (10 euros) that we first started off with that gives you the history of the windmills and manufacturing in the area. It gave us a good history and background. After the museum we walked around to the cheese factory, and clog factory. At the museum they try to sell you a zaanse schans card (15 euros) but you don't need it for the cheese and clog factory. We didn't get a chance to go inside the windmill (4 euros) since they close around 4:30/5pm. But it was still cool to see them. Definitely recommend this place as a destination if you're visiting Holland! read more

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Fun spot to visit while in holland. Great place to get pictures. We really just enjoyed the walk, it was beautiful out. This a very large tourist attraction so be prepared to see a lot of people and groups. We got a free cute photos and enjoyed a nice hot chocolate from one of the little shops in a windmill. read more

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Beautiful "open air windmill museum" which is an easy day trip from Amsterdam (6.50 euros round trip by train). One of the big windmills was free so we saw that and thereafter strolled along windmill lane. Very pleasant way to spend a rare sunny day. read more

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Amazing spot. 1) They have multiple museums. I enjoyed the chocolate museum. 2) The multiple stores is amazing. The cheese and chocolate stores are great. 3) Most importantly, I like the windmills. Getting inside a windmill made my trip to fantastic. read more

Zaanse Schans is a tourist trap, there is no question about that. What makes it worth the visit: * It's picturesque. There is no denying that the camera loves this place. From the windmills, the landscape, to the well placed oversized wooden Dutch shoes, you are bound to find yourself wanting to capture the moment *There are multiple attractions to hold your attention, from the shops, windmills, larger museum by the parking lot, cheese tasting/demo, wooden shoe making demo, to just strolling through the village, you can easily spend an hours exploring. * It is a budget friendly. You can view the wooden shoe making demo and cheese tasting/demo for free. As well as there is no actual fee to walk around. *It is relatively easy and painless to get to Zaanse Schans, especially using public transportation. Save yourself the money and do this on your own. *Shops- if your looking for last minute gifts, they have the standard t-shirts, knick-knacks , plus wooden shoes, and more. Tips: -Bathrooms - make sure to have some change/money on you. It will cost you .50 euros to go. There is a change machine that will convert bills/ dollar coins to the appropriate denomination. - Windmills are free to view on the outside, or you will have to pay $4 euro to view each inside. The price covers only one of windmills, you will have to pay to view a different one. - Go early, especially during the summer. Cruise ship and other tours will descend on this place as the day goes on - Transportation - cars cost 10 euro to park. There is a ferry from Centraal Station; however, it will take you a little under 2 hours. Bus 391 is the route to take , though in July and August, 871 becomes available. Total time on the bus is ~45 minutes . By far the fastest way is via train from Centraal Station, though you will need to walk ~15 minutes from the train station stop. read more

My husband and I were in Amsterdam for our honeymoon and we had a day where we had some free time so we decided to take the trip to Zaanse Schans! It is really easy to take the bus (we found transportation in Amsterdam was really great) and didn't cost too much. The bus stop drops you off literally right at the park, probably a 2-3 minute walk. You could spend a few hours there. They have a lot of shops with different activities; cheese, clogs, restaurants, etc. They have a bunch of windmills too and you can go into them which is neat. We luckily had some good weather when we were there but at one point it was raining so we had to run inside and wait it out. We grabbed lunch there that was really good too! read more

Zaanse Schans - Clogs - Parks Near Me - Zaandam, New Hampshire

cannot express how much we disliked this place . It has real windmills that were moved here to create a kitschy , run down , souvenir filled place where bus loads of tourists swarm. The windmills themselves look the same but are differentiated by theme. The chocolate one is popular - the first level is a shop with chocolate and hot cocoa etc. To see anything else , you must pay. The clog factory was SO "clogged" that you could shuffle along trapped in a human flood or you could escape the probably Covid factory and run for fresh air. The cheese store was slightly less crowded and offers tasters of the various cheeses they sell. The tasters are out in the open to be touched by little kids, breathed on or sneezed on ( we saw all of the above) I am not super worried about Covid in general but I wouldn't have touched the tasters even if Covid didn't exist. Seriously unsanitary. There is a guy trying to take everyone's picture as you walk in to sell at the end - like on a cruise or Disneyland. There is one souvenir shop after another with all the same overpriced low quality stuff. They try and make money at every turn , including the bathrooms which cost 1 eu to use! I honestly do not know how this place got any good reviews. I think when people vacation , they want to show how amazing their trip was and are reluctant to admit anything was a bust. I am here to tell you to save your time and money. Don't be lured here unless you enjoy huge crowds and cheesy cheap looking tourist traps. Nearby to Amsterdam is Haarlem which is a cute town with a real windmill as well. You can see if from the outside or pay a fee to go in but at least it's in an area that is nice to explore and won't try to sell you mass produced replicas. read more

Total tourist trap: windmills, cheese, wooden clogs it's a short train/car ride from Amsterdam and it's worth checking out. You might get talked into buying wooden clogs as souvenirs, but what's a few euros for something you can add to your travel shelf?! This places is basically for photo opps, but again, if you come you're definitely a tourist. read more

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Zaanse Schans is a Big tourist trap, you can feel the taste of fake and sell sell at every corner. At the beginnig you can feel the powerful disturbing chocolate making smell, and you see loads of chiness buses unloading. The outside view of the windmills in nice, I had also nice weather and got to do a few nice shots but the feeling of going like sheeps in this small area it's not the thing for me...I guess it happens with touristic attractions. 1. If u happen to come here check the Windmill no 5, has a nice terrace and you can enjoy the weather (if u are lucky haha) and grab a bite to eat (eel and salmon burgers yumm) 2. Visit the small Windmills Village! This is completely a different story: b e a u t i f u l read more

Zaanse Schans - Parks Near Me - Zaandam, New Hampshire

Beautiful windmills, cheese and wooden shoes....our American image of Dutch culture. It exists here in Zaanse Schans. We took the train from Amsterdam Sloterdijk to Zaanse Schans, and then we walked from the train station to the windmills. After getting off the train, take the stairs down to the tunnel towards town. You go under the train tracks, and come out on the other side and continue walking straight. We took the windmill cruise (€9.95), which we really liked. Bathrooms cost 50 cents to use at the Zaanse Schans Museum. Cheese store had free samples, but was packed with people. Unbelievable how many tour buses visit this place. Interesting to watch a demonstration on wooden shoe making. You can buy a "demonstration" wooden shoe for €2, which is rough, but is a neat souvenir. Wood is green, so it's a little wet. We went in a little bakery (Bakery Museum), where I bought a waffle and apple beignet (€5 total), and both were good, with the waffle being the best. The first windmill you come too, has a free entrance. They have items for sale inside, and that is the way they make money. Make sure you stop there. You could rent bicycles. Closer to the weekend, the more people there is. We had a great time. read more

As stated on their website... Zaanse Schans or the Windmill Village does function quite a bit like an open air museum. They also don't charge to let you visit the village, but there are parking fees and fees to participate or go into the museum. Admittedly though, this place feels super touristy, but within reason. As many of the shops and barns have lots of Holland-y goodness to be found and you can easily walk the trails between buildings and down pass all the windmills. I believe "De Kat" is the only mill open to the public... a dye/paint mill. I actually regret exploring it some.. given I'm always dealing with paint in my everyday, but it was really cool to look at just from the outside! There is a small fee to enter the windmill, but if you have time I imagine it's worth it. If you ever need wooden shoes too, this is your place. They have workshops you can attend and get a taste of how they make these things too. While it was indeed touristy, tons of tour groups from all sorts of places, it was a really peaceful and lovely place. It is very windy (I guess this is obvious--windmill village and all) out by the windmills so make sure you have a nice thick coat or something to keep you warm in colder months. If I had the time and wasn't with a small group myself.. it would have been a perfect place to do a bit of sketching sans the wind.~ read more

a must see when visiting amsterdam! rich in history, colour, and enchanment! its like going back in time and seeing how the dutch lived. cheese tasting was amazing! basically it was taste all you want at so cheap prices but excellent wuality cheeses...better than vancouver! passed by the clog making factory and the windmills of course....only 4 working ones left i think...lol! small village charm with ice cream shops and waffle houses...delicious! what an amazing experience! only a 25 min bus ride from centraal station! tip: dont buy the expensive tours to come here! just take the bus! same thing! cheaper and explore at your own time. bus stop is outside the windmill prk close to museum. same bus stop to go back to central! so covenient and efficient! ( bus 391 or 891 - express). only 10 euros rt and $1 for kids below 12! what a deal! happy travels! read more

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Usually I flee from tourist trap places or refuse to step foot in one, but this place is unique. Yes, it is HIGHLY touristy, but it is like a world heritage type site, as this is the only place that you will be able to see and experience actual working original wooden mills that are still in use today and are actual running businesses. There are about five different mills that you can tour through up and downstairs. Each of the mills has a small entrance free. Each one is a different industry (wood, die, etc). You definitely get to step back in time and get a taste for what life might have been like back in the day. There are many different museums that are also interesting to go through. My favorites were the wooden shoe factory, the mills, and the Distillery. All of these buildings are sit in a beautiful green lush watery farm land. This was definitely the highlight of my trip to Amsterdam. read more

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The coolest place to go in all of Holland/Netherlands! You MUST come here...very picquerist and very authentic Dutch! Forget Solvang in California...this is the real deal! Clogs and cheese...a MUST! read more

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Grab bus 391 upstairs behind Centraal Station if you are heading there. It's easy, it's about a 40 minute ride, but in less than 10 minutes you feel so far outside of the city of Amsterdam. Once you get to the bus stop, hop off, cross the bike path and take a left, then you'll see the parking lot and will be able to find your way from there. For a one-way trip it's 5 euros and you can pay the bus driver. If you have your OV-chip card, it's 4 euros. (Of course as of Feb 28, 2015). Pretty decent if you ask me! The Zaanse Schans is a neat place to visit. It's pretty and fairly peaceful. If you like taking photos there are great opportunities for that! We went very low budget, so we didn't go to the museum and only popped into the baking museum and a chocolate showcase. Make sure you take your walking shoes! We will probably go back when it's warmer, but we know it will be packed then, so we had a preview day :) There are some cute animals around who like to make an appearance, but don't feed them! Seriously, just enjoy the scenery and the walk. I'm sure the museums are very nice and we would like to go in a windmill sometime, too. But we settled for a cup of hot cocoa and a film about how there are used. Great afternoon trip! read more

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I did relatively little when we visited the Windmill Village, but that was more than enough for me. When I think of the Netherlands I invariably picture windmills and tulips (and sometimes stroopwafel!), so it was important for me to see some windmills for real! There's actually quite a bit to do here if you're looking for activities. Our Airbnb host told us about the different types of windmills they have and a few different things you can do while here, such as cheese tasting or getting some wooden shoes, etc., but we just walked around and my wife and sister-in-law fed some goats. Take in the views of the big windmills, sit in the giant wooden shoe, and participate in any of the activities they have available. This is a very popular tourist destination so don't think you'll be alone, but just be patient as the tour groups finish with their selfies and group-selfies in that one perfect picture spot in front of the big, green windmill. That picture is worth it! read more

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While we read this was a tourist destination, it has a tremendous amount of history as well. I did not realize until we got there that many of these exhibitions, houses and windmills, were moved from other locations to save them. Even in the coffee house, there were antique coffee grinders hanging on the wall. I would recommend renting a bike at the beginning and having a casual ride throughout the town. For us today, it was really too cold and windy. But we ended up at the distillery with a tasting which warmed us up. read more

Zaanse Schans - Old working windmills - Parks Near Me - Zaandam, New Hampshire

This is a great area with some great windmills and great displays. The authentic old village is really good too and very interesting. The staff are very informative and interesting. Plenty of things to see. Well worth a visit it's really pretty here. read more

Pretty easy to get to from central Amsterdam. Located in cute neighborhood. Lots of windmills. If you have a 1/2 to 1 day to kill in Amsterdam, this is not a bad way to spend the time but I would not prioritize high on my things to see when visiting Amsterdam. read more

Incredible views! Great History! Loads of Fun! We actually drove up from Eindhoven and it was totally worth it. We spent a couple of hours strolling through the open area enjoying the water and all the sheep, ducks, and swans. There were lots of little shops and fun things to experience. One of my favorites was the windmill that made paints. In the states there would be all kinds of regulations that wouldn't allow you to walk around and climb the stairs in the old windmills, but here you were able to enjoy the full pleasure of walking through the mills. We also found a cute little shop that sold antiques and polish pottery. I picked up a few mugs to enjoy back home. I would highly recommend going here even if you have to drive a bit. read more

Zaanse Schans - Parks Near Me - Zaandam, New Hampshire

We took the bus out here which was an easy ride once we arrived we took our sweet time walking around & taking in the views this place is lovely. U have the barn where they have all kinds of wonderful cheese options to buy & taste as they have cheese tastings here the ones that stood out were the Farmers, Truffle & Pesto cheese's simply amazing! we later tried a Toastie aka grilled cheese not bad since the cheese was good but no other flavor to it. The winner here of course are the windmills absolutely beautiful the whole area is such a nice way to spend a few hours, scenery is lovely cute town u have some places to eat & drink. we sat for a few & enjoyed a Rose beer very good. we saw a small museum for the clogs, they also have the wood shop/souvenir type area where u can sit & watch the clogs being made kinda cool. Of all touristy things to do this is definitely the best one to check out worth the trip. read more

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We really enjoyed this place when we visited in 2017, came here from Lucerne. We skipped the tulip garden to visit the windmills here instead. Beautiful scenery! read more

We did this same tour in 2019 and it was better...and a lot less expensive. We went in the back entry so we had to walk a little further than normal in the misting rain. Only one windmill was working this day. This was a full group of 8 people, all Americans. The tour originated from a new location around the corner of the heavily built up region (Wow) from our last visit. The tour guide was OK and offered any assistance and/or suggestions at each stop as we also stopped at a cheese/clogmaker and Monnickendam Village (disappointingly the quaint cafe we had found last visit was closed as a victim of Covid) and a drive through Broek in Waterland. Something, in general was missing on this tour and I don't know if it was the people we were with, the guide, the location but last time it was ful lof wonder and a great day out. This time it was just kind of blah and uninspring as we tried to relive one of our favorite moments of our last trip to Europe. It didn't start great to begin with as our taxi driver would not take a credit card (I think he just wanted cash and lied about his wi-fi) and laughed at us trying to scramble together Euros, of which, we had little as we were using credit mostly. I guess every tour is different and this was definitely different though I suggest you take it and see for yourself since it is much better than taking the big bus tour. read more

Me: what do you want to do in Amsterdam? Friend: I want to see windmills. Having visited this place as a kid, I knew this was where I'd take her. Yes, it's touristy but it's fun and makes for an easy day trip. Only 20mns by train and a 15mn walk from the station, it can't be any easier! Unfortunately, only one of the windmills were open (times vary on each one) but better than none. For 3 Euros, we got to watch an informative video on the history of the sawmill windmill and then go to the back to see how functioning. The little exhibit on the bottom was educational too. Besides the windmill, we got to check out the Clog Workshop among others. Even just walking around was serene, with birds walking along the fields and the view of the village houses by the waterfront. There are 2 restaurants around but we decided to walk into the actual village and ate terrific food at a little cafe. A fun day for people of all ages! read more

We ventured out to Zaanse Schans on a nippy, but sunny, Friday. A very quick train ride on the Sprinter from Amsterdam Centraal, and we were off to see some windmills. Yes, it's touristy. Yes, it can be cheesy. But, yes. It. Is. Beautiful. If you want great photo opportunities of windmills, this is it. We only went inside one windmill (the one making peanut oil), and I have to say, I can't see a reason to go inside more than one while visiting. It was very neat but I can't imagine that the others are much different. There are tons of little shops to check out... cheese, sweets, goods, etc., and a few places to grab a bite to eat. If wooden shoes are your thing, you are in luck, because you can watch those being made as well (shockingly similar in process to making the Louisville Slugger baseball bats, if you've ever been on that factory tour!) I'm so glad we took the time to go visit this area, definitely check it out if you want to see just a bit of the country side while visiting Amsterdam. read more

I loved it here so much. We decided to go early so that we would beat all the other tourist and it was the best idea we had that day. I loved the waffle I had from the bakery, and the lady there was so kind to us. I would love to go here again. read more

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This town smells of chocolate! Seriously. There is a giant chocolate factory owned by Cargill along the way. The chocolately breeze must be how Charlie felt going into Willy's factory. Anyway, the family enjoyed the visit. On a good sunny day, its a nice stroll through the little town. There are farm animals that are very tame and entertaining for little toddlers. Chickens, goats, sheeps, cows and ducks are some of the animals that allow you to pet them. The (Henry Willig) cheese shop is amusing with a small area dedicated for cheese making though the prices in Amsterdam are slightly cheaper. There are several windmills - oil making, wood cutting, spice making etc. At least one was open to gawking for a fee. For the lazy, you can rent a bicycle to bike around the area. (You really dont need to unless you are mega lazy or really hate walking or want to fulfill your fantasy of bulldozing the great many often rude tourists from the buses) You can take a boat to cross to the small town for 1 euro which is a fun way to fulfill your quota of doing at least a canal boat ride in the Netherlands. (about 5 mins ride) p/s if you need to get food, get food from the tourist area or buy from amsterdam, the small town's restaurants are a hit and miss with openings. Getting there: By bus For 5euros per adult, you pass through some charming small towns along the way. Takes about an hour to get there. Take 391 from Amsterdam Central. The bus drops you about 5 minutes away from the Zaanse museum which is close to the entrance of the tourist area. By train Its slightly less to take the train vs. the bus, but though the train is a tad bit faster, it is a bit of a hike to get from the station to Zaanse and vice versa. You dont get to see any many interesting things on the way either. read more