Are you interested in learning about traditional Dutch culture? Then you must visit Zaanse Schans village. Zaanse Schans is one of the beautiful destinations for day trips from Amsterdam. It is a small Dutch village located on the north side of Amsterdam with traditional houses, historic windmills, warehouses, workshops, etc. It is an open-air museum which shows the industrial past of 18th and 19th centuries of Zaanse Schans.
Many of the village houses of Zaanse Schans are now museums, shops or warehouses. While entry to museums and windmills of the village are restricted by entry passes and timings, you can enjoy the outdoor beauty of Zaanse Schans which is open and free of cost. Reaching Zaanse Schans is very easy as it just is a 15 minutes train journey from Amsterdam’s central station. From the station, the village is at a distance of 20 minutes’ walk.
The top attraction of Zaanse Schans village includes traditional windmills, green wooden houses, and a historic shipyard. There are five working windmills opened for visitors in which some are sawmills and oil mills. A walk through historic windmills with impressive sessions on wood sawing, spice grinding, and oil making is an amazing experience. In addition to these, you can also enjoy boat journeys at the peak season to experience the waterside beauty of the village.
Visit workshops of local craftspeople, demonstration on cheese making, clog making are other key experiences. Inside Zaanse Schans village, you can also see small chocolate and cheese making shops, craft shops, etc. Local sweet bread of village called duivekateris very delicious and worth to taste. Famous museums of Zaanse Schans include Zaans Museum, Grocery Museum Albert Heijn, Bakery Museum in De Gecroonde Duijvekater, Museum of the Dutch Clock, and De Tweekoppige Phoenix Museum.
During the period from April to November, Zaanse Schans will have the most number of visitors and it is marked as the peak season. Almost every visiting places in the village will be opened from 10 am to 5 pm in this period. A complete visit to Zaanse Schans will take more than half of a day. Also, make sure to take some warm clothes since the climate of Zaanse Schans is windy. It should be noted that some of the areas of the village are not wheelchair accessible. Visit Zaanse Schans will be a good option for people who wish to learn about traditional Dutch culture.