Sometimes you need to escape the city, even if that city is amazing as Amsterdam. But what better to place to escape the bustle of the city than the Netherlands’ countryside, a place that is more picturesque than a postcard come to life. And Zaanse Schans, the famous windmill village, is a perfect example of that. From the minute we stepped foot in this village, we knew we had found the perfect place to tear our hearts away from Amsterdam.
With so many activities to participate in Zaanse Schans, and walking around the best way to completely experience this treasure, we have included our roundup of our favourite activities below.
De Kat Windmill
This extraordinary windmill creates pigments for paint from raw materials. There are many different windmills that you can visit at Zaanse Schans but De Kat is a standout thanks to its charismatic and informative head miller, Piet Kempenaar, who is willing to provide commentary for the milling process. Its also a real experience to climb up the narrow ladder to see the sails up close and to feel the wind nearly sweep you off the balcony.
Wooden Shoe Workshop
Want to know how those super cute, but not so functional for back home, wooden clogs are actually made? This is the place for you. Not only will you get to see how these handmade beauties are constructed, but you will also get to try them on and walk around in them. This is a great test trial for the many pairs they have for sale at the workshop.
Cheese Farm
People from the Netherlands have endearingly labeled themselves “Cheese heads” for their insane love of cheese. So the best way to explore their culture in true Amsterdam style is to visit a cheese farm to see how it is traditionally made, and lucky for you Zaanse Schans features one of those as well!
Website | http://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/
I loved Zaanse Schans! I went in summer and enjoyed it despite the awful weather. Those tiny shops were so cute! I also liked seeing so many animals around the farms and the nature 🙂
Assia | my post on Harlem and Zaanse Schaans http://www.assiashahin.com/2016/08/shopping-at-haarlem-and-seeing.html
Thanks for popping by Assia. Great to hear that you loved Zaanse Schans too. xx