Zaanse Schans Tour with Volendam, Marken and Edam

After soaking up everything Amsterdam has to offer, there's nothing better than getting away from the city buzz for a while. Luckily, the Dutch countryside and its wonderful windmills are easy to reach.

Edam, Zaanse Schans, Marken and Volendam are lovely little towns where you can see genuine wooden houses (lived in by people just like you and me), learn how the famous wooden clogs are made and find out how delicious Dutch cheese is produced.

Book the Dutch countryside tour

Dutch Countryside Tour

The tour lasts 6 hours but is timed so you can have lunch back in Amsterdam (you'll return around 14:30). You'll also get free time in Volendam for a drink or even a snack.

On the Dutch countryside tour you'll admire the windmills of Zaanse Schans and visit the best area in the Netherlands for seeing windmills, one of the country's most iconic sights.

Volendam

Volendam is a fishing village where you can see old boats and locals in traditional dress. The stop in Volendam lasts 45 minutes and you can visit a cheese factory with a demonstration of how it's made.

Marken

To reach Marken you'll take a 20-minute boat ride from Volendam, where you can explore this traditional village that was once an island and see how the houses were built to protect them from flooding. You'll also learn how the famous wooden clogs are made.

You'll also see the dyke of the fishing harbor and learn about the origins of its fishermen's houses and churches dating back to the 16th century on the island of Marken. 

Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans is one of the prettiest places near Amsterdam. The windmills are beautifully preserved, the museum is fantastic, and the cheese factory sells a delicious ice cream you shouldn't miss.

Not far from Volendam, we'll visit one of the local cheese dairies, where you'll take part in a cheese tasting with a master cheesemaker who explains how Gouda and Edam cheeses are made.

Once the tour wraps up, we say goodbye to the Dutch countryside and head back to Amsterdam, where the bus drops you off right by the ferry next to the Eye Film Museum, so you can carry on exploring the city.