Getting to the Zaanse Schans

Hours, prices and access verified by the Zaanse Schans Tours team — last checked 2026-09-05

The Zaanse Schans is twenty minutes north of Amsterdam and there are four ways to reach it. One of them costs a bus fare and drops you beside the museum; one of them costs €15.00 before you have parked. Here is all four, with the times.

Where the Zaanse Schans actually is

On the west bank of the River Zaan at Schansend 7, 1509 AW, Zaandam, North Holland — a little over 15 kilometres north-north-west of Amsterdam Centraal, inside the municipality of Zaanstad. It is not a separate town: it is a neighbourhood of Zaandam, with the village of Zaandijk directly across the water.

That address is the one to put in a satnav. It is where the car park, the information desk, the Zaans Museum and the bus stop all are.

Bus 800 from Amsterdam Central — about 24 minutes

The Zaanse Schans Express is the easiest answer for most people. Route 800 leaves Amsterdam Central Station and reaches the village in about 24 minutes, running every 15 minutes between 09:00 and 17:00. The stop is directly beside the Zaans Museum, which means you step off at the entrance rather than a walk away.

Meerplus route 801 also serves the village by way of Zaandam and carries on to Volendam, which is useful if you are combining the two. Children up to and including eleven travel free, and a combined MeerPlus & Zaanse Schans ticket pairs a return on routes 800 and 801 with the Ticket Zaanse Schans in one purchase.

The bus is the reason a tour is optional here Twenty-four minutes each way for a bus fare, arriving at the door, every fifteen minutes through the middle of the day. If all you want is the mill row and a wander, take it and keep your money — that answer is on the admission page too. What a guided day adds is the ordering of the morning and a person who knows which mills are turning.

By train to Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans, then a walk

The local stoptrein from Amsterdam Centraal reaches Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans in about 17 minutes. From the platform it is about 15 minutes on foot: down to the river, across the Julianabrug, and you arrive at the far end of the Kalverringdijk with the whole mill row in front of you.

That approach is better than the bus for photographs and worse for legs. It also puts you at the opposite end of the village from the car park, which matters if you are meeting somebody. The map page sets out which arrival lands where.

From 1 April to 1 October a pedicab runs between the station and the village, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:00, between the station and the village. Taxis run on demand year-round.

Driving, and the €15.00 car park

Put Schansend 7, Zaandam, North Holland into the satnav. The car park opens 08:00 to 19:00 and charges €15.00 a visit for a car, €55.00 for a coach, paid at the barrier. There are reserved spaces for disabled visitors.

Do not park on the roads around the village. The foundation asks visitors not to, it is not permitted, and the lanes are narrow enough that it genuinely causes trouble. There are no motorhome spaces at all here; the nearest site is Willem Prinsplein 2, Zaandam.

By bike from Amsterdam

About 18 kilometres each way on protected cycle paths, through Amsterdam North and the Twiske nature reserve, and it is one of the better rides in the country. Two of the guided days here do exactly this route by electric bike with a guide, which is worth considering if you have not cycled in the Netherlands before.

At the village itself, bikes go in the racks by the car park. Cycling between the houses is not allowed — the Kalverringdijk is a cycle path and the narrow lanes are not.

From Schiphol

There is no direct route. Take the train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal or to Zaandam, then either bus 800 or the local train onward to Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans; allow an hour door to door. Several of the private days here will collect you from Schiphol directly, which is the practical answer if you are arriving with luggage — there is no left-luggage anywhere at the Zaanse Schans.

Which arrival puts you where

Reaching the Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam

How you come	Journey time	Cost	Where it leaves you
Bus 800 from Amsterdam Central	about 24 minutes	A bus fare	At the entrance, beside the Zaans Museum
Train to Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans	about 17 minutes + about 15 minutes walk	A train fare	The far end of the Kalverringdijk, across the Julianabrug
Driving	About 25 minutes	€15.00 to park	The car park at Schansend 7, by the information desk
By bike	About an hour	Free, or a rental	The bike racks at the car park
On a guided day	About 20 minutes	A tour fare	At Schansend, with a guide

Zaanse Schans day tour list every departure with its own meeting point, and several of them collect you from your hotel door. Zaanse Schans Tours sets the fares side by side.

Coming from a hotel rather than the station?

Several of the days here include hotel pickup in Amsterdam, which removes the whole question of meeting points. The rest gather behind Centraal Station on the De Ruijterkade or the Oosterdoksstraat, and every card names its own spot.

See the Zaanse Schans tours Compare Zaanse Schans tours

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to the Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam without a tour?

Two easy ways. The Zaanse Schans Express, bus route 800, runs from Amsterdam Central Station in about 24 minutes, every 15 minutes between 09:00 and 17:00, and stops beside the Zaans Museum. Or take the local train to Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans, about about 17 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal, then walk about 15 minutes.

How much does it cost to park at the windmill village?

€15.00 per visit for a car and €55.00 for a coach, paid at the car park at Schansend 7 in Zaandam. It is the single most-grumbled-about charge on the site, and here is where it goes: “Stichting de Zaanse Schans finances the maintenance of the monumental buildings, bridges, sidewalks and gardens from the proceeds of parking fees and toilet facilities.” If you arrive by bus or train you never meet it.

Is hotel pickup included?

On some tours, and it is worth checking before you book. The private days and several of the ten-hour minibus tours collect you from your Amsterdam hotel; the coach days meet at a fixed point on the De Ruijterkade or the Oosterdoksstraat, behind Centraal Station. Every card here names its own meeting point.

Can I store luggage at the Zaanse Schans?

No. The foundation has no lockers and no other facility for luggage, which matters if you are coming straight from Schiphol or from a hotel checkout. The station at Zaandam has the nearest storage.

Is the village suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs?

Partly, and the foundation is candid about the limits. There are step-free bridges and accessible toilets, reserved parking and a wheelchair you can book at the Zaans Museum, but of all the mills only Het Jonge Schaap is wheelchair accessible. The foundation’s own accessibility page lists what works. None of the tours here is sold as wheelchair accessible.

What should I wear?

Something windproof, and shoes you do not mind on gravel and cobbles. The village sits on open polder beside a river with no shelter anywhere along the dike, so a still day in Amsterdam can be a blowy one here. The mill stairs are steep and narrow, which rules out anything with a heel.

Visitor information covers what is open when you arrive.