What travellers said after these days out, in their own words, and every operator’s own rating beside it. The figures in the table below belong to the tour operators and are printed here as they publish them.
Each row is that tour’s star score and review count as its booking listing published them on 2026-09-04, with the one number a rating cannot tell you: how long the day gives you at the Zaanse Schans.
Operator ratings, as published on their own listings
| Tour | Rating | Reviews | At the Zaanse Schans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zaanse Schans Windmills, Clogs and Dutch Cheese Small-Group Tour from Amsterdam | 4.7 | 2,847 | About 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Giethoorn, Afsluitdijk, Zaanse Schans Day Tour Incl Hotel Pick Up | 4.9 | 1,939 | About 2 hours |
| Giethoorn, Zaanse Schans Windmills Guided Day Trip from Amsterdam | 4.8 | 1,153 | About 2 hours |
| Escape Amsterdam: E-Bike to Zaanse Schans Windmills & Zaandam | 4.9 | 521 | About 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Amsterdam private tour to windmills, cheese farm and villages | 5.0 | 276 | About 2 hours |
| Zaanse Schans and Volendam Private Tour – Clogs, Cheese and More | 4.9 | 255 | About 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Private Excursion to Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken | 4.8 | 441 | About 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Zaanse Schans, Lego Village, Giethoorn Day Tour Incl. Boat Cruise | 4.9 | 169 | About 2 hours |
| Amsterdam E Bike Tour to the Windmills of Zaanse Schans | 4.9 | 132 | About 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Day Trip to Zaandam Lego Village, Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn | 4.9 | 43 | About 2 hours |
| Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken Tour | 4.6 | 1,840 | About 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Amsterdam Zaanse Schans Windmills Clogs Cheese Small Group Tour | 5.0 | 9 | About 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Day Trip to Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken from Amsterdam | 4.7 | 6,329 | About 45 minutes |
| Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, "Lego-houses" and Volendam Tour | 4.9 | 333 | About 1 hour |
These are the operators’ figures, not ours. Ratings and counts move; the ones above were read on 2026-09-04.
Zaanse Schans windmill tour · 2h30 on the ground, entry included
★★★★★
The shuttle was comfortable and it was only twenty minutes out of Amsterdam. Our guide Sharon knew the area properly. The village is charming, the demonstrations were genuinely informative, and the windmills are stranger and better than we expected.
Marc_B · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
A comfortable ride and a good guide. The cheese-making and wooden-shoe presentations were more interesting than we thought they would be, and we got to climb right to the top of a windmill.
Diana_W · Verified booking · September 2026
★★★☆☆
Santiago was a great guide, full of information and enthusiasm. But this is a very touristy and overcrowded experience and nobody should book it expecting otherwise.
Tammy_T · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★☆
A good small-group way to see historic windmills, with a friendly and funny guide. Outside the mills themselves it is very touristy. The clog demonstration was fun and educational, and take a moment to look for the goats.
Karen_K · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
A very nice half-day trip. The route was timed well and our guide knew every stop and, more useful, knew how to keep us away from the big groups.
Nicole_G · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
Sharon gave us a thorough account of Dutch history and culture and a real understanding of why the village was preserved at all. Friendly, informative and engaging throughout. I would recommend this half-day to locals as much as to visitors.
Gail_M · Verified booking · September 2026
★★★★★
The tour ran like clockwork. We took it before our river cruise, which did not include the Zaanse Schans, and it fitted perfectly.
Edgardo_M · Verified booking · August 2026
★☆☆☆☆
I arrived at the pickup point to find the van empty with no driver and nobody else waiting. I went into the hotel to use the toilet and came back five minutes later to find the van gone. I asked the operator for a refund and never heard back.
Leslie_O · Verified booking · August 2026
Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn day tour · ten hours, capped at eight
★★★★★
Erik made the day come alive. It was good to have early entry to the Zaanse Schans and enjoy it before the coachloads arrived. I did not see any other tour that included the Afsluitdijk, which was worth seeing and worth hearing about.
Connie_P · Verified booking · July 2026
★★★★★
My first solo tour ever, and I was nervous. Eric was funny and knowledgeable and made the whole thing better, found us umbrellas and carried our bags. The time at each stop was enough to actually see it.
Charlye_C · Solo traveller · August 2026
★★★★★
Reinier kept us ahead of the big coaches all day so that every stop was as good as it could be. He knew the stops and a great deal else besides. A small tour against a big bus makes a real difference here.
Richard_M · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
A wonderful day out: the windmill village, the engineering of the Afsluitdijk and the fairytale village of Giethoorn. The Zaanse Schans is a bit touristy but the cheese is a must and the working mills were lovely. The canal boat was the best way to see Giethoorn.
Anonymous · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
The smaller group was definitely the right choice. Erik gave us commentary the whole way and captained our boat himself. I would advise against driving your own boat — plenty of people chose to and could not steer them.
Elizabeth_T · Verified booking · June 2026
★★★★★
A fun day for the whole family. We saw the windmills, the cheese factory and the wooden shoe shop, then had lunch and a boat ride in the village.
Janel_B · Family · July 2026
★★★★★
Seeing the clog-making process and the tools they use was genuinely impressive, and the cheese tasting had far more flavours than I expected. I would recommend going inside a working windmill to see what is actually going on.
Michael_V · Verified booking · July 2026
★★★★★
A must-do out of Amsterdam. Eric got us efficiently round the most beautiful parts of the Netherlands, and if you only see Amsterdam you are missing a great deal. This is our third time here and I wish we had done this trip sooner.
Travis_S · Repeat visitor · August 2026
★★★★★
Being picked up at our hotel meant we never had to work out how to reach a meeting point. Reinier was friendly and easy to talk to and looked after everybody. The open boat on the Giethoorn canals was our favourite part.
Sandy_M · Verified booking · June 2026
Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn day tour · coach, boat cruise included
★★★★★
Jay and Hassan went out of their way to make sure everybody enjoyed it, and we even stopped at a local fruit market to try fresh berries and apples. A highlight of the trip.
Vinessa_J · Verified booking · July 2026
★★★★☆
A good day. Our guide and driver were friendly and patient with everyone, and explained the history of both villages and several others we passed on the way.
Sining_W · Verified booking · August 2026
Bike tour to the Zaanse Schans · 40 km by e-bike, capped at ten
★★★★★
Kevin was a wonderful guide and the e-bikes made six hours of cycling genuinely enjoyable. The day balanced riding, views, breaks and explanation. We even met Marcel, a working miller.
Patrice_D · Verified booking · June 2026
★★★★★
A highlight of our time in Amsterdam. Seeing working windmills and the town of Zaandam by e-bike made it far more memorable than being driven, and the shop is well run and the bikes are in good order.
Justin_R · Verified booking · June 2026
★★★★★
An active day that is genuinely doable at any level of fitness. Gabe shared the history and the local stories as we rode. Recommended if you would rather be outside than on a coach.
Dana_B · Verified booking · May 2026
Zaanse Schans private tour · seven hours, mill entry included
★★★★★
Philip was excellent and even our teenagers stayed interested. We were taken behind the scenes in the windmills and spent the rest of the day out in the countryside.
Tara_B · Family with teenagers · March 2026
★★★★★
Recommended for a small party. The country north of Amsterdam is full of genuinely interesting things — not least why the invention of the sawmill changed the course of world history. We saw several working mills, a dairy farm and a village church.
Ron_D · Verified booking · September 2025
★★★★★
A stress-free way to see the historic windmills, the countryside, the small towns and a cheese farm on our own schedule. Teun was friendly, knowledgeable and flexible about how long we spent anywhere.
YooJin_A · Verified booking · October 2025
Zaanse Schans private tour · four to five hours, your party only
★★★★★
The flexibility was the point: we set the day around what our group actually wanted, spending as long or as little at each stop as we liked. The ride was comfortable and the commentary good.
Andy_A · Verified booking · December 2025
★★★★☆
A pleasant day out, though the clogs-and-windmills part is very touristy and reminded us of a theme park. The farm was good and the children enjoyed petting the calves, even if it is the farm attached to a cheese shop of a kind you see every hundred metres in Amsterdam.
Cindy_K · Family with young children · April 2026
Zaanse Schans private tour · one fare for the whole party
★★★★★
A perfect day of touring with Juan, who showed us the sights and gave us the history of the area. The time at the Zaanse Schans was the best of it: we got there ahead of the big coaches, which made all the difference.
Sheila_F · Verified booking · September 2024
★★★★★
Tirso accommodated our mobility difficulties with grace, made personal recommendations at every stop and built the day around what mattered to us.
Elizabeth_W · Verified booking · April 2025
★★★★★
There was a small mix-up in the operator's booking system, but once it was sorted we had a wonderful time. Henry knew a great deal about everywhere we went and was endlessly patient with my eight-year-old granddaughter.
Rolandis_H · Family with a grandchild · April 2025
Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn day tour · hotel pickup, two provinces
★★★★★
There were about seven of us, so the van was full, and it never felt rushed or cramped. Leidse was professional and attentive throughout and went out of his way for us.
Jonathan_G · Couple · November 2025
★★★★★
Our guide was efficient and well organised, planned ahead and arranged a boat for us without any fuss. He knew the people in the cheese shop, which made an easy morning of something that could have been chaotic.
Chava_W · Verified booking · August 2026
Bike tour to the Zaanse Schans · 40 km, stroopwafel included
★★★★★
The bikes suit any age group. The ride out has some city cycling in it and the way back is mostly countryside. I would have liked a little longer at the windmills, which were crowded and felt rushed.
Vicki_G · Verified booking · July 2025
★★★★★
A good combination of city and countryside, and a great many windmills. The Zaanse Schans itself was striking, and we passed two more mills out in the fields on the way back.
Anne_K · Verified booking · January 2025
★★★★★
A cold and slightly foggy day for a bike ride, and still an excellent one. History, countryside, heritage and modern architecture, with a well-informed and funny guide.
Stephan_v · Verified booking · January 2025
Zaanse Schans windmill village tour · ten hours, admission included
★★★★★
Erik took us along a quieter canal route in Giethoorn, which we appreciated given the wind and the number of people. He used to live there, and it showed.
Jennifer_G · Verified booking · June 2026
★★★★☆
A well-informed and attentive guide, a nice pace and enough time in each place for photographs. We turned up at the wrong meeting point because it had changed twenty-four hours earlier, and he came and collected us anyway.
Myriam_A · Verified booking · May 2026
Zaanse Schans day tour · eight hours, four villages by coach
★★★★★
We saw a great deal of Holland outside Amsterdam: windmills, dikes, canals, a cheese tasting and the coastal town of Marken.
Randie_S · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★☆☆
If the Zaanse Schans is the only part you care about, take public transport. We were left behind for being two minutes late at the last stop, which has never happened to me in twenty years of travelling.
Priya_P · Verified booking · July 2026
Zaanse Schans windmill tour · minibus, 2h15 at the village
★★★★★
We enjoyed our time with Elias, who was informative and made sure everybody got something out of it. The village is charming.
melissa_f · Verified booking · June 2026
Zaanse Schans day tour · four villages, 45 minutes at the mills
★★★★★
The best-value tour I have been on. Rob gave real detail and the five stops were varied. I came away understanding something about the country's history and its water management, and there were photographs everywhere.
joe_b · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★☆
Rob was excellent and I learned a great deal about Holland. It is a very full day and we were ready for a nap afterwards. The one drawback is that you only really get forty-five minutes at each place.
Lily_K · Verified booking · September 2026
★★★★☆
Fast-paced, and we saw a lot of different places. We would have liked more time at the Zaanse Schans, and did not think Marken added much.
Ragan_K · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
Six hours well spent. Our favourite parts were the windmill stop and the cheese-and-clog demonstrations, and the cheese and cookie samples were good enough that we bought some to take home.
Kris_W · Verified booking · September 2026
★★★☆☆
It was pleasant to see the countryside but the stops felt very rushed. The best part of the day was the hour-long canal cruise at the end.
Susanne_S · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
Rob was knowledgeable and friendly and the time at each stop felt about right. One tip: buy your souvenirs in Volendam, where they are considerably cheaper.
Kellie_C · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★★
The trip to the Zaanse Schans, Edam and Volendam was enjoyable and we could have skipped Marken. My only real criticism is that a double-decker coach is not built for tall or older passengers.
Kathy_H · Verified booking · August 2026
★★★★☆
The cheese factory is set up mainly to sell tourists cheese, which is fair enough. Richard made the day: his information was timely and relevant, with a decent amount of humour.
Andrew_C · Verified booking · September 2026
Zaanse Schans tour from Amsterdam · windmills, Zaandam and Volendam
★★★★★
The video guide was clear and easy to follow while we explored the windmills, the cheese factory and Volendam. The mills were fascinating and it is remarkable that they still work.
Lena_K · Verified booking · November 2025
★★★★★
A small group of ten or twelve, a comfortable clean bus, and a guide who worked in English, Spanish and Italian. The places were beautiful and we came away having learned something.
Alexandra_d · Verified booking · September 2026
Every paraphrase above comes from the booking listing of the tour it sits under. The full sets, with the dates and the replies, are on those listings. When you have read enough, Zaanse Schans Tours sets the days side by side, and compare Zaanse Schans tours sorts them by the thing the reviews keep coming back to.
Visitor information covers what is open when, and the calendar page answers the complaint that comes up most often here: which hour to arrive so the dike is not full.