Half Day Bus Tour to Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Marken Incl. Boat
This Dutch Countryside and Windmills Tour will take you from Amsterdam to the villages of Zaanse Schans, Volendam and to the former island of Marken; the order of tour can change.
The peaceful villages of Zaanse Schans, Marken and Volendam are only a short drive from the city centre. There you’ll be able to enjoy the tranquillity of the area and immerse yourself in the old way of life as you admire the colourful Dutch windmills.
When you get outside the Dutch capital you enter a different world, with most of the small towns surrounding the city appearing like open-air museums. A visit to Zaanse Schans means you can get your fill of historical windmills. Over ten windmills line the banks of the Zaan river and the area around them is free for you to wonder around in as it really is an open-air museum. You can enter some of the windmills at a small extra charge. Zaanse Schans is one of the best places to see windmills in Holland.
Volendam is a typical Dutch fishing village and taking a walk along De Dijk and through the harbour area will not disappoint. Here you will visit the Cheese Factory to learn more about how the Dutch make cheese and have a little taste as well. Another stop along the tour is Woltjes Backerij, where you will step back in time to the 19th century to see how people lived then and how they made stroopwafels. If you are staying in town for lunch, we recommend the freshly caught fish.
The third location visited on the tour is the village of Marken, a former island in the Markermeer, now a peninsula. You'll travel between Marken and Volendam by boat, with a scenic, 30 minutes trip across the IJsselmeer. Enjoy the view as you sail past the towns of Monnickendam and Katwoude.
When you walk among the houses on Marken, be careful to stay on the road because before you know it you're in someone's garden. A visit to a traditional clog, or wooden shoe, maker completes our tour. Here clogs are still made according to a 100-year-old tradition with steam powered tools. They are surprisingly comfortable as you will be able to try for yourself.
During this tour you will discover a world unlike any other, an experience that is sure to be cherished by adults and kids alike. Take a break from the commotion of the city and unwind as you visit one of the Netherlands’ best-kept secrets.
The Amsterdam countryside is waiting to welcome and introduce you to a completely other side of the Netherlands compared to its bustling capital city.
- An up-close look at the windmills of Zaanse Schans
- Including a guided cheese factory tour, Learn how cheese is made at the Cheese Factory Volendam
- Including a guided caramel waffle bakery tour, Taste a truly Dutch cookie at Woltje's stroopwafel bakery
- Including a guided wooden shoes factory tour, See how wooden shoes are made with an antique steam engine
- Including a half hour boat cruise from Volendam to Marken, sail across the IJsselmeer!
- Visit an authentic Marker home from the 1940s
- Visit a windmill still in operation
- The traditional Dutch experience in Volendam & Marken
- See how cheese, and stroopwafels are made
- Live guide
- Audio guide on the bus with 16 languages and free earphones
- Daily Departure
- Duration: Around 5.5-6 hours
- Departure from Amsterdam Central Station
- Touring Bus Tour
Instruction of Booking This Tour
- This tour departures twice per day.
- Please write down your Travel Date.
- Please write down your correct contact number and email address at the order page. The address is used for your invoice only.
- After your payment, we will send you e-ticket(s) and confirmation guideline by email within few minutes (sometimes it might take longer).
- Please check your tour date, time and departure address on your e-ticket(s) .
- If your chosen date is not available (Sold out), we will contact you by phone or email for an alternative date. Or we will cancel your order and refund your payment.
Instruction of Using Tickets
- Present your e-ticket(s) at the meeting point of Amsterdam Central Station, simply show it from your smart phone.
- You don't need to wait in the queue.
- No need to print out the ticket(s).
- Please arrive and check in 15-30 minutes before the tour depature time.
- Please be present on time, touring bus departures on schedule. The bus doesn't wait.
Tour Departure Place: Amsterdam Central Station
Meeting Point Address: IJ-Passage, De Ruijterkade 34a
Tour Depature Time:
8:45 & 15:00 (Daily departure from March 21 to October 22)
9:15 & 14:45 (Daily departure from October 23 to March 20)
- 8.45 - 9.15 / 14.45 - 15.15 Depature and travel to Zaanse Schans
- 9.15 - 10.30 / 15.15 - 16.30 Zaanse Schans, Visit a windmill
- 10.30 - 11.00 / 16.30 - 17.00 Travel to Volendam
- 11.00 - 13.00 / 17.00 - 19.00 Volendam, cheese factory, stroopwafel bakery
- 13.00 - 13.30 / 19.00 - 19.30 Boat Cruise to Marken
- 13.30 - 14.30 / 19.30 - 20.30 Marken, wooden shoes factory, Marker home
- 14.30 - 15.00 / 20.30 - 21.00 Travel back to Amsterdam
Note: The time schedule might be slightly different depending on real traffic situation on the tour date
- Adult: 13+ years old
- Child: 4-12 years old
- This ticket is non-refundable and non-changeable