There’s one thing that you cannot miss about Amsterdam or the Netherlands and that is….the beautiful Dutch Windmills! Windmills and the Dutch have been working hand in hand since the 11th Century when they realised that Windmills can serve many purposes in energy generation as well as pumping of water out of the plains and back into the rivers for farming purposes. Most of them are still in operation today, and all of them are beautifully constructed and open for visitation. Here, we have compiled some of the most stunning Windmill areas to visit around Amsterdam!
De Zaanse Schans
Located in the city of Zaandam not far away from Amsterdam, De Zaanse, Schans is one of the most concentrated spots with many of these windmills aligned around the waters, and is also a very popular place for tourists to visit and take photos of these scenic and colorful windmills. It is easy to walk around without a guided tour and there are various things to do in this windmill park!
You can visit the Clog Museum to purchase your own traditional clog shoes or observe the making at the clog workshop. There's also cheese sampling at the cheese factory, Catharina Hoeve, as well as many vintage or collectible shops. You can rent a bike and cycle around De Zaanse, Schans or simply enjoy a nice stroll along the river.
Address: Schansend 1, 1509 AW Zaandam, The Netherlands
Opening Hours: Most attractions are open from 9am-5pm on most days.
The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout
While De Zaanse, Schans painted a colourful lively picture of the windmills, the windmills at Kinderdijk portrayed the essence of the past and authenticity in old Dutch Windmills. There are a total of 19 windmills stretched across in South Holland and in 1997, the UNESCO Heritage named these windmills as a protected World Heritage site!
The Kinderdijk windmills are so important as a testimony to the people’s contribution as they were built for the drainage of land for agriculture and settlement. The construction for this water drainage began in the middle ages and have continued to maintain its use today. It is definitely a sight to see these calming, beautifully preserved windmills and to get there, there are many tour companies offering bus tours to Kinderdijk. Besides admiring them from the outside, there is a small museum, a cafe and shops to visit as well!
Address: Molenkade Nederwaard 1, 2961 AS Kinderdijk, Netherlands
Opening Hours:
April - October: Monday - Sunday, 9am - 5:30pm
November - March: Monday - Sunday: 11am - 4pm
Entrance Fees:
Weekdays:
Adults: €15.50
4 - 12 Years: €5.50
Under 4: Free
Weekends:
Adults: €17.50
4 - 12 Years: €6.50
Under 4: Free
*Prices are online ticket prices as of 22 Sep 2020.
Molen de Adriaan
Molen de Adriaan is another scenic windmill that is just a 15min’s train ride away from Amsterdam, located at the beautiful city of Haarlem. This Windmill was built by the French Hugenot Adriaan Dubois in 1778, where many different owners have monopolized the mill throughout the span of history till today, for different purposes, from farming to even tobacco snuff purposes! It is definitely fascinating to learn the history behind Molen de Adriaan.
There are guided tours for visitors who are interested in learning the history and the importance of Molen de Adriaan to Haarlem, as well as a presentation of the Spaarne River. You can check out these tours over here.
Address: Papentorenvest 1A, 2011 AV Haarlem, Netherlands
Opening Hours:
1st March - 1st November: Monday - Sunday: 1pm - 5pm
1st November -1st March: Monday & Friday: 1pm - 4:30pm; Saturday & Sunday: 10:30am - 4:30pm
Entrance Fees (including guide):
Adults: €5.50
Children 5 -12 Years: €2.50
De Dikkert
And for our final pick, we have the cutest De Dikkert windmill! This stand-alone windmill used to be situated in Zaandam, at De Zaanse, Schans, but now proudly stands at Amstelveen ( which is pretty close to Amsterdam!). This windmill is not only solely for corn farming purposes, but the interior has been changed into a restaurant! This restaurant is as recognised as the mill itself, wearing a Michelin Star 2020 on its sleeve. De Jonge Dikkert is a fine dining restaurant and so be prepared to splurge a little on its delicious food!
For restaurant reservations, you can check out the link here.
Address: Amsterdamseweg 104a, 1182 HG, Amstelveen The Netherlands
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday: 12am - 3pm and 6pm - 10pm
Saturday & Sunday: 6pm - 10pm
And that’s all for this episode of these 4 lovely windmills around Amsterdam. If you have the time to venture out of Amsterdam for a little while, it is highly encouraged to spend a day trip just for the windhills to truly encapsulate its beauty and history as well as the Dutch culture.
