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Plan your visit to the Zaanse Schans

You won’t need an admission ticket – you can visit the whole Zaanse Schans site all year round, free of charge. Each day, there are eleven shops, three restaurants, seven craft centers and three museums to visit for free. The remaining two craft centers, the wind mills and three of the museums can be visited for a fee. For more information about this, please take a look at the overview below.

By car

Direct your navigation to ‘SCHANSEND 7 – ZAANDAM’ (the address of the Zaanse Schans car park)

Parking Charges:
Passenger cars €15.00
Touring coaches  €35/€45/€55 (depending on the season)
The price is for the whole day (per hour payment is unfortunately not possible).
Please note: payment can only be made by debit or credit card.

Plan your route to the Zaanse Schans car park

By train

Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans station is just a 15-minute walk from the Zaanse Schans.

The train journey from Amsterdam Central Station to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans takes around 17 minutes.

You can plan your trip at 9292.nl or www.ns.nl
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Walking route from Zaandijk Zaanse Schans station to the Zaanse Schans

During your visit, you can use our digital map. If you prefer to use a printed version of the map for your visit to the Zaanse Schans, please click the link below.

Plan my trip

  • Buses from Amsterdam Central Station to the Zaanse Schans are provided by EBS. However, there are currently detours due to works in progress, so we recommend taking the train instead.

  • The Zaanse Schans is easily accessible by bicycle. Cycling on the Schans site itself is not permitted, however, as the bridges and paths are too narrow.

  • From 1 April to 1 October, a bicycle taxi operates between Zaandijk – Zaanse Schans station and the Zaanse Schans. For more information, visit: enjoybikes.nl/

  • There are no camper parking spaces available at the Zaanse Schans, but you can park at the Van Egdom site, located at Diederik Sonoyweg 9A, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. There is also another parking area for campers on Wandelweg in the village of Wormerveer.

  • Board the Windmill Hopper for a unique cruise that will take you past the iconic windmills of the Zaanse Schans! You can book your cruise at www.windmillhopper.nl/

  • Would you like to cross the water to the other bank, starting from the mills on the dike?Simply take the pedestrian ferry located next to the mill ‘De Bonte Hen’. www.voetveerzaandijk.nl

Free of charge & admission charged

To find current information about admission fees and openings hours, please click the location you would like to visit. It is not possible to visit the houses because they are occupied. You can view them from a distance, but please show consideration for the residents. You are more than welcome to come inside the other locations. Feel free to also take a look inside the shops and restaurants, which mostly feature the original wood construction and interiors typical of the Zaan region.

Places to visit, free of charge

Places to visit with an admission fee

FAQ: frequently asked questions about the Zaanse Schans

The Zaanse Schans is a beautiful historic mill village with centuries-old windmills and timber houses painted green.
It is not an outdoor museum, but a special public area, a ‘regular residential area’ in the municipality of Zaanstad.

That’s right, you can visit our village for free. There’s no entrance fee, so you don’t need a ‘Zaanse Schans ticket.’
The windmills and some museums do charge an entrance fee. Simply buy your ticket at the museums and windmills you want to visit.
Please note: parking fees do apply.

Yes, visit the windmills such as De Huisman, De Kat, De Zoeker, Het Jonge Schaap, and De Bonte Hen at the Zaanse Schans. Please note: the windmills and some museums charge an entrance fee. Simply buy your ticket at the museums and windmills you want to visit.

The houses in the Zaanse Schans are examples of authentic, historic Zaan-style timber construction. Because the homes are mostly occupied, you cannot visit them. You can view them from a distance so as not to disturb the residents, enjoy the scenery, and take a stroll back into history as you explore our windmill village. A visit to the Schans is one of the most special outings in the Netherlands.

Because it is a public area, you can visit the entire Zaanse Schans 365 days a year, free of charge. There are eleven shops, three restaurants, seven craft centers and three museums that you can visit for free every day. The remaining two craft centers, the windmills and three of the museums can be visited for a fee.

We are a residential and working neighborhood, and not a theme park or outdoor museum. For this reason, visitors can come to the village 365 days a year, including on public holidays. Please note that not all windmills and museums are open on public holidays. You can consult the interactive map for the opening hours.

Yes, there are restrooms at the main entrance and on the dike toward the mills. They are public toilets, which you pay €1.00 to use (payable by debit card or credit card only). A disabled toilet is available at the main entrance, as well as a shower and commode.

You don’t have to buy tickets to visit the Zaanse Schans – it is a public area open to everyone for free, 365 days a year. The many shops, craft centers, restaurants and nature preserve are also free to visit. Only the windmills and some museums charge an entrance fee.

Dogs are welcome on a leash at the Zaanse Schans, but not in all of the locations. For example, dogs are not allowed into some of the museums.

You can pay by cash (and debit or credit card) at almost all locations, except for the restrooms and parking, for which you can only pay by debit or credit card; cash payments are unfortunately not possible in these places.

Unfortunately, there is no ATM at the Zaanse Schans, but you can use a debit or credit card anywhere.

The lost and found is located at the information desk in the Zaans Museum (the modern building near the parking lot).

The parking fee for passenger cars is €15.00 for the whole day. Unfortunately, it is not possible to pay by the hour.
Please note: payment can only be made by debit or credit card.
Coaches are charged €35.00, €45.00 or €55.00 depending on the season.

Opening hours for each location may vary seasonally. You can find all of the opening hours on the website, but most of the locations are generally open every day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Because the Zaanse Schans dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, the paths, bridges and buildings are not always wheelchair-friendly. Nevertheless, a day out at the Zaanse Schans with a wheelchair is certainly possible. Disabled parking and restrooms are available. Wheelchairs may be reserved at the Zaans Museum if necessary.