Experience typically Dutch landscapes of fishing villages, windmills, and craftsmen’s shops on an award-winning small-group tour from Amsterdam. Visit restored windmills in Zaanse Schans, and walk the dikes and harbor of Volendam, a pretty port lined with bright houses and sailboats. Sample locally-make cheeses and Dutch schnapps, and enjoy time to choose a restaurant for lunch.

Award-winning small-group tour of the Dutch countryside
See picture-perfect landscapes and villages
Learn about traditional life and culture
Great overview and orientation for first-time visitors

What's Included

Groupsize max 8 persons
Cheese tasting
Dutch fruit wine
Expert guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Entry farm
entry windmill village

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Hotel pick-up and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Overhoeksplein 51, 1031 KS Amsterdam, Netherlands
We will depart in front of the entrance of the this is Holland building. A major landmark is also the ADAM tower. Food and drinks you can get in the morning at Albert Heijn around the corner at adres: Bercylaan 5, 1031 KP Amsterdam Opens at 08:00 CET.

Start time

09:15 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Zaanse Schans

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Irene Hoeve Clogs and Cheese Shop

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Monnickendam

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Volendam

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Broek in Waterland

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
Minimum age 7 years.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

LeahS_R

Experience waterland was our tour guide company and our guide Teun was excellent!!! He is very knowledgeable, great sense of humor, quite accommodating. We ended up being the only family in the tour since the other people didn't make it on time. What a plus! I definitely recommend this tour group as they are caring and treats customers like locals. See you next time.

Reviews

4.5

455 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 455 reviews

Falls short of expectations

Michael_C, Apr 2024

Pros: Timely pickup, small group, and good guide. Fishing village chosen was quaint and interesting. Cons: The windmill village is incredibly touristy and extremely crowded. We had to pay to go into the windmill, contrary to the itinerary info provided. We did not go to the cheese farm that was listed in the itinerary but instead were taken to a different location filled with tons of people. Cheese and Clog demo was 5 minutes each and useless. We NEVER went to the fruit wine tasting. I emailed the tour company for compensation for skipping this stop but they never responded. We zipped through the non-touristy fishing village which was the best part. I wouldn’t recommend this tour.

Small Group Tour

Carol_A, Apr 2024

Excellent day trip with our guide. Very knowledgeable & made the tour unique. Except for the awful weather that day, it would have been perfect. Thank you.😊

Great tour, small group, recommended..

Nelson_T, Apr 2024

The tour started on time, our guide Ali was very enthusiastic and informative. He brought us first to Zaanse Schans, with enough time to enjoy the place and take great photos. The windmills are really an awesome sight. It is good to be early before the crowd build-up. The tour includes visit to a cheese factory, a clog shoe making demo, and a fishing village. All were great experience. Highly recommended tour for visiting Amsterdam.

A worthy experience.

Jack_L, Apr 2024

Guide/ owner was terrific, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The tour is an enjoyable experience that focuses on the geography of the rural areas outside of Amsterdam and its historic culture. One gets great insight in the challenges riding water levels pose, how the country has historically met those challenges and there critical role windmills and pumps play in controlling floods.

Nice Dutch Countryside Tour

Steve_S, Mar 2024

This tour is a great way to see the Dutch countryside. Ali was so informative, friendly and entertaining. Highly recommend!

Tour guide

Lauro_D, Mar 2024

Outstanding guide and extremely professional. Very knowledgeable and speaks well. Strongly recommended

Excellent tour with Tour Guide Alie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bruce_M, Jan 2024

The best part of our tour was with Alie our Tour Guide. His knowledge of history and of the Netherlands was the highlight. The windmills were fascinating as well as the dairy farm and all that, but Alie was the highlight of the tour!

Wonderful experience just outside of Amsterdam

Karmen_B, Dec 2023

My daughter & I only had a brief visit to Amsterdam, but we definitely wanted to see the traditional windmills, etc. This small group tour outside the city was exactly what we wanted. It was a half-day experience with multiple stops to see different areas/activities (e.g., windmill/artisan village, cheese & clog making, fishing village…if you’re going in winter, bundle up, it’s quite cold.) Zaanse Schans is a et up for enjoyment & visibility by tourists, but not in a tacky way. We had a great fried fish lunch & stroopwafels in Voldendam. Apostele, our guide was knowledgeable, friendly & flexible (drove through a very cute town at the end so we could see traditional architecture.) We will certainly seek him out in the future, as we prefer small, personal tour companies. Highly recommend 👍

Excellent guide, fun & informative!

TinaMutoWong, Dec 2023

Really enjoyed Ali telling us about the history of the area. The windmills were fascinating & the cheese tasting was wonderful. Beautiful scenery, even though cloudy. Just the right amount of time in each area.

Great day out

Jeff_T, Dec 2023

Ali was a brilliant guide. The knowledge he shared with us was exceptional. As only 4 on tour were able to go and see a few extra sites which made this day really good. The fishing village he took us to away from other tourist spots was so interesting. The cheese and clog making experiences were well worth the time.

Enjoyable tour!

Maureen_S, Oct 2023

Very nice tour. Our tour guide Ali was knowledgeable and friendly. The windmills were very interesting. The sawmill was our favorite. Unfortunately, due to weather we did not see it in action, but the volunteer spent a lot of time with us and answered all our questions. We were very happy to see a milk farm and the cows being milked by state of the art machines. The cheese making part of our cheese tasting was lack luster, but the cheeses were delicious and we bought some to take home. The wooden shoe making demonstration was very interesting and the demonstrator knowledgeable and friendly. We went to a seaside town and had lunch. Our guide was spot on about where to eat. We thoroughly enjoyed our day!

A short memorable trip

Dheeraj_J, Oct 2023

Wonderful host who kept us engaged with trivia facts and hostory. Beautiful scenery and walk in the village were Highlights.

Windmills and Countryside Visits Are A Must Ser

lori_l, Oct 2023

This tour gives insight into the countryside with stops at a cheese making and clog-making shop. But by far our favorite was the visit to the windmills. Beautiful views Our guide was informative, and it was all presented in a relaxing atmosphere.

Nice tour

Jackie_W, Oct 2023

Good way to see the countryside and learn more about Holland. The wind mills were fascinating. And we learned much about dairy cows.

Fantastic guide

Karen_C, Oct 2023

We really liked getting off the beaten path and see the countryside. Loved windmill village, the cheese making and the wooden shoe making. Eddie was a fantastic guide. Lunch of fish and chips was delicious. My only complaint was it was difficult getting in and out of the van with high steps and no handle to grab on to. They need to fix that.

Fun, Entertaining, Interesting and Captivating Tour

Joni_S, Sep 2023

Ali our guide was very knowledgeable, personable, fun and engaging. I learned about cheeses, cows and their milking process and sheep and goat cheese. I learned how wooden clogs were made, how windmills were made and their various purposes. Plus about dams and dukes. Couldn’t have been better tour.

Holland Countryside

mercedes_R, Sep 2023

The windmills Our tour guide Ali was knowledgeable, funny and accommodating. The three stops were very interesting and the location of our lunch in Monickendam was awesome.

Picture-Perfect Villages

Grace_L, Sep 2023

The small group tour was exceptional. The Zaanse Schans Windmills area we visited was picturesque and lovely as was the small fishing village of Monnickendam where we enjoyed a delicious ‘fish & chips’ lunch. It was like stepping back in time! An enjoyable experience.

Dutch Ingenuity for Centuries

Reg_P, Sep 2023

I appreciated learning how clever the Dutch people are in regards to the windmills, and their ability to diversify to produce paints, peanuts, mill timber and reclaim land, very fertile land. Their nowse in developing their world-famous clogs is also amazing, as is their cheese industry - even though I am a vegan, I am still impressed by their ingenuity and business acumen.

Amazing

Katrina_M, Sep 2023

Our tour guide - G, was amazing. Fun, informative and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to see beautiful Netherlands

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