Amsterdam

Giethoorn and Zaanse Schans Trip from Amsterdam with Boat Tour

Badge of ExcellenceAmsterdam, Netherlands

9 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Tick off two of Holland’s top attractions in just one day on this combo tour to Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn, with seamless round-trip transfers from central Amsterdam. Benefit from the insider knowledge of your guide as you explore the traditional windmills and historic houses of Zaanse Schans and head to the charming canal-town of Giethoorn, for a boat tour and visit to a cheese, clog, and diamond factory.

Tick off two of Holland’s most charming attractions in just one day
Round-trip transfer from central Amsterdam ensures a hassle-free trip
Delve deeper into the making of cheese, clogs, and diamonds at factories
Explore the waterways of Giethoorn on an electric boat

What's Included

Professional guide
Tour coach or van
Boat trip on a small electric boat in Giethoorn, guided and drive your own boat experience.
Guided tour in wooden shoes factory, Zaanse Schans.
Guided tour in cheese factory, Zaanse Schans.
Guided tour in diamond factory, Zaanse Schans.
Guided tour in Zaanse Schans windmill village.

Gratuities
Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Hotel NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace
Prins Hendrikkade 59-72, 1012 AD Amsterdam, Netherlands
We meet in front of NH Barbizon Hotel 5 mins in advance. Pls provide mobile contact in case we do not see you there, we call you.

Start time

09:30 AM

End point

Central Station
1012 ZZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Where exactly we drop off according to the actual traffic situation.

What To Expect

Make your own way to the meeting point in the center of Amsterdam. Meet your guide and small group and settle into your vehicle for the short journey to Zaanse Schans.

Upon arrival, explore the traditional wooden windmills and distinctive green wooden houses of Zaanse Schans while soaking up the atmosphere of an 18th/19th-century village. Visit a wooden shoe workshop to learn about the history of traditional Dutch clogs and watch a demonstration.

After free time for shopping, watch a cheese-making demonstration followed by a tasting of a wide selection of cheeses and other typical Dutch treats.

Back in the vehicle, pass IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel) on the way to Giethoorn.

In Giethoorn, experience the "Venice of the Netherlands" with a small electric boat cruise around the village. Try your hand at driving the boat to really feel like a local.

Your tour ends back at the meeting point.

Zaanse Schans

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kooijman Souvenirs & Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel) (Pass By)

Giethoorn

3 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
If you come with luggage, strollers, or bulk items, please inform tour operator Cherry Travel & Tours in advance.

If you arrive at the meeting point without notifying of your extra items, luggage, strollers, we cannot accommodate it and you cannot join the tour, you will not get refund.
Children younger than 12 years need car seats, infants need baby chair provided by you.
Cancellations within 24 hours due to failure to inform tour operator for special arrangement will not get refund.
Infant with less than 6 years old, we do not recommend this tour.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 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.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

151 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 151 reviews

Fabolous Tour

Jennifer_C, May 2024

Victoria was fabulous and had so much knowledge. I can't say enough great things about this tour. Take this tour!

Not worth the cost.

Rita_L, Apr 2024

Spent half the time driving. Cherry added little value or description to either stop. Could have done on my own for a lot less.

Best part of visiting Netherlands

Neelam_J, Apr 2024

Rory was really good polite and very helpful..just had a fun time..Day well spent..food suggestion was great.

Will be back.

Vorapin_K, Mar 2024

Cherry was excellent. 11/10. She was very attentive and kind. Will recommend to friends. The driver was also nice.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Vorapin, It was my great pleasure having you both on my tour! I am flattered to get that 11/10. ;) I enjoyed driving the small electric boat for you even in the windy weather, we enjoyed very much with the small group. We hope to welcome you back soon for different tours, we can arrange private tour for you if you have a group, seven people maximum in a minivan, or more people in minibus. As mentioned, soon will tulip season in a couple of weeks time. Pls recommend our tulip tour including Keukenhof and Delft to your friends to join us. Look forward to our next tours! Take care! Regards, Cherry

Relaxed trip

michelle_A, Jan 2024

Veronica was very knowledgeable about the places we visited - plus she drove the boat. Take warmer clothing than street clothing as the open water was colder. Plenty of time to see things at your own pace.

Great day trip

Zahra_A, Oct 2023

Great day trip, well organized ,moved on time based on schedule , comfortable mini bus, and vary nice well informed guide.

Wonderful Day Trip

Marchelle_T, Oct 2023

We had a wonderful time on this trip! Veronica was so knowledgeable and friendly. It was a small group, which was nice as well. It was amazing to see the windmills in person and to be able to spend ample time on the canals. So glad we got do this excursion. Totally worth it!

Awesome & Must Visit in Amsterdam

Geraldine_S, Sep 2023

There were just 6 pax so we went on a small mini-van which was very clean and comfy. Guide was Veronica, very patient and informative. Driver - cute chap and drove well. No visit to Amsterdam is complete without visiting these places.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Geraldine, Your review made us very happy especially José the driver that day, also a Spanish guide. We treasure each and everyone of our guests on board, showing you the best attractions in the Netherlands, in the best way we could. You were a solo traveller and they specially paid more attention to you as per the standard of Cherry Tours 'You travel alone but you are not lonely when you are on Cherry Tours'. We truly wish you more fun travels ahead! Best Regards, Cherry Tours

A nice overview of the...

Vanessa_M, Sep 2023

A nice overview of the Netherlands. Loved the experience and was a nice size group. Cherry was an excellent tour guide.

Excellent day tour

Nilesh_S, Aug 2023

It was a great fun filled experience tour guide has managed to cover all the places in limited available time.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Dear Nilesh, Thank you for your time writing a good review for Cherry Tours. Your reviews support our team to go on with our passion offering quality and personal touring experience. We look forward to welcoming you, your friends or family whenever they are near to Amsterdam! Regards, Cherry

A memorable trip to cherish…

Ayon_B, Aug 2023

Enjoyable, fun trip with family under guidance of our super guide Veronica. From windmills, green houses, cheese factory & wooden shoe factory of Zaanse schans to the boat ride and walk in the picturesque Giethoorn (the Dutch Venice); it has been a trip to remember. Peek into Netherland’s history, the marvel of Ijsselmeer and many other stories from Veronica made the long drive from Zaanse Schans to Giethoorn equally interesting. In all, a super trip with my family.

The guide was wonderful...

Anastasia_M, Jul 2023

The guide was wonderful and full of fun facts and information. Very flexible and accommodating. The town is charming and the other stops are well worth a visit. Highly recommend.

So glad we visited...

Susan_H, Jun 2023

So glad we visited Giethoorn. An absolutely stunning canal ride - beautiful thatched houses with beautiful gardens. Well worth the bus trip out of Amsterdam. Would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. A long day but so peaceful in Giethoorn. Zaanse Schans was a bit too touristy for us but if you havent seen the windmills at Kinder Dijk its an interesting stop. The clog making was informative and the cheese tasting was delicious.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Dear Susan, Thank you very much for your wonderful review. Zaanse Schans is national heritage offering all the typical Dutch elements in one place for you to experience. It is touristy as it was the first industrial area in Western Europe, its rich history and scenic sights bring a lot of tourists daily. Thanks to visitors, Zaanse Schans is well reserved. We Giethoorn tour daily from Amsterdam. We have the experience for Giethoorn since 8 years ago. We are one of the very first tour operators for Giethoorn tour. Giethoorn is unique, indescribably beautiful. Once in a lifetime experience! We hope to welcome you, your friends or family back in Amsterdam! Wish you a wonderful journey exploring the world! Best Regards, Cherry Tours

Beautiful Place to visit when you are in Amsterdam

Hakimah_S, May 2023

the whole experience is okay.. transportation is good.. except i feel that they can give more time at the first stop.. due to the place is full of tourist and i had difficulties to move faster and enjoy the whole area due to narrow walking space. For the boat trip, both are not good at handling the boat and everybody wants to try. perhaps they can add additional option so that those who want to manouver the boat through the canal can do so at their own expenses and risk.. i would have prefer to have all the boat to myself if i knew that i can rent the boat on our own ..

Response from Host, May 2023

Dear Hakimah, Thank you for your feedback. We are visiting the two top attractions and in the Netherlands we welcome more tourists every year than the inhabitants living in NL. Currently, it is the beautiful season of Spring in NL, certainly, it is crowded in the beautiful places we have been to. We offer a group tour with a fixed itinerary, time offered in each other's places is sufficient to have a good experience under our guided tour. For a tailor-made itinerary, we recommend a private tour for you. Boat trip in Giethoorn is for a good local experience driving your own electric small boat, with the group. You may rent one for yourself at extra cost, during busy days with traffic jams on the canals, you may need to pay an extra hour if you do not return the boat on time. We reserve boats daily for our groups, taking extra time, we would not ask you to pay. Of course, you have to know the route. We had an experience where some customers paid extra to navigate their own private boat and followed our boat to finish the boat trip. Giethoorn is a place for people to enjoy, including a little adventure to drive the boat. Unlike other tours putting 40 people in one big covered boat, we offer more local experience. We offer authentic experiences for our groups. Thank you again and we wish you happy travels! Best Regards, Cherry Tours

Waste of our valuable time!!!!

Claudia_B, May 2023

We were squeezed into a minivan, with three people in each row, for a long drive of close to two hours, after driving to the 1 st stop…. Which was about a hour drive! With little guidance on how long we had there, where we were to meet, etc. , the guide was constantly looking for people, Then once everyone was found, we left in the minivan to our next destination, with no water, & no stops to use a restroom until we got to our destination. The person driving was talking to us, but his microphone wasn’t working so no one could hear a thing he said. Then we bought our own lunch, after waiting for service for quite a while. We then boarded some small, boats, squeezing several of us on these uncomfortably, with no water, even though it was a very warm day!!! The woman whose tour company this was, was trying to steer the boat, but kept crashing into the side of the canal & into other boats, hurting our backs every time she crashed!! Then she told us we had free time to walk around, but we were concerned we would return very late, so stayed in the boat, we were tired & hot, & just wanted to head back…. but again she had to try to find everyone. We were dropped off at a different location & had to go into that hotel to get a cab called for us. The whole way back, the guide was talking, but no one could hear him, so we all slept while he kept talking to himself!! We were sore from being squashed three into a seat really meant for two people, & one person behind us was sick & coughing all day. We will likely all catch whatever she had. This tour was a disorganized mess, & they overbooked the two small vans, so we were all so uncomfortable, being crammed in like sardines, with no water offered to us, & no restroom breaks!!! We were all so disappointed that Viator would hire a tour group that was really terrible!!! They were awful!!!!

Response from Host, May 2023

Dear Claudia, First, we are very sorry for how you feel about the tour you have joined and took your valuable time to write. We appreciate your feedback and we take it seriously talking to our guide and trying to understand what actually happened. It would have been a different experience if you could have communicated to us on that day, we encourage our customers to communicate with us. The bright side is that you have been on a bucket-list tourist location, just to offer what we offered is like a blessing taking into account the current energy crisis and lack of personnel. We could offer a break or water to you if you wanted an extra bottle of water, please do understand in our region, toilets and water are not necessary to be available for free, unlike other regions outside of EU. We do offer for free sometimes as a compliment but not obligated. We took time to talk to each guide to see how they performed, we were concerned about our customers' satisfaction. That day, your guide offered you water on the way to Zaanse Schans. He was still speaking obviously you were not listening, he did his job well. Your guide is experienced and knowledgeable, we had some technical issue with the microphone which was not working properly that day. That day it was very busy cruising around Giethoorn canals, many people driving the boat for the first time, we are experienced Captains, these first time drivers tend to bump into us. We understand your physical condition, we are sorry that was just too busy. We offered the group to walk as we had 'traffic jam' on the canals, some people would like to walk to see more. We are on a group tour, we arranged for the group according to the actual situation. The minivans you took are European standard, seating for 9 people 3 in a row, every arrangement was legal and we did NOT overbook. A Mercedes Vito is a newly acquired this year indeed the best quality a touring company could offer for small groups travels. That day we kept looking for people because some customers were late, we care for each and everyone of our customers just like we cared for you, we could not just leave them behind, but they did cause us extra energy. The electric boat is a good experience in Giethoorn where there are no main roads, only canals. Instead of putting 40 people in one big touristy boat, we offer a real and local experience on a 'sloep'. This is what people visiting Giethoorn paying extra for but you get it from us. You mentioned someone coughing but that is something we have not control over. Appreciate you took time to write but it is quite unfair for what you are writing, it could have turned into a good experience if you could have communicated with us, or at least we could provide a mask for that coughing person. Thank you again and we wish you happy travels! Best Regards, Cherry Tours Team

Photos and Words Aren’t Adequate

RebeccaA_R, May 2023

The planned itinerary was wonderful, but our driver told us he had a surprise for us, which made this tour totally over the top! It was a beautiful day, and he was able to stop at a tulip field, where we could get out amongst the tulips and take photos. It was magical!

Giethorn, which we saw by...

Raymond_F, May 2023

Giethorn, which we saw by small boat and in foot, was charming. Also enjoyed seeing wooden shoes made and presentation on cheese-making and cheese tasting. Guide was very knowledgeable and helpful by planning bathroom breaks and lunch at a very good restaurant.

Windmills and Countryside

Judith_O, Apr 2023

The bus ride was pleasant. The windmills were awesome. The making of cheese and wooden shoes demonstrations were very informative. The restaurant we ate at had amazing food. My friends and I thought that the tour should have provided drivers for the electric boats in stead of expecting some of the tourists to navigate them.

A pricey way to see more of the countryside

gburtonedwards, Apr 2023

If you are spending a long time in Amsterdam and want to see more of the countryside, this is a reasonable way to do it. Zaanse Schans is a tourist trap but lets you learn about Dutch culture quickly. Giethoorn is quaint and hard to get to other than by bus. The tour is overpriced, though, for what you get. We had an okay time, but I wouldn't sign up for this again.

Nice tour

ThachThao_N, Apr 2023

The entire trip is wonderful. The only problem that the bus did not have a sign such as “ Cherry Travel company to Geithorn- Zaans” We have to go bus by bus to ask if this is the right bus.

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