Giethoorn, Zaanse Schans Windmills Guided Day Trip from Amsterdam
Overview
Available languages
10 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
This tour is a must for anyone who wants to visit the two of the most popular places in Holland! Board an air-conditioned bus. In 20 minutes you will arrive at the Zaanse Schans, an open air museum absolutely worthwhile your visit. See a typical Dutch clog shop and visit a cheese factory. See the various original still working windmills and the Dutch artisans. You can glance over their shoulders while they are performing their crafts. Learn about the impressive windmill history that set off the Golden Age in the Netherlands. Next enjoy the ride through the Dutch polders, reclaimed land, to the fairytale like village of Giethoorn, also known as “the Venice of the North. Next up, a one hour guided boat tour. You will be in awe of the sights of the surroundings, ducking under picturesque bridges the captain will tell you the impressive history of the Giethoorn. You will have time explore the village on your own, on foot or by bike, You can also enjoy a delicious meal!
Additional Info
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
1-Hour Boat Cruise
Driver/guide
Tour of the cheese factory + clog factory
Live commentary on board
Gratuities
What To Expect
Zaanse Schans
See a typical Dutch clog shop and learn how and why these wooden shoes were made. Visit the cheese factory.
Giethoorn
Next stop is Giethoorn, typically referred to as ‘Venice of the North’. As cars aren’t allowed, transportation is traditionally on foot, by bike, or by boat. You can experience how the Dutch live with and on the water. Learn about the outstanding water-management techniques of the Dutch and you can see the beautiful farmhouses and the many picturesque bridges of this idyllic village with merely 2500 inhabitants. After your boat tour, you'll have time at leisure to explore Giethoorn. Stroll around centuries of history of traditional Dutch craftsmanship. Discover the unique Dutch culture with guidance and recommendations from your personal guide.
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Giethoorn, Zaanse Schans Windmills Guided Day Trip from Amsterdam
Reviews
1,040 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Exciting and fun day trip
lizam a,
Oct 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Tour guides Ibrahim and Jay handled the trip really well throughout. They were informative and shared interesting stories about the places we visited. During the long journeys, they also told fun stories and quizzes about the Netherlands to keep us entertained and never bored. I truly enjoyed the trip — it was an amazing experience and definitely worth it!
Good full day activity showcasing excellent countryside view nice people & the way heritage of Netherlands is conserved
Sanjeev307,
Oct 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Very nice value for money on a full day activity , Starts from Centraal Amsterdam at 8 AM & back by 6 PM , covering the wind mills , cheese factory , clogs factory & a diamond cutting workshop , followed by a canal tour through a village which became famous after a movie in 1958 called fanfare The village has been kept in the same condition as was depicted in movie Wonderful experience
Well planned travel… The...
BALAJI L,
Oct 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Well planned travel… The Guide Jay was Superb. Very Relaxing… Weather was bit too cold, with rains , but that’s not in Vaitor’s control.
Had a great time visiting...
Jatinder S,
Oct 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Had a great time visiting the windmills and the Geithorn village which as told is the 4 th most beautiful village in the world despite the weather as it was windy , cold with spurts of rains. Kudos to Jay who was a fantastic tour host who kept everyone engaged with his witty humour and good history knowledge of the country and great tips to make your holiday a memorable one. He even stopped the bus to get all of us to taste fresh organic apples from a local place which definitely tasted better
Jay is a very wonderful...
Ted C,
Oct 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Jay is a very wonderful tour guide, we enjoyed very much with his explanation about the history and culture , gained so much knowledge about Netherlands and Amsterdam
Giethoorn is a very good village in the northeastern Dutch province.Very good for its boat-filled village.
Mahendra B,
Oct 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Very good experience about the Boating and village round and culture.Also provide the cookies and Apple.
Awesome
Gemma T,
Oct 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It was a wonderful experience. Our tour guide even called us a few minutes before the bus leaves to see if we could make it or not.. Somebody got sick on the bus on our way back and he gave his full attention
A unique Dutch experience
Kayleigh J,
Oct 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We had an amazing time. Our guide was friendly and did everything to give us the best experience. Definitely the highlight of our trip
Different
Tour66989356099,
Oct 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00The great guide, second to none. As for the tour, in my opinion somewhat expensive, it is more recommended in spring, because the landscapes improve with the floral vegetation. Both scenarios, Giethoorn and Zaanse Schans look like a theme park and are not spectacular either. There are a couple of those typical shops, one of cheese and one of wooden shoes, with recreations of the classic production processes. We chose this tour because the offer in terms of places to visit are not very different to Amsterdam (Utrecht was the highlight beyond Amsterdam).
A+ Tour with A+ People
Andres G,
Oct 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00An Amazing Experience with Abrahim and Nicole! Our tour with Abrahim and Nicole was absolutely unforgettable! From start to finish, everything was perfectly organized and full of thoughtful touches. They even made a special stop at a local farmers market so we could pick up fresh apples and some delicious waffle cookies—such a sweet surprise! Abrahim is truly an amazing tour guide. His commentary was both informative and hilarious—never boring for a second. He kept us engaged the whole time with his great energy and sense of humor. We’ve been on other tours before, but none as entertaining and enjoyable as this one. Nicole, our driver, was spectacular. She drove so smoothly and confidently that we actually managed to take a relaxing nap on the way back—something that rarely happens on tours! We loved every minute and highly recommend this experience. Thank you, Abrahim and Nicole, for making our day so special!
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Operated by Dutchtrips