Zaandijk, Koog aan de Zaan, Zaandam

At the Zaanse Schans in North Holland you can enjoy a full day out! It’s the place every visitor should go at least once to get a taste of old-school Dutch life. It breathes the atmosphere of the 18th and 19th centuries. The wooden houses, barns and workshops make it a one-of-a-kind village in the Netherlands. But the many windmills are the real stars of this region!

In the 18th and 19th centuries, industry was booming in the Zaan region. That was a direct result of the glorious trade during the Golden Age in the 17th century. Back then, around six hundred windmills were operating here at the same time. Zaan entrepreneurs were inventive and created all sorts of products using the industrial mills. Thanks to the Zaan invention of the crankshaft, they were even able to saw wood with the mills. Shipbuilding played a big role: in the Golden Age there were no less than 26 shipyards launching over a hundred ships per year. Wealthy mill owners and traders in the Zaan region built beautiful, colourful wooden houses with both a fancy front and back façade as a symbol of status. You’ll see loads of these houses along this route, with the stacked houses in Zaandam being the absolute highlight.

There are all kinds of old crafts to explore at the Zaanse Schans. The smell of fresh cookies will float into your nose as you pass the bakery museum. At the warehouse you can see how clogs are made, and make sure to pop into the cheese farm and the pewter foundry. From the river Zaan you get a stunning view of the unique row of windmills lined up next to each other. And it’s not just here — as you cycle on towards Koog aan de Zaan and Zaandam, you’ll spot even more windmills!

Enjoy this nostalgic cycling route through cultural heritage. The houses at the Zaanse Schans are still lived in, and the residents really appreciate it if you can keep that in mind.