Day Trip to Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken from Amsterdam: Discover the Dutch Countryside

Embark on a day trip from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken. Explore the Dutch countryside, visit windmills, cheese producers, and experience the charm of historic villages.

Duration: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Zaanse Schans - Immerse yourself in the enchanting Dutch countryside with a visit to Zaanse Schans, a picturesque village where time appears to pause. Be amazed by the traditional windmills still in operation today, and capture unforgettable photos of these iconic symbols of the Netherlands. Discover how windmills significantly influenced the…
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Transfer by coach
  • 1-Hour Amsterdam canal cruise with audioguide (if option selected)
  • Tasting of local cheese and other products like cookies, fruits, wine
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Explore the Best of the Dutch Countryside: Windmills, Cheese, Fishing Villages & Optional Canal Cruise
Escape the city and immerse yourself in the stunning Dutch countryside with this memorable day trip from Amsterdam.
Begin your journey at Zaanse Schans, a historic village renowned for its iconic windmills, charming wooden houses, and traditional…

Location
De Ruijterkade 151
De Ruijterkade
Meet your tour guide at least 15 min before the departure time, at the bus stop in De Ruijterkade 151, (by the Aloha Bowling at the riverside) the bus leaves on time with no exceptions. LOOK FOR THE BLUE UMBRELLAS with our logo "Amsterdam Guides & Tours".
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(5259 Ratings)
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Alyssa_h
Sep 26, 2025
Fun tourist day trip - It was a really cool and fun experience. We saw some beautiful cities and ate good cheese. It’s a little touristy and you do move quickly through the stops but it was overall a great trip. Patricia was so nice and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Doreen
Sep 24, 2025
A Day in the Countryside - Our guide Augustine was very knowledgeable - so much interesting history. The bus driver, Jeroen (I hope the spelling is correct), was very professional - great driver. The scenery was beautiful - nice to get out of the city. Cheese tasting and wooden shoe making demonstrations!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C2311syjeanh
Sep 24, 2025
Well worth it! - Auguste and Jerome (forgive my spelling) took us on this tour yesterday. It was so worth it. We were the first ones at Zaanse Schans and that set us up for a great tour. Very informative, humorous, and friendly with lots of insights shared. This tour gave us a good overview of these locations and a bit of the history of Netherlands. We ended off with a canal cruise with Dexter which was also awesome. Well worth the cost. Kudos to Auguste, Jerome and Dexter.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rhythmhere
Sep 23, 2025
wonderful day exploring the countryside , brilliant Tour guide - We spent the most wonderful day exploring the Dutch countryside, and what truly made the experience unforgettable was our tour guide, Karl Webster. He had that perfect balance of kindness, humor, and charisma, along with just the right amount of historical detail. His ability to bring history alive was remarkable it felt as though the pages of a history book were unfolding before us. I’ve been on many tours before, but this one stood out because of Karl. Even the bus ride became enjoyable in his company. What impressed me the most was his absolute love and passion for his work a rare quality that elevated the entire experience. Kudos to Karl for making the day so special
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jacobmb5230tl
Sep 15, 2025
Excellent, Fact-Filled Tour to Multiple Sites! - My wife and I signed up to go on a day-trip tour to Zaanse-Schans, Edam, Simonehoeve, Volendam, and Marken, and we had an amazing time! Karl, our tour guide, was incredible!!! He had an awesome sense of humor, and while he never quite took himself seriously, he seriously gave an absolutely amazing tour, filled with historical facts that were both interesting and entertaining all at the same time! (“Moo!”) This tour lasted 6.5 hours, and I would highly recommend it to anyone! The bus ride was very comfortable, and our driver, Sandra, was excellent. Each stop had something new and exciting to see, and we were given ample time at each stop to see all that there was to offer. It was especially nice being the first tour bus to arrive at Zaanse-Schans before any other tourists!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krugani
Aug 20, 2025
Great way to visit multiple locations with colorful commentary from our wonderful tour guide, Xavier! - We were a family of 3, two 50+ and one 20+ and we did the Tour in English Without Cruise (because we had already done a canal cruise). This was a nice leisurely informational day trip. Our tour guide, Xavier, was wonderful! He was very knowledgeable (and funny) and pointed out sites of interest as we traveled and also gave us tips for when we stopped at each of the locations. We were able to leave items on the bus while we toured the different locations. There are lots of opportunities to purchase keepsakes/souvenirs. It’s an early start for those of us with jet lag, but you can get a coffee at the first stop,Zaanse Schans. The short rides between locations is a nice rest and refreshing AC on the bus. There is not much time at each stop, however, we found the timing to be perfectly sufficient (we walk at a good pace and don’t linger). Plenty of time to get good pictures and move on. In Edam, we were lucky to see one of the very few cheese market reenactments. There were a lot of people there that day. The town is quaint and more beautiful canals to enjoy with picturesque cafés, yummy gelato, and a museum with a floating basement (which we did not have time to check out, but spoke to a lovely resident outside with her sweet black dog who gave us a nice picture of the home she loves). Next stop was a local cheese producer, Simonehoeve (near Volendam). Xavier gave us a brief and enjoyable geography/history lesson before heading in for an informative (also brief) presentation of how they make cheese and wooden clogs. There was time left to taste more cheese and purchase souvenirs before getting back on the bus. We ate lunch at a restaurant called De Lunch. It was fast but skip the Black Angus Burger with Truffle Sauce and Parmesan for 20,50 euros. It seemed like a frozen patty and a waste of 40 euros. The fries were delicious and I enjoyed the Lekkerbek (fried haddock). Next stop was the fishing village of Marken. It was just a quick walk through the town and back on the bus. Cute harbor town and Xavier shared more history. The tour ends at A’dam. Since we did not do the cruise at the end we were going to do the swings (Lookout) but instead headed for the free ferry back to Central Station. They run constantly and easy, short ride. Overall, this was a great way to see multiple locations, enjoy the scenery and learn a bit about Dutch history. Oh, and some of the bathrooms require you to pay one euro so have some cash on hand.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B2144afcj
Aug 4, 2025
Great tour experience. - I took this tour today and would strongly recommend it for folks who want to spend a day getting out of the City and seeing some surrounding towns. I chose to go because I really wanted to see Volendam. It did not disappoint. We stopped for lunch in this wonderful harbor town, I ordered and ate the calimari at the restaurant the tour recommended. Delicious. We started at 8:15 am and we got back at about 2:45 pm. We made 5 stops along the way. 4 towns and then we visited a cheese factory that also made wooden clogs. We didn't stay long in each town, but it was the perfect amount of time. I didn't get bored in any area. Loved the cheese factory. Cheers to Tony. He was a great guide. BRAVO TONY!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christina_p
Jul 9, 2025
Beautiful neighbourhood - One of the best guides, explained the history of Dutch and also shared his experience. Very informative.
Review provided by Viator
Graeme_w
Jul 9, 2025
Informative Excursion - This was an entertaining day, a rather early start at 08.00 at the meeting point, our host (Rodrigo) was helpful and informative. However, the day (about 7 hours) is pretty much full on with 5 places to visit (including lunch in Volandam) is only really for the fit and fleet of foot. Approximately 1 hour in Zaanse Schans, Edam and Maarken, a little less at the cheese farm and a little more in Volandam (for lunch), by the time we arrived on Maarken, my disabled wife and daughter were really struggling with the pace and had to give up! I would suggest taking out one of the sites to make the trip a little more doable for the less able bodied It was still an enjoyable day and the cruise around Amsterdam canals was a nice relaxing way to finish off the day. Thank you to all involved
Review provided by Viator
Mithun_b
Aug 17, 2025
Ripped Off - This tour was very disappointing, because it didn't even happen! Ok, so as a family we knew from the minute we booked tickets to Amsterdam that we wanted to visit the Dutch countryside, from seeing the the windmills to tasting the cheese, we were eager to experience our own little Dutch fairytale. We were told to go to meet with the tour guide and the rest of the group at a restaurant, (huh?) and were assured that we would be met with a bus and tour guides. Instead, we found a group of other tourists, stranded just like us, in the cold Dutch wind waiting for the buses and blue umbrellas that never arrived. We noticed all of the orange posters around town, talking about the SAIL sailing competition, a pretty big thing around here apparently. However we didn't think much of it since it's from August 20-25. But, after 15 minutes of waiting someone from the group called the tour agency, who said that the pickup location was changed! (That to, only one person was able to get in touch with the agency) The agency claimed that they sent and e-mail and that they had to change it due to the SAIL, (except it was August 16?) but only one person got an e-mail, that was very unclear. So, we all decided to go the Amsterdam Nord station they told us to got to, but as a family, we took a Bolt, which scammed us to. But anyway, we arrived 45 mins later due to the bolt, with no blue umbrellas or busses, and no group. We also tried to call the listed number several times, but got nothing but voicemail. Although we maybe could have made it if not for the boat, it was way to much nonsense just to visit the windmills 30 minutes away.
Review provided by Viator
From $41
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).