The quick overview

Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans is a historic village with a collection of 18th century industrial windmills and wooden houses, presented in an open-air museum style, thus allowing visitors to immerse into the industrial era of the area. The Zaan area once had over 600 windmills – oil mills, paint mills and saw mills – operating simultaneously at a time. The windmills and wooden houses in the Zaan area were then relocated to Zaanse Schans in an effort for preservation and conservation.

In addition, there is a wooden clog workshop and demonstration, a cheese shop, a spice shop as well as souvenir shops and museums in traditional wooden houses.

Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for its historical and educational values in water management of the area. And because Kinderdijk is largely low-lying land that is up to 4-metre below sea level, water management to prevent flooding had been essential. The windmills here were built mostly in the 18th century to help support the water management function, and it is also here where the 19 preserved windmills represent the highest concentration of windmills in the country.

There are 2 mills now open to visitors – the oldest Blokweer Mill, as well as the Nederwaard Mill. In addition, there is a visitor centre, the decommissioned Wisboom Pumping Station, a Kinderdijk history video and a boat ride, all included within your Kinderdijk ticket.

Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk? 

Because both have got their own selling points and their own set of drawbacks, it is not an easy question to answer for sure. My answer in short, as cliche as it is, is that it depends on what you value more. But I’ll try to help lead you to your answer.

1. Windmill functions

Firstly, let’s start with the main attraction – the windmills. The windmills in Zaanse Schans and Kinderdijk perform entirely different functions. While those in Zaanse Schans were meant for industrial purposes, Kinderdijk’s were used for water management to prevent flooding of low-lying areas.

Therefore, expect a bit more variety in the mills when it comes to Zaanse Schans. There are saw mills, a paint mill as well as an oil mill. If they are all open, you might even want to pay for an extra mill visit for €7.50 (only 2 mill visits are included in the Zaanse Schans ticket) to see all of them. You can then observe how the windmills are used to saw timber, grind nuts to produce peanut oil, and/or grind chalk for paint.

On the other hand, the mills at Kinderdijk are very focused in preventing floods. So if they are in action, you can observe how the wind is used to scoop water from lower land to higher land.

Verdict

So if you’d like to see a bit more variety, a bit more action, Zaanse Schans wins this. I think the work that the windmills at Zaanse Schans do are more spectacular to the eyes and will be able to keep children’s interest up.

2. Things to do

At Zaanse Schans, you not only get to visit the mills, but you also get to witness a wooden clog making demonstration, sample cheese, experience industrial workshops and visit a couple of museums. Therefore, a single ticket here allows you to experience much more and understand the Dutch industrial era. This is great especially if you don’t have much time in Amsterdam but want to maximise your experience. It is also very suitable for family-oriented visitors with much more to keep the interest of children.

On the other hand at Kinderdijk, the visit is very much focused on its history and heritage of water management. The mills, Wisboom Pumping station as well as the introductory video provides a very cohesive and comprehensive coverage of its water management function. It is however, lacking in the variety that Zaanse Schans offers.

Verdict

This is an easy win for Zaanse Schans, because of its huge variety of activities on offer. Therefore Zaanse Schans is perfect for a visitor who’d like to cover more than just windmills all in one place.

3. Authenticity

If you are really big about experiencing authenticity, then it may be important for you to know that the windmills at Kinderdijk are in their original positions. In fact, Kinderdijk is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its history in water management. The windmills in Kinderdijk have been built exactly to perform that function in the past, and all 19 windmills you see were their originals (even if they have been rebuilt or restored).

On the other hand, Zaanse Schans was intentionally built as a preservation and conservation project. Many of the wooden houses, windmills and other structures had been relocated from the Zaan area to Zaanse Schans to protect them from demolition. This then led to Zaanse Schans being an open-air museum and a recreated industrial village. In fact, only two of the windmills were originally in their locations.

Verdict

So while Zaanse Schans’ houses and windmills were relocated there from the Zaan area, those at Kinderdijk are original. Therefore, Kinderdijk wins on the authenticity side. The UNESCO World Heritage status further affirms this.

4. Tourism and crowding

Especially during the peak of travels during the Easter period and summer holidays, Zaanse Schans can get extremely busy and crowded. And particularly in the windmills when space is limited, the number of visitors can get somewhat uncomfortable and perhaps intimidating. Therefore Zaanse Schans is obviously the more touristy of the two. The ticket prices evidently shows that as well. In 2010, a Zaanse Schans ticket and ticket to an individual mill cost €9.50 and €1.50 respectively. But that is presently at €29.50 and €7.50.

I visited Zaanse Schans during the Easter of 2019 and it was extremely packed with people. But when I visited Kinderdijk during the Easter of 2026, crowd levels were still pretty manageable. It got only somewhat tight in space in the enclosed areas such as the windmills, souvenir shop and cafe. There was a line outside the windmills due to the limited space inside but it didn’t take very long to clear.

Verdict

So, Kinderdijk has to win on this.

5. Travel time and convenience

The diagram below shows the locations and distances of Zaanse Schans and Kinderdijk, relative to the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. You can see that while Zaanse Schans is closer to Amsterdam, Kinderdijk is closer to Rotterdam. Therefore the travel time to either of Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk hugely depends on where you will be located.

To Zaanse Schans

From the Amsterdam Centraal bus station, you can get to Zaanse Schans by an easy 25-minute journey on bus service 800.

But if you are travelling from Rotterdam, you’ll need to add another hour in order to get you to Amsterdam Central station to catch the bus 800. Alternatively, you can also get the train from Rotterdam to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans station. Either way, that is going to take you around 2 hours at least.

To Kinderdijk

On the other hand, you can reach Kinderdijk from the Erasmusbrug ferry terminal in Rotterdam by a 35-minute Water Shuttle service.

But if you are travelling from Amsterdam, this travel time to Kinderdijk increases significantly to at least 2 hours. That is because, you’ll need to first get to Rotterdam, before taking the metro to catch either bus 489 or the Water Shuttle departing from Erasmusbrug ferry terminal. There is a lot of time-planning required because the Water shuttle only departs every 70 minutes.

Verdict

Since the ease of travel and the travel time to get to Zaanse Schans and/or Kinderdijk are greatly dependent on where you are, this is a tie for both. I have to say though, that it is slightly easier getting to Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam by the bus, compared to getting to Kinderdijk from Rotterdam by the Water Shuttle. That is because of the planning involved to ensure you catch the infrequent Water Shuttle.

But overall, if you are in Amsterdam, it’s easier and quicker to get to Zaanse Schans. And if you are in Rotterdam, then it’s easier and quicker to get to Kinderdijk.

6. Costs

The Zaanse Schans ticket together with the bus 800 from Amsterdam Centraal bus station costs a total of €39 (specifically €29.50 for the Zaanse Schans ticket and €9.50 return ticket on bus 800). But if you have the I Amsterdam City Card, the €29.50 Zaanse Schans ticket is fully covered.

The cheapest option for the Kinderdijk ticket together with a return trip on the Water Shuttle from Erasmusbrug ferry terminal in Rotterdam is the combination ticket (€32.50). It is also the cheapest option even if you have the Rotterdam City Card.

Verdict

Including transport, Zaanse Schans is slightly more expensive at €39 as opposed to €32.50 for Kinderdijk. This is assuming that you are within walking distance to Amsterdam Centraal bus station or the Erasmusbrug ferry terminal where the bus and Water Shuttle depart.

On the other hand, the Zaanse Schans ticket is covered by the I Amsterdam City Card.

Because of this, the cheaper option depends on your location and whether or not you have the I Amsterdam City Card. So I’ll consider this a tie.

Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk: Conclusion

As you may be able to tell by now, the choice of Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk is not an easy one because they both have got their own pros and cons. It very much depends on what your interests are, where you are located and what you prioritise as important to you.

In a quick glance, I’d choose between Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk accordingly as below:

Visit Zaanse Schans if you…

Visit Kinderdijk if you…

On the whole, I’d generally advise first time visitors to the Netherlands to go for Zaanse Schans. That’s mainly because you are likely to be spending time in Amsterdam, for which Zaanse Schans will be nearer and easier to reach. Also, Zaanse Schans gives you a more all-round experience relating to the industrial culture of the country – from cheese tasting, to wooden clog demonstrations and learning about other traditional crafts (if open). It is also more interactive and likely to be more interesting for children.

But if you are looking for authenticity, untouched landscapes, romantic atmosphere and amazing photography opportunities with less crowds, Kinderdijk may likely suit you better. Furthermore, it tells a very cohesive story and history about its water management evolution in the area and is great for history lovers.

Nevertheless, whether it is Zaanse Schans or Kinderdijk, you will definitely be treated to a good half or full day out. Going for one of them on your Netherlands itinerary is surely a must!

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