There are very few authentic Dutch towns remaining, so to get the experience of visiting one is definitely worth seeking out when you’re in the Netherlands. Zaanse Schans is the pinnacle of a genuine Dutch town. There are brightly colored windmills lining the river, wooden clogs, fresh cheese, and the entire city smells like chocolate. It’s a little slice of heaven!

HOW TO GET THERE:

Zaanse Schans is a perfect half day tour, I would recommend going in the late morning, before all the buses of tourists get there. While you can get a guided tour, it’s very unnecessary in my opinion. There are direct trains from Amsterdam Centraal to Zaanse Schans, It’s about 8 euros for a round trip ticket, and it takes about 25 minutes to get there. From the train station, you walk straight ahead for two blocks until you come to a split in the street, you take a left, and you’ll pass a delicious smelling cocoa factory before you come to the bridge. You’ll cross the bridge, and the town will be on your left immediately after the bridge. It’s about a 10-15 minute walk, and provides you with a beautiful view of the windmills!

While you may think I’m exaggerating about the town smelling like chocolate, it’s actually very true! There are four cocoa factories, which means there is a surprising amount of delicious chocolate in Zaanse Schans. There’s a one chocolate shop in particular that I strongly recommend, Cocoa Lab. Not only does this place have chocolate demonstrations, but you can get some of the best gelato of your life in this little town. I loved the Stracciatella personally! They also allow you to hand make your own chocolate by mixing together the different elements of cocoa, and putting it into a mold. They have an elaborate hot chocolatestation, where you get to create your own drink, which if you’re there on a windy day, is absolutely perfect to sip on as you walk down the riverfront through the windy path of windmills. There are six functional windmills in Zaanse Schans, all producing different materials, such as fabric dye, flour and spices. Getting a tour of the inner mechanics of the windmill, and getting a view from the overlooking balcony is well worth the small price of 4 euros.

Zaanse Schans is such a quintessential Dutch town due to the fact that it is one of the last places where clogs are handmade. A visit to the local clog shop is necessary, since they provide a brief cultural overview of the importance of clogs in Dutch history and tradition. Normally when I think of clogs, I think of clunky, ugly wooden shoes, which is not necessarily the case! There are some spectacular clogs, with delicate wooden details and beautifully painted designs. I tried some on and was pleasantly surprised by how nice they looked, however I still would not describe them as comfortable shoes by any means. I’m sure it takes some getting used to. There’s also a giant pair of yellow clogs outside of the shop, which provide a perfect backdrop for a photo with lush greenery and windmills. Just down the path from the clog workshop, past the museum, down this small trail is a watchtower (it’s really not as confusing to find as it sounds) that overlooks the entire town. It provides a beautiful view of the windmills, bridge, and the vast grasslands, and it’s only a few stories high, but it’s still one of the tallest structures in town.

One of my favorite things about Zaanse Schans is the cheese shop. It was one of the first places that created artisan cheese, and as a result, they have become famous and now have a giant shop with samples of all their cheese. I swear, any flavor you can think of, they have it in their cheese. Some memorable flavors were the spicy wasabi, fresh pesto, coconut, and even lavender. It was a nice snack being able to walk around the shop and try all the flavors and sauces they had available. They even have a mock demonstration in the back where you get an understanding of how cheese is made. The ladies that work there wear authentic Dutch outfits, adding to the atmosphere of stepping back in time!  

Any visit to Amsterdam, or the Netherlands should have Zaanse Schans added as a fun half day to experience what Dutch truly means. Don’t forget about taking a visit to Zandvoort for a relaxing beach day, or visiting the vibrant city of Haarlem!

The adventure continues!

Lexi