Dutch Icons - Windmills, Clogs & Cheese

Discover the Dutch countryside and explore the villages of Zaanse Shans and Edam. You’ll enjoy a scenic drive of landscapes dotted with farmhouses, windmills and grazing animals. Reaching Zaanse Schans, you’ll notice the typical windmills and particular architecture of the houses. This village is an old hamlet on the Zaan’s river banks with characteristic green wooden houses, charming gardens, historic windmills and engaging little shops. You’ll feel like you have stepped back in time. Over the centuries, more than a thousand little windmill factories flourished along the river and in the surrounding countryside.

You’ll see a demonstration of how wooden shoes are made and visit the interior of a windmill. You’ll continue to the village of Edam – famous for its cheese that has been exported around the world for centuries. But this town has more to offer than cheese alone! Edam is a city with a rich history, lovely facades, squares, bridges, attractive shopping streets and inviting outdoor cafes. Your guide will take you on a walking tour through this beautiful town, full of narrow canals, gabled canal houses and wooden lift bridges. Enjoy some free time to stroll on your own before returning to Amsterdam.