Twenty minutes from Amsterdam, you meet windmills from the 17th century. The city crowds fall behind, replaced by canals, wooden houses and wind. We set aside one day from the city tour for nearby villages. All are close to one another, and all are completely different.
What is there to do in Zaanse Schans?
Zaanse Schans is like an open-air museum where you can travel back in time. It keeps its culture alive with historic windmills, wooden houses, cheese workshops and workshops where famous Dutch clogs are made. You can walk beside the windmills, watch the views along the canals and look into the cheese and clog workshops. It is 20 minutes from Amsterdam.
What makes Edam special?
About 20 km north of Amsterdam, Edam is a fairy-tale town with narrow canals, wooden bridges and its world-famous cheese wrapped in red wax. Walking here, time slows down and every street looks like a postcard.
What is Volendam like?
Volendam is one of the most colourful fishing villages in the Netherlands, with narrow streets, bright houses, fresh seafood and traditional clothing. It is about 20 km from Amsterdam, yet it feels like another world.
And Monnickendam?
Half an hour from Amsterdam, Monnickendam is a quiet town of historic houses, a harbour and canals, with a peaceful lakeside atmosphere that is ideal for escaping the city crowds.
Tips for small villages
Respect the privacy of people who live in the houses, walk carefully along canal edges and stay out of the cycle lanes, which are busy in the Netherlands. If you tour the region by motorcycle, remember that pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles share narrow roads along canals, so keep your speed low.
Our Amsterdam city guide covers the museums and cafés, and our Belgium posts continue the canal-and-history theme. For long walking days, Rider Healthcare makes a light bamboo sock, and Galata Healthcare offers an electrolyte and vitamin sachet. Educated Moto Riders organises trips and motorcycle tours for those who prefer a group.
Read the full story in Turkish with photos and videos: Amsterdam’dan Günübirlik: Zaanse Schans ve Volendam.