Giethoorn & Zaanse Schans Windmills Day Tour from Amsterdam

Giethoorn, the village without roads

Giethoorn lies in the province of Overijssel, about one hour and 45 minutes north-east of Amsterdam, on the edge of the Weerribben-Wieden National Park. Settlers arrived around 1230 and, according to local tradition, found piles of wild goat horns left by a great flood, which gave the village its name. Over the centuries peat cutters dug the land away, leaving a maze of ditches, canals and lakes.

Farmers used flat-bottomed punts to move peat, hay and even cattle, and the old village centre still has no streets: farmhouses with tall thatched roofs sit on small islands joined by arched wooden footbridges. Is Giethoorn worth visiting? Yes, especially for travellers who want to see a quieter, greener Netherlands. The best time to visit Giethoorn is from April to September, when gardens are in bloom, though winter mist on the water has its own charm.

Giethoorn canal cruise and free time

The included canal cruise takes you along the narrow Dorpsgracht and out towards the open water of the surrounding lakes, gliding under bridges and past gardens that come right down to the water's edge. Your guide's commentary explains how families lived and worked here, how houses were reached only by boat, and how the village became one of the most photographed places in the country.

After the cruise you have free time to cross footbridges, follow the canal paths and look inside small craft shops and museums. Canal-side restaurants serve lunch, paid separately, and a pancake or a slice of Dutch apple cake makes a pleasant break. Giethoorn becomes busy around midday in summer, so an early arrival from Amsterdam gives you calmer canals and better light for photographs.

Cheese factory and clog-making demonstration

On the way back towards Amsterdam the tour includes a guided visit to a cheese factory. You see how fresh milk is curdled, cut, pressed into moulds and soaked in brine, then left on wooden shelves to mature for weeks or years. The guide explains the difference between young, mature and old cheese and the traditional markets where farmers once traded their wheels.

Next comes a clog-making demonstration. A craftsman shows how a block of poplar is shaped into a wooden shoe on a copying lathe, a job once done entirely by hand with chisels and knives. Clogs were the practical footwear of the wet Dutch landscape, warm in winter and safe on the farm, and painted versions were given as engagement gifts. Both visits end at shops where you can buy cheese and souvenirs.

Zaanse Schans windmills

The last stop is Zaanse Schans, an open-air village on the river Zaan just north of Amsterdam. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Zaan region was packed with hundreds of windmills that sawed timber, pressed oil and ground spices and paint pigments, making it one of the first industrial areas in Europe. From 1961, historic houses, warehouses and mills were moved here to preserve them.

Walk along the dyke for the classic view of the mills turning against the sky, cross the little bridges and peek into workshops and the green wooden houses with their white gables. Entry inside the windmills is not included and can be paid on site. Many travellers looking for a Zaanse Schans windmills tour combine it with a second destination, and this route pairs it perfectly with Giethoorn in one day.