From Amsterdam To Zaanse Schans: 4 Great Ways To Travel

Zaanse Schans is one of the most popular day trips from Amsterdam. This Dutch town is well known because it has numerous windmills, is incredibly scenic and is just a short distance away from the capital city. This makes it very easy to visit in a day. But how do you get from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans? Does it require a lot of planning?

These are some of the questions that cross everyone’s mind when they reach Amsterdam and are probably one of the reasons why they hesitate to make the trip. Luckily, getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is incredibly easy.

I’m going to walk you through all the ways that you can make the trip. Yes! There are many ways. It all depends on your mode of transport and your budget

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⏰ Taking a tour to Zaanse Schans? I recommend pairing it with other places. Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans Windmills from Amsterdam is my favorite combination! 📷

Distance From Amsterdam To Zaanse Schans

The distance from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is just 20 kilometers. This means that it takes about 20 minutes to traverse across the city even during peak traffic times. Generally speaking Amsterdam has a speed limit of 30 km/hr which is why the traffic congestions don’t really change the time to destination.

If you are using the public transportation system, it helps if you are close to the Centraal station or the Dam square. If you aren’t, don’t worry. Almost all the trams and buses make a stop close by so getting there is not difficult at all.

How To Get From Amsterdam To Zaanse Schans

There are four ways in which you can get from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans easily. This is by metro, bus, car or by taking a tour. I’ll walk you through each of the options so that you can pick which one suits you best.

By Train

Take the train from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans

Getting the train is by far the easiest. Get into the Amsterdam Centraal station. Book a ticket at the counter to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans. Step in the train and get off at the requisite station. Now I would recommend buying a to and fro ticket and keeping it safe so that you don’t have to stand in line again. Just note that you need to plan a bit to catch the train at the right time.

Once you get off at the Zaandijk Zaanse Schans station, walk towards Zaanse Schans. It is little over a kilometer away.

The best part about traveling by train from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is that it works if you are connecting from other cities too. The Amsterdam Centraal station is the biggest cross of train routes in the country and makes visiting so many places a breeze.

By Bus

The bus also leaves very close to the Amsterdam Centraal station. For the journey from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans you will need to board bus no 800. Unlike the train journey, the bus drops you off 100m away from Zaans Schans so it’s just a minute or two to your destination.

By Car

So this was the option that we took. Not the most ideal for many but it worked for us because we drove down from Groningen and we were due to drive back that day. The problem when it comes to driving from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is parking. Luckily there is an easy solution but you should note that it costs.

Parking in Zaanse Schans

Parking in Zaanse Schans may seem like a nightmare but plug in directions to the Zaanse Schans museum. There is a huge parking lot here with spaces for both buses and cars.

It is a charged parking and it has a one time fee of 15 euros for the whole day. Sounds pricey but it is totally worth it because you are bound to spend 4 hours or more here. If you buy a Zaanse Schans card then the cost of parking is reduced to 9 euros which is super cool.

By Tour

So the most popular way to get from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is by tour. This is because its easy, you have a comfortable ride, there’s an accompanying guide and you can easily combine it with other trips in the area. Here are some of the best tours to Zaanse Schans.

Zaanse Schans Small Group Tour

Small group tours from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans

⭐️ Rating: 4.8/5 (637 Reviews) Price: $44 per person Duration: 3 hours 📍Meeting Point: Meet outside of the Hotel NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace. Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!

One of the easiest ways to get from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is to take a small group tour. Here you travel with a small group so it isn’t overwhelming and the group handles all the travel arrangements.

All you have to do is meet your driver in front of the Amsterdam Centraal station at the small square in front of the Saint Nicholas Church. From there you’ll be taken to Zaanse Schans and brought back to the very spot that you started at.

The tour takes over 3 hours. You’ll get to see the countryside and see the famous landscape with windmills. You will also get a chance to get inside a windmill and see how people lived and worked in them back in the day.

“This tour was well worth doing. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect but the whole thing was fantastic. Our guide (Liza I think?) Was knowledgeable, made everyone feel comfortable and was a great laugh. The windmills were incredible, stopped to watch clog making and a cheese demonstration. Such a beautiful area, its worth it even just to see the houses.”
Bethan (read more reviews now!)

You’ll also get a chance to see all the important sights in Zaanse Schans including the clog workshop and the cheese farm. It is important to note that this tour is not wheelchair accessible and it involves a lot of walking so make sure you factor that into your plans.

Book Your Tour!

⏰ Taking a tour to Zaanse Schans? I recommend pairing it with other places. Volendam, Edam and Zaanse Schans Windmills from Amsterdam is my favorite combination! 📷

Combine Zaanse Schans With Other Locations

So there are loads of tours and most of them do what the small group tour above does and combines it with other locations. I’m not going to bore you repeating the same thing over and over again. Here are some of the combinations that you should consider.

As you can see, getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is easy. There are so many ways to make the journey. What’s your ideal way to make the trip? By bus, train, car or by tour?