Explore the windmills around Amsterdam

Windmills are beautiful, enduring symbols of Dutch culture, and the Netherlands would be very different without them. That is why they are so celebrated, because in a country that lies largely below sea level, windmills literally helped to keep people’s feet above water. There are several historic windmills located in and around Amsterdam, and they make for a wonderful day out on your Dutch holiday.

Why Amsterdam’s windmills are worth a visit

There were once 10,000 working windmills in the Netherlands, and there are still over 1,000, maintained as museums and heritage sites. They played a vitally important role in the development of the Netherlands by draining water from the ‘polders’ – the low lying agricultural land – so that it could be farmed. As the country entered its ‘Golden Age’ in the 17th century, windmills were used in a wide range of industries, particularly shipbuilding. They were the factories of their day, producing timber, flour, paint dye and paper.

Visiting windmills in the Netherlands is great for families, especially at sites like  Zaanse Schans, Molen van Sloten and Kinderdijk, where children can get involved in all sorts of activities and learn how the mills worked. 

Did you know? At times of national mourning sails in Dutch windmills are set at the 11, 2, 5 and 8 o’clock positions. This secret windmill code was also used to warn the Jewish population of moves against them during the Nazi occupation. 

See the windmills in the springtime!

Amsterdam’s windmills at a glance

The best windmills around Amsterdam

Zaanse Schans – A windmill village filled with museums and crafts 

A popular excursion for families visiting Amsterdam is a trip to the heritage outdoor museum of Zaanse Schans, with its eight working windmills and green gabled buildings in the classic Dutch style. The museum is actually a recreation of what a typical village in the Zaan region would have looked like in the 17th and 18th century, when there were 600 windmills and the area was one of the industrial hubs of Europe. But Zaanse Schans is also a working village today, with people living in the houses and working in the bakeries and workshops. 

The historic windmills on the banks of the Zaan specialise in a variety of trades, from spice production to sawmilling, with De Kat possibly the most famous, as the last surviving paint dye mill in the world. It is free to walk around the village, but an admission fee is charged to enter the windmills.

The heritage village of Zaanse Schans

De Otter – A historic sawmill with unique architecture

Dating from 1631, ‘De Otter’ is one of the closest windmills to the city centre of Amsterdam. One of many sawmills producing cut timber for ships in the 17th century,  forming part of a busy industrial area, now it stands alone, hemmed in by modern buildings, but still a reminder of the Dutch Golden Age. It was still a working mill until the 20th century. Today it is a protected heritage site, restored to working order in the 1990s, and can be visited for a limited time one day a week. 

You can walk to De Otter, situated on the Kostverlorenvaart canal, in around 40 minutes from central Amsterdam. 

De Gooyer – The tallest wooden windmill in the Netherlands

An iconic feature of the Oost area of Amsterdam, Molen de Gooyer is 26.6 metres high, making it the tallest wooden windmill in the Netherlands. It looks quite unique on the skyline, with the windmill sitting atop a 4-storey octagonal building. While the original flour mill dates from 1609, it was rebuilt in 1725, and stood on the bastions of the walls of Amsterdam, one of 26 cornmills there at that time.  It was moved to its current location on Funenkade in 1812. During the Second World War it ground corn again as power shortages hit occupied Amsterdam. 

Although not open to the public, De Gooyer is more than worth a visit. It’s only a short walk from the city centre and has the added bonus of towering above a popular craft brewery! 

Molen de Gooyer is an impressive sight in the Oost area of Amsterdam

Molen van Sloten – A working windmill with scenic surroundings

Around a 30 minute drive from central Amsterdam and you’ll find the sleepy but pretty little suburb of Sloten. The locals are very proud of their thatched, oak polder windmill, which is still pumping away to show how the mill kept their town above water in days gone by! Visitors to the mill can see demonstrations of how a miller worked and explore Amsterdam’s relationship with water in a permanent exhibition. There are special tours for children too. 

Molen van Sloten is one of the few working windmills in the Netherlands open daily to the public, with guided tours every hour. Tickets for adults cost €8, but the windmill is included in the I amsterdam City Card, which gives free entry to over 70 museums and attractions. 

Sloten’s windmill, standing proud

Molen de Valk –  A classic Dutch tower mill with museum

Located in Leiden, a 45-minute drive from Amsterdam, De Valk (‘the Falcon’)  is a brick tower mill built in 1743. At that time it was one of 19 windmills on the city ramparts, used for grinding corn. At 29 metres De Valk is one of the tallest windmills in the country. The lower floors of the building were once home to two families and these rooms have been preserved to look exactly as they were in the early 20th century. Visitors get a fascinating insight into how the mill worked, with original millstones still in operation, and a museum on the upper floors of the old living quarters.

Molen de Valk is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, from 10am to 5pm, and Sundays from midday to 5pm (10am-5pm July to December). The entrance fee for adults is €6. 

Windmills at Kinderdijk – UNESCO World Heritage Windmill Network

Arguably the most famous collection of windmills in the world, the 19 historic windmills at Kinderdijk were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. It is rare to see so many old mills in the same location, and that is why they are culturally significant – built between 1738 and 1740, they were used to pump water out of the polder into reservoirs and the surrounding rivers. While modern technology has taken over the drainage operation, the windmills are kept in working order and two are open daily.    

The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout is a true icon of the Netherlands.  They are the furthest windmill site from Amsterdam, around an hour and a half’s drive away, but to see these beautiful machines is more than worth the trip. At the World Heritage Site you can take a boat tour past the mills, visit the 19th-century pumping station and the two museums at Nederwaard and Blokweer mills. 

The windmills of Kinderdijk at sunrise

Plan your windmill adventure around Amsterdam

Windmill-hopping itineraries

De Otter and De Gooyer windmills are both within walking distance of the city centre in Amsterdam. In fact, De Gooyer is virtually in the city centre, and you might even stumble across it on your way to the ARTIS zoo or the NEMO science museum. If you’re looking for a windmills day trip, why not head for Kinderdijk near Rotterdam, and stop off at Molen van Sloten and Molen de Valk on the way? Sloten is on the road to Leiden, and Kinderdijk is only an hour’s drive from Leiden. 

Getting there without going in circles

If you’re driving straight from the LeShuttle terminal at Calais, it’s a journey of only around 3 hours 20 minutes to the Windmills at Kinderdijk World Heritage Site.

The best time to go on a windmill tour in Amsterdam

The popular attractions at Zaanse Schans and Kinderdijk get very busy in the summertime, so visiting in the spring or early autumn is more advisable. Why not combine your windmill tour with the Netherlands Flower Route in April and May, and see all manner of Dutch delights? 

Ride like the wind to Amsterdam’s windmills with LeShuttle

If you’re planning a windmill trip to the Netherlands, LeShuttle is the best way to travel. You’ll be in Calais in just 35 minutes from Folkestone.