We stopped here on a weekday: around noon, on a Tuesday, mid August. The place is picturesque and a must do photo stop. Unfortunately it was soooo crowded that we didn’t have a chance to go through the museum or explore many stories of each windmill .. I do recommend the visit. But if you have a chance plane it when it is not so busy (maybe early morning would do as well)…

The museum here is great — it tells the story of Dutch history and culture in such an interesting way. I visited with my family, and we had a wonderful time! The weather was sunny, which made it even more enjoyable to explore the area, learn about history, and stop for some ice cream and cheese tasting. There are also plenty of souvenir shops around. You can reach Zaanse Schans easily by taking Bus 800 from Amsterdam Centraal, which is actually closer and more convenient than the train. Highly recommended for a family trip! 🇳🇱🌤️🧀

It's a nice place to take a leisurely stroll and admire traditional windmills. The numerous ducks roam freely, and the wooden shoe shop is a sight to behold. However, paying 16 euros for the museum admission leaves you wanting more. A 5 euro budget isn't a bad deal. It's a tourist attraction similar to South Korea's Sorae Port.

A historic museum featuring the industrial side of Zaans through the last couple centuries. Super fun museum of the cookie and chocolate maker as well. If you are not using an inclusive card, such as the I Amsterdam card then I would recommend paying for the Wooden Saw mill over the other mills as they have a working saw mill with a excellently presented history. The paint mill comes a close second as you can climb up to the windmill sail level and they explain the ink production well. The ice cream available in one of the small shops was excellent for a soft serve style. Whilst there was no wait, it was busy.

Wonderful views..authentic dutch village. You get variety of cheese tasting for free. Recommended months to visit - March to May

Zaanse Schans is an incredible place to experience Dutch history and culture all in one spot — a must-visit if you're anywhere near Amsterdam! I started off at the Zaans Museum, which is a great intro to the area’s rich industrial and cultural past. You can buy an all-in-one pass there that gives you access to all the windmills, the windmill museum, and various other attractions around the park — definitely worth it. There’s so much to see and do. The walk around the park is beautiful, and you really get a feel for what life was like in the Netherlands centuries ago. You’ll find several charming restaurants, and one bakery in particular stands out — they serve these unbelievably good cinnamon apple pastries. Honestly, I could have eaten five of them, but I managed to hold back and only have one (no regrets, though). Along the way, there are lots of interesting stops — including a clock museum and plenty of little workshops and displays that show traditional crafts and trades. I learned that the idea of gathering the windmills here began over 20 years ago, and they’ve continued to expand and improve it ever since. It's clearly a labor of love and pride. One unique highlight: while walking along the path to one of the windmills, I came across a man selling fresh orange juice — perfect for a hot June day. It was cold, fresh, and incredibly refreshing. Highly recommend grabbing a bottle if you see him. Back at the Zaans Museum, they’ve got a lovely little café where I stopped for a quick espresso to recharge. I also tried their apple pie, which was surprisingly good — classic Dutch and just sweet enough. Pro tip: Get there early! The parking fills up fast, and the area gets pretty warm and busy as the day goes on. Morning is the best time to enjoy the peacefulness and take your time exploring. And yes — there are tons of souvenir opportunities if you're looking to bring something home - especially cheese wheels. They have a cheese store where you can taste the different cheeses too. Overall, Zaanse Schans was one of the highlights of my trip. A full day here is well worth it — fun, educational, and delicious all at once!

Step into the past at Zaanse Schans, a charming windmill village on the banks of the Zaan River. This open-air museum is free to enter and offers a glimpse into the golden age of the Dutch industry with working windmills, green wooden houses, craft shops, and historic trades. While entry to the village is free, note that: Some windmills and museums charge admission (tickets sold individually at each location). I believe that entry is also free with a Museum Card or I Amsterdam Card. Parking fees apply. Dogs are welcome on a leash, but I've learned that they're not allowed inside certain museums. What to Expect: A picturesque and authentic Dutch setting. Live demonstrations of traditional crafts. A glimpse into Western Europe’s first industrial zone. A popular tourist spot – it gets busy, especially midday with tour groups and families. Pro tip: Arrive early or later in the afternoon to avoid the largest crowds.

We were pleasantly impressed by this cheese farm! 🧀 The variety of cheeses is absolutely incredible — it’s hard to choose because everything looks so good! We especially loved that you can taste so many different kinds before buying — it’s both convenient and fun. Another great idea is that you can buy cheese either individually or in beautifully prepared gift sets. They look stylish and original — a perfect gift option. The cheese is truly delicious, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the farm itself leaves a wonderful impression. We’ll definitely be back! 👌✨

So many cheesy options! Cheese is everywhere. You walk through an old museum like exhibit to view how cheese was/ is made on the farms. Aside from cheese this is a fun souvenir shop as well. There are so many options for cheese gift packs. There are also multiple stations for cheese tastings. Be sure to grab an ice cream cone outside through the shop window. It's the thickest creamiest I've ever had and with a beautiful background of Windmills

The Cheese Farm Catharina Hoeve is such a charming and delightful place! We really enjoyed tasting the delicious variety of cheeses — each one was so fresh and full of flavor. The atmosphere is cozy and authentic, and watching how the cheese is made adds a special touch to the experience. Definitely a place worth visiting in Zaanse Schans!

Nice place to test variety of cheeses. But was not nice to see is lot of people just keep on tasting samples with no intention of buying or taste exploring. This is NOT a restaurant folks. They also give an workshop on how cheese is produced but you have to be on time as it is often full.

The demonstration was cool, make sure you try all the cheese options you will find some types of cheese you won’t find any where else like the coconut cheese. They have many cheese for us to try, crackers, and dipping sauce. Prices are a bit high if you decided to buy cheese. But in my opinion it is totally worth it.

Am a cheese lover so the whole experience is remarkable! Joined the explanation on how cheese is made and bought some back as well...Do not miss out the multiple cheese tasting stations too!

Beautiful place. The whole Zaanse Schans is a magical place and it's a must if you visit Amsterdam. The Cheese Farm is also great, you learn a bit of their history, can take a funny picture with the typical shoes and the cheese, and then access the cheese shop where you can taste different kinds of cheese and buy for you or for taking gifts. They have goats, sheep, ducks and swans outside, and the kids love it.

One of the best place to explore the Dutch windmills. This is a major touristic attraction. Foggy Mornings are totally different and best time to take pictures. Choco milk from of the the windmills is delicious and you must taste cheese from cheese factory too. You can also explore the wooden cloves factory. May be you can visit Zaandam also, it’s very beautiful city in just one train stop towards Amsterdam

Beautiful landscapes and nature!

Beautiful

one of the best places for a morning walk and explore the windmills

Like it so much

Windmills!

(Translated by Google) A beautiful little village with nanulas and windmills. The cheese factory is incredible. But definitely don't go on weekends and holidays. There are too many people. (Original) Divno malo seoce sa nanulama i vetrenjacama. Fabrika sireva neverovatna. Al nikako ne idite vikendom i praznikom. Previse je ljudi

Classic Dutch history featuring windmills and love of mother nature. It’s the beautifully preserved nature that’s the biggest charm of this city. The wooden houses and beautiful experience walk around and spot livestocks chilling and eating their food and cheese shops.

We really enjoyed seeing this windmill. The video of it being rebuilt is fascinating and the volunteer we spoke to was so engaging and showed us how it all works. We hope he gets to saw his fallen tree into a work bench when it's good and ready

I had the most wonderful time at this saw mill! I purchased the Zaanse Schans ticket in advance that included free visit to two windmills and I recommend you to visit this particular mill. The windmillers were helpful and I met Martijn who was just so nice in explaining how the windmill worked including the rich history behind it..totally changed the way I look at windmills in Holland afterward!

Beautiful windmill, used for sawing, the windmill mechanism enables the sawing blades to oscillate up and down, also pushing the wooden trunk as it cuts. Simply amazed to be able to see how people on the past relied on such technology and design to be effective and efficient. Need to pay to enter.

Classic Dutch vibes featuring windmills and love of mother nature. But it’s not JUST the windmills. It’s the beautifully preserved nature that’s the biggest charm of this city. You can walk around and spot livestocks chilling and eating their food. You don’t see that many automobiles if any. And just being here basically heals your soul.

Totally worth its price! Interesting and grabbing video "how it's made" can be watched at the entrance. The visiting of real and working mill a must have if you are there. Recommended to buy combined ticket to visit "Cat" mill as well.

One of the active windmills which allow visitors. This one is the sawmill. Spent like an hour here watching them load the timber, trimming & then cutting it. All with the use of the windmill. Quite a marvel. Friendly owner & staff who take time to explain the process. There is also a small museum below. Am happy I walked in. There is a small fee of 5 Euros but definitely worth it. A must do when visiting Zaanse Schans. Suitable for both kids & adults.

What makes this hotel worth visiting is its unique building and convenient location, close to the city center and the train station. I booked two deluxe twin rooms since no family rooms were available, but fortunately, I was given one junior suite and one twin room with a connecting door (a nice surprise, like a birthday gift). The room wasn't very clean, with a leak in the shower area and dust on the towels. The room rate isn't cheap, and breakfast is not included. Amenities such as toothbrushes and shower caps are not provided, but we were able to request a shower cap from the reception. And there's no bottled water available, as guests are expected to drink directly from the bathroom tap.

Great hotel in a great location outside Amsterdam that gives a perfect opportunity to explore areas close to but not in Amterdam itself. The hotel itself had good sized rooms which were very comfy. My only negative comment would be that there could be more plug sockets in the rooms. This admittedly is a minor issue.

We arrived on Friday evening and had spa access and breakfast included. We checked the room and it looked alright, but it was unpleasant to find an empty mini-fridge and to be told to drink tap water 😂. The room was cold as well, and there was no option to adjust the heating. The SPA facilities weren’t great either — the pool water was cold, and the sauna rooms were quite small, fitting only 4 people, maybe 6 at most. Breakfast was good, not too busy, and there were plenty of seats available. Overall, it’s a good location to spend some time and visit nearby attractions.

Notable hotel on the outside. Our rooms were clean and staff was helpful. We accidentally booked our room on the wrong day and they got us a room that night with an early check-in. Location of the hotel was a little farther from Amsterdam than we would’ve liked but booked in Zaandam because of the must better pricing than in the city. Hotel is right next to the train station which is super convenient.

The hotel is one of the city's icons. Price-wise, it's worth the money considering it only takes a 15-20 minute train ride to Amsterdam Centraal. There are two convenience stores around the hotel. The room space is quite good considering European standards.

great hotel!!! location is perfect for visiting amsterdam with many public transport options. wellness area was so good to have in the hotel. staff were very helpful!!! would visit again

Room was clean and nice the only thing was the shower wasn’t brilliant and we were given twin beds but that might have been our fault. The area is nice a quite. It’s a good location if you don’t mind having to take the train into Amsterdam would stay again

The food was really delicious and filling. Only the salad with the side fries seemed a bit carelessly prepared. The staff was great. Unfortunately, not all drinks listed on the menu were available. Overall, the price was reasonable. Otherwise, this place is recommended.

We stopped by for a snack and beers, the service was a bit slow considering there were almost no guests. Also when we ordered the vegetable sticks, they took the order and came only after 20 minutes to tell us that they don't have it. The waiter should tell us when ordering, right? Otherwise the snacks were really really good and beer nicely chilled. Plus people watching is a big plus 😊

We had a very nice experience this evening. The food is great and the service is good except for a bit long wait. Our server is very friendly and make it a point to update us with our orders. It was a very busy evening but the food was still great. Highly recommend for good food.

I've enjoyed a few meals here in the last few years. This visit, with my sister, we went for drinks and nibbles. We had a selection of cold snacks (kaas blokjes, proscuitto, leverworst en pickles) along with our "must have" bitterballen. Started off with fresh, ginger tea and honey then ended the afternoon off with a beer.

Very nice bar, with friendly service. Nice food and beer!

The tortilla chips seems like they bought from a supermarket and opened it and served on the table directly. Usually other restaurants would baked them with cheese, onion, and tomato sauce. We have to wait for almost 50 minutes to have our main dish. The spareribs were a bit dry. The fries seems cooked yesterday and re-heated again, not tasty. Service needs to improve.

Earlier tonight we were a few colleagues being here for a business event. Originally excited to be at a place which looks pretty nice and local, but already from the start the experience got a bit weird with a waitress who from 8:40pm said the kitchen was closing! (After she originally said it was at 9pm). Our friend was running to be there quickly but she was still very stressful, which probably made her mistook herself when she brought us alcohol free beers instead of real ones. We realized that later. She barely apologized. To be nice with her we decided to keep one of the wrong ones for one of the guests so that it's not too embarrassing for her. End of the story at the end of the restaurant the guy bringing the bill told us we shouldn't have done that or whatever it was not very polite at all and not clear at all instead of just being customer-friendly in such situation. We still wonder if they know was a service business is and that there are surrounded by tons of restaurant all around and that ourselves will never go back there. What a poor way to receive customers.

This is a gem. The best service and tasteful lunch we had. The menu has a lot of options and the portions are big. I loved the atmosphere and the interior of the shop full of orchids. Very relaxed atmosphere.

We needed a place to eat and it was pouring hard that day. Saw this place and we went inside. The interior is so nice and cozy. I bet its a favorite among natives because the inside is packed with families! I ordered soup and it wass sooo gooooddd. Price is very affordable and the food is worth to try. My friends tried the sandwich and it was also good. Crispy outside and flavorfull.

Went for late lunch. Very satisfied. I’m always happy when I can order “ordinary” things that taste great. They did not disappoint. Their grilled ham&cheese sandwich is perfect! Exactly my kind. Omelette is a great choice. And their orange juice is a must have! Like having a fresh piece or orange in your mouth. As with any place, it can be noisy when full of people. So maybe a perfect score if there were a few less people :)

This place is very nice to sit down with friends. The view of the city is very beautiful, staff are friendly and prices are great. I didn’t eat anything, but next time I go there, I will do. I saw the dishes next to me and smells very good. I recommend going there!

We stopped by at this brunch spot during our day trip to zaandam. The place is definitely bigger than it looks from outside. We were immediately seated. Everyone enjoyed their meal and the service was efficient.

Had a wonderful full English breakfast here… the food was delicious, atmosphere great and most importantly the service provided here was the best we have experience so far among the other restaurants/cafe we have visited in Holland! The attentiveness of the service provided was something we appreciated and a clear standout from the rest 🙂

Amazing little place on the canal. Food choices great and fantastic atmosphere

Great location, almost everything was delicious. Some of the service was great, but we had to wait a long time even to just ask for a menu. The cutleries were dirty and it was cold inside. Also, I asked for tap water and received bottled water which I find is a horrible practice. Just tell the customers upon ordering. We asked for different beers but we were all served the same one. We had to ask multiple times for forgotten items on our order. For the food, the tapas were good but very lazy. Why put peanuts in the board instead of all the Dutch snacks you could put? For the price it's infuriating. The cheese board was good but also lazy and need more selection for the price. It should also come with bread but we had to order some separately. The normal fries were good but needed some salt. However the parmesan and truffle fries were amazing. The fish and chips was good but needed salt too. The steak frites and the beef carpaccio sandwich were also very good.

No complaints. Staff wasn’t very interactive so I wasn’t sure if they were friendly or just tired lol. The food was good, not great but good to fill you up. Good location if you’re at Zaanse Shans. The kid liked the ravioli. Fast seating. Not busy. Fast service.

When we traveled in The Netherlands a month ago, we visited De Zaanse Schan Windmolen. Only 25 minutes from Amsterdam. During our visit, we stomped into this wonderful spot after a morning of walking and exploring windmills. The food was delicious—we had the beef carpaccio and deep-fried croquettes with a side of coleslaw. Service was rather slow. The place was almost empty and even so, we had to wait for menus, then longer for drinks and even longer to get our food. The wait was worth the wait, but still I feel an effort could be made to improve this. After a long day walking people tend to arrive starving. Every item we had was absolutely delicious. We would return and recommend. Just be patient. Definitely a must when in the area.

Ok food and service but the patio vibes and views are why you go... and because it's really the only full service restaurant. Be sure to make a reservation ahead of time for a few reasons. One, it can get busy with bus loads coming in on tours. Two, the whole town could lose power when you're about to get breakfast so that by lunch time when power is on everyone is scrambling to eat (this is what happened to us.) Most importantly, make a reservation to sit on the patio lake side, because we saw people walkin asking and those seats are only for reserve. All of the food was fine, no complaints. But the bread service! It's amazing. The best thing we ate in Amsterdam. Comes with different butters and goes nice with a gin cocktail and a views of Lakeside Windmills.

I had a wonderful experience thanks to Valerio, who made our lunch great. He was friendly, attentive, and incredibly professional throughout our visit. His recommendations were spot-on, and he made us feel genuinely welcome.

Sorry – although a very beautiful romantic restaurant the service is awful ! Waiters are slow and were not willing to serve. Very surprising for a Dutch restaurant. The food we ordered was good I must say, but the waiters were cot communicative, We were 4 people one vegetarian – we booked in advance ! After we saw the menu we decided to order just 3 dished to see and decide later – the waiter had to check if we can order. It took him 10 minutes to check. After we received the food and wanted to ordered more – he told us it was not possible. This is the first time something like that ever happened to me – The waiters actually ruined the dinner we planed.

This place would be perfect, if it wasn't for the 2, blonde, female "waitresses". The young one has a an awful attitude, whilst the older one is just not even bothered about the fact that the clients create her job. Aside from them, the place is lovely, has a delightful view, you really feel as if you are in Amsterdam. Well worth a stop. *no almond milk.

We enjoyed fantastic meals at Brasserie Roezemöes in Zaandam, including a delicious eggs, mushroom, and cheese omelet for breakfast. While the food, atmosphere by the water, and location near the Zaandam monument were excellent, the true standout was our server, Jada. She provided absolutely exceptional service knowledgeable, genuinely enthusiastic about the menu, and incredibly warm. Jada handled everything seamlessly, made perfect the drinks pairing recommendations, and even thoughtfully assisted with small details unnoticed. She has transformed our breakfast into truly memorable experiences.

Nice to have English menu. Delicious dutch pancake. Staffs are very nice and talkative. They explained the different kind of pancakes clearly.

Super delicious food, kind service and wonderful city view

Honestly it is not worth it. Bad coffee and average food. I do not know where they get it from brasserie, maybe I have another concept but come on... fast food in any case. The hamburger is not worth the 20 euros and the coffee is really really bad. Disappointing.

Lovely restaurant quiet well priced with the three course deal and with the mains you get a really good portion size, would definitely recommend the onion soup and the chef special of the day was the mixed grill the meat was falling off the bone .

Incredibly rude woman "greeted" us when we were trying to decide where to eat for the evening. We are tourists from the UK. We were asking about the menus and whether she had a paper menu that we could take away we could take away. She snatched the display menu from my husband as if he was going to steal it! Then bluntly told us is we want to see a menu we can look online. Needless to say we will not be frequenting this place. She needs lessons in customer service!

I chose this place as it was directly opposite my hotel, i was so happy! Lovely relaxing atmosphere ,classy interior, lovely staff great chef, great value , i will visit again 100%😁