Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comZaanse Schans Windmills, Marken and Volendam Half-Day Trip from Amsterdam
based on 143 reviews
Duration: 4.5 hours (approx.)
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Product code: 2550LIN2A
143 reviews of Zaanse Schans Windmills, Marken and Volendam Half-Day Trip from Amsterdam
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Zaanse Schans Windmills, Marken and Volendam Half-Day Trip from Amsterdam. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
We loved the windmills, but because we chose to run around taking photos in the village we didn't have time to see the clog maker due to our time limit. We were not particularly fond of our guide. She spoke far too fast and I did not get the impression that she liked her job much. Overall, I really liked the windmills and the cheese so much, which is why I gave this tour 3 stars. If you like to take your time in places like this then I'd suggest going on your own or really strongly requesting more time.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States, August 2006
Booking-in at the Damrak office can be a bit hectic but the whole operation is pretty slick. Our guide was most impressive and kept up an informative and humorous dialog the whole trip. The cheese farm holds a real surprise and the goods for sale are superb. A great trip which our party of nine thoroughly enjoyed and considered a great value.
Reviewed by: Peter H, United Kingdom, August 2006
The guide had very little personality, but other than her the tour was very good. We could have used more time to see the windmills. The time at Volendam and the cheese factory was great. Nice boat ride to Marken. Marken is a neat little village but had no time there, had to go right from the boat to the bus.
Reviewed by: Michael S, United States, August 2006
Picturesque views. Our guide was fantastic. She was clear and thourogh on the the history and significance of each place. It clearly shows her mastery of the subject matter. Very impressed. Volendam is remarkable and with souvenir item prices about 50% less than that of Amsterdam. It gives you a fresh perspective of visiting Amsterdam besides the world famous Red Light district. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by: Edwin G, Philippines, August 2006
This tour includes three stops. The windmills stop is great. You get to see how huge these things are and watch a demonstration on making wooden shoes. There's plenty of time at this stop. Volendam was nothing more than a stop at a cheese shop, not interesting at all. Then we boarded a boat for Marken. The boat ride was fun. When we got off the boat, all we did was walk through town via the townspeople's back yards, etc. and then to the bus. People from our group weren't sure what we were supposed to be looking at, our tour was actually taking pictures of people in their kitchens! Very strange. There were no people dressed in native clothes as advertised and there was no time to even buy a postcard to remind you of where you'd been. This tour needs to be restructured.
Reviewed by: Gary M, United States, September 2008
The guide was very good and the boat ride between Volendam and Marken was a nice break, but overall the tour was very rushed. The double decker bus carried too many people (84) which made unloading a lengthy ordeal. We waited for four people at one stop and ended up leaving two behind anyway. There were four stops on the tour, the second stop cheese factory could have been eliminated since there is also a cheese factory at Zaanse Schans windmill village. By the way, this tour does not include entrance inside a windmill, you just get to see them from a distance. We only had 35 minutes in Volendam which was the lunch stop and 10 minutes in Marken. These two villages were both beautiful and completely different, too bad we didn't have time to take a breath.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States, September 2008
Liked the extra free time for exploring on our own on the 1 pm tour. Loved the boat ride from Maarken to Volendam. You'll stop at a windmill for a photo op and see plenty of windmills along the way on this tour without going to Zaanse Schans as on the other tours. Disliked having an unexpected late return and an extra half hour blown at the end of the day waiting around in a hot parking lot for another bus to arrive for return journey. This was apparently due to the Netherlands law about bus drivers having to take a 'mandatory half hour rest', even though the drive time from Amsterdam to Volendam was not that far. I feel that Viator could have paid more attention to this small detail. Tip: Stop for wonderful Poffertjes at the waterfront in Maarken!
Reviewed by: Beverly A, United States, August 2008
Expensive. Could have spent longer in Marken and less at the cheese factory. Marken was basically a bus stop, getting off the boat and onto the bus. And where were the locals in national dress?
Reviewed by: Michael J, United Kingdom, August 2008
Zaanse Schans windmills was ok, but Marken and Volendam, there really was nothing to see. Nothing special or interesting, we just walked around.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Australia, June 2008
The cheese farm was interesting. It would be more interesting to visit the windmills and learn a bit about them rather than visiting the clog maker - which was just a shop. I don't think the boat trip to Marken was worthwhile, as we weren't given any time to see the village properly. We almost ran through it.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Ireland, April 2008
The tour was too short. There was not enough time at the windmill stop to actually walk over to the windmills or explore the shops.
Reviewed by: Audri B, United States, April 2008
Unfortunately the weather was really bad so this made the trip less enjoyable for us.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United Kingdom, March 2008
It's a very informal tour but for me, I felt it was rushed. Not enough time spent at the windmills.
Reviewed by: Jaime D, Bermuda, October 2007
This tour felt too commercialized.
Reviewed by: Caryn L, United States, October 2007
The trip felt rushed, and I thought the tour guide and bus driver were rude. The word "Windmills" shouldn't be in this title, or should say more like "view Windmills from a distance." As for Marken and Volendam, it's a long walk from where the bus drops you off to where you get on the boat. The guide insisted that we all had to eat at this certain seafood restaurant, and kept telling us that none of the others could get our food to us in the one-hour time frame, which was not true! I may not have gotten a five-course meal, but I did get a hot sandwich and a cup of soup, with plenty of time to walk around and be the first on the boat. I would not do this tour again. If this is your first time in this part of the world, then do it. However, if you have no problem in driving in Amsterdam, rent a car instead and drive yourself.
Reviewed by: Amy P, United States, September 2007
