Amsterdam Windmill ToursThe 8 Hour Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken Bus Tour from Amsterdam
This 8 hour Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken bus tour is the longest day out on this site and the one that spends the most time standing still. Four villages, a cheese tasting at Edam, a clog demonstration, and 16,413 reviews at 4.6, from $47 after the operator's discount off $51. The half-day trips cover three of the same places in five and a half hours. What the extra two and a half hours buy is Edam and the freedom to eat lunch without checking your watch. It sits alongside the other windmill tours from Amsterdam compared here.
The Day at a Glance
8 hours, the longest itinerary on this site
De Ruijterkade 153, at the main entrance of the Aloha bowling alley
Dressed in green
Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, Marken
Coach, guide, cheese tasting, clog demonstration
4.6 from 16,413 reviews
From $47, discounted from $51
Check Dates
Live availability for the eight-hour version. It runs in English, and the same operator's shorter trips appear in the calendar if you would rather be back by three.
What Two Extra Hours Actually Get You
Time on the Ground, Not on the Road
The transfer to Zaanse Schans takes twenty minutes on this itinerary and half an hour on the way home. The rest of the eight hours is spent in the four villages, which is the arithmetic that separates this from the $34 half day.
Aditi, writing on 29 July 2026, put it in one line: "She conducted the tour on time, covering everything, and gave all information. This tour is really value for money." Rafael and Claudia are the guide names that recur in the recent reviews, along with Bea.
Pedro, travelling in a heatwave on 30 July, made the case for the pace: "Despite the hot weather, the tour was excellent and very well organized." Eight hours in July is a long day, and shade is thin at Zaanse Schans.
Edam Is the Stop the Half Days Drop
Edam is a town of about 7,000 people that gave its name to a cheese sold worldwide, and it is the quietest place on this itinerary by a distance. Cobbled streets, canals, the weighing house on the market square, and a leaning bell tower left over from a church that no longer stands.
The cheese tasting sits here rather than at a roadside farm, which is the detail that makes this version worth the extra $13 over the half day.
The Four Stops
Zaanse Schans
Twenty minutes from the meeting point. Seventeenth-century timber houses, ten historic mills, and the wooden shoe factory where the clog demonstration runs.
Windmill entry is listed as optional on this ticket, which means it is not included. Going inside one costs €7.50 for adults and €3.75 for ages 4 to 17, paid at the door. On an eight-hour day you have time for two if you want them.
- De Kat, the paint mill, opens 9:00 to 16:30
- Het Jonge Schaap, the sawmill, opens 9:30 to 16:30
- The clog demonstration and the village paths cost nothing
Edam, Volendam and Marken
Edam brings the cheese tasting and the guided walk. Volendam brings the harbour, the fish stalls and the shops. Marken closes the loop with its wooden houses and its own small harbour.
Between them the coach crosses the polders, which the guide uses to explain how the Dutch built this land out of the sea. That commentary is the part reviewers single out most often after the guides themselves.
How the Eight Hours Run
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Start
De Ruijterkade 153, Aloha bowling alley entrance
Behind Amsterdam Centraal on the waterfront. The guide wears green, which is the easiest marker on a crowded quay.
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+20 min
North to the Zaan
A short transfer with commentary on the mill economy and the Zaan region.
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Stop 1
Zaanse Schans
The windmills, the seventeenth-century houses and the clog demonstration. Mill interiors are optional and paid at the door.
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Stop 2
Edam
The medieval cheese town and the tasting: Edam and Gouda, young through aged.
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Stop 3
Volendam
The harbour, free time for lunch and the fish specialities on the quay.
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Stop 4
Marken
The wooden village and its harbour, reached across the polders.
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+30 min
Back to Amsterdam
Returns to the same meeting point on De Ruijterkade, eight hours after departure.
Practical Notes
What to Bring, and What Is Not Allowed
The operator asks for comfortable shoes and comfortable clothes, which for an eight-hour day across cobbles and dike paths is fair advice rather than boilerplate. Not suitable for wheelchair users, since the coach is not adapted.
- Bring: comfortable shoes, a rain layer, and a card for the optional mill entry
- Not allowed: pets, though assistance dogs are welcome
- Lunch is not included, and Volendam is where most of the coach eats
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, with nothing paid at booking
Whether Eight Hours Is Too Long
It depends on your appetite for coaches. The half-day versions of this route return by mid-afternoon and skip Edam. This one gives you a full day and about two hours in total on the road.
In July and August, factor in the heat: there is little shade at Zaanse Schans and the coach air conditioning is the only reliable cool spot on the itinerary. In November the mills that close for winter are shut, and the day gets dark before you are home.
Where the Day Goes
Zaanse Schans north on the Zaan, then Edam, Volendam and Marken along the old Zuiderzee shore.
Who It Suits
Book It If
This is the trip for people who resent being hurried.
- You want Edam as well as the other three villages
- You would rather have lunch properly than eat standing up
- You want time for two windmill interiors, not one
- You have a full free day and no train to catch
Not Suitable For
Eight hours is a commitment, and the operator names its own exclusion.
- Wheelchair users: the coach is not adapted
- Anyone flying out that evening, since the day runs long
- Small children who will not sit through two hours of coach
- Travellers who want a small group rather than a full bus
Questions About the Eight-Hour Bus Tour
Is windmill entry included?
No. The listing marks a ticket inside a windmill at Zaanse Schans as optional, which means you pay €7.50 for adults or €3.75 for ages 4 to 17 at the door. The clog demonstration and the cheese tasting are included.
Where does the tour leave from?
De Ruijterkade 153, at the main entrance of the Aloha bowling alley behind Amsterdam Centraal. The guide is dressed in green, which is the quickest way to find the group on a busy quay.
How is this different from the half-day tours?
It adds Edam, gives more time at each stop, and runs eight hours instead of five and a half. The half day costs $34 against $47 here and returns to Amsterdam earlier.
Is lunch included?
No. Food and drink are excluded apart from the cheese tasting. Volendam is the stop where most of the coach eats, and the fish counters on the harbour front are the fastest option.
What language does it run in?
The guide works in English and Spanish depending on the departure you book. Check which option you are buying at checkout.
Are pets allowed?
No pets on the coach, though assistance dogs are permitted.
Recent Reviews
The tour started on time. The bus was comfortable enough. Rafael, our guide, was very clear and shared a lot of knowledge. All the advertised information was provided in real life.
Our tour guide Claudia is absolute genius. She conducted the tour on time, covering everything, and gave all information. This tour is really value for money.
Bea was an excellent guide. She was knowledgeable, professional, had a great sense of humor, and I particularly enjoyed the historical and cultural comments in between seeing the sights.