Zaanse Schans Cheese, Clogs & Crafts: A Guide (2026)

The windmills get the headlines, but the Zaanse Schans is just as much about what's made by hand here: wheels of Dutch cheese, carved wooden clogs, cocoa and stroopwafels, all crafted the traditional way. Here's a guide to the cheese, clogs and crafts of the village — what to taste, what to watch, and what's worth taking home.

Cheese: the farm and the tasting

At the heart of the village is the cheese farm, Catharina Hoeve, where you can watch traditional Dutch cheese being made and, best of all, taste it for free. Wheels of young and aged Gouda, plus flavoured varieties — smoked, herb, mustard, even truffle — line the shelves, and the staff hand out generous samples on little wooden picks.

Take your time and work from young to old: the young Gouda is mild and creamy, the aged versions sharper and more crystalline. If you want to bring some home, vacuum-packed wheels travel well and keep for weeks. It's one of the most enjoyable free things to do in the whole village.

Clogs: the carving workshop

Next door, the clog workshop puts on a demonstration that's far more entertaining than it sounds. A craftsman takes a raw block of poplar or willow and, using century-old machines, hollows and shapes it into a finished wooden shoe (klomp) in just a few minutes, narrating as he goes.

You'll learn why Dutch farmers wore them — warm, dry, and tough enough to protect against a stray spade — and see the painted and decorative styles on display. The demonstration is usually free to watch, and the shop sells everything from wearable clogs to tiny painted souvenirs.

“Cheese on a wooden pick, the smell of cocoa, a clog taking shape in minutes — the Zaanse Schans is a craft village, not just a windmill backdrop.”

Chocolate, cocoa and stroopwafels

The Zaan region was once the cocoa capital of the world, and you can still catch the chocolatey smell on the air. There's a chocolate workshop and shop where you can see how it's made and pick up bars and pralines. Nearby, watch fresh stroopwafels — thin waffles filled with warm caramel syrup — pressed to order, and eat one while it's still warm. It's the best snack in the village.

The mills are crafts too

It's easy to forget that the windmills themselves are working craft workshops. One grinds spices, another mills pigments for paint, another saws timber, and the famous oil mill presses seeds. You can climb inside, watch the great wooden gears turn, and buy what they make — freshly ground mustard or jars of pigment straight from the mill.

See the mills from the water

Once you've tasted and browsed your way through the village, give yourself the view it was built for. The mills line the riverbank because the river Zaan was their highway — the angle they were meant to be seen from is the water itself. A short public windmill cruise glides you past all the mills in about 25 minutes, away from the busy footpaths, with a skipper explaining what each one makes. From €9 per person, with daily departures, it's the best view of the day and a perfect way to round off your visit.

Visiting as a group, or want a relaxed hour on the river after your wander? A private boat tour gives you your own boat, skipper and guide from €127 per hour, for groups of up to around 30 — you set the pace and the route.

What to bring home

If you want souvenirs that aren't just fridge magnets, the Zaanse Schans has the real thing: vacuum-packed Gouda from the cheese farm, a pair of clogs or a hand-painted miniature, chocolate and cocoa from the workshop, a tin of stroopwafels, or a jar of freshly ground mustard from the mill. All of it is made on site or in the region, which makes it a far more meaningful keepsake than the usual tourist fare. For a full plan of the day, see our guide to a day trip from Amsterdam to the Zaanse Schans.

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