My friend and I (both ladies in our mid-sixties)Will be spending one full day in Amsterdam between two flights and I would like to know the closest and easiest way to see a working windmill.Someone suggested a halfday tour out of Amsterdam ? Any ideas. We will be there in mid-October of this year...
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
You can go to Zaanse Schans Museum and Park. It's a 34-min train ride out of Amsterdam Centraal. It is a neat place to visit, worth a 4-5 hour stay. You don't need a tour for that. If you are going there from the airport, you don't need to go to Amsterdam Centraal. They are working just for display though. The real practical work is done by electric pumps or mechanic machines.
Posted by
2081 posts
hi, thats one of the things i noticed when i was there. but i did see one in the distance on one of my walks. Dont know if it was operational or not. on one of my other trips, i will have to make a point of visiting a working one if possible. happy trails.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
The windmills are working and functional. It is just that they are just hauling water for showcase. The windmills at Zaanse Schans were transported there (check extensive info here http://www.zaanseschans.nl/) If you want to visit a collection of old windmills on their original sites, visit Kinderdijk instead (www.kinderdijk.nl)