Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
factory you'll pass on the way). In
the 1960s, houses from around the
region were transplanted here to
preserve traditional culture. Most
of the exhibits are run by quirky
locals who've found their niche in
life, and do it with gusto.
Less a coherent “museum”
(like Arnhem or Zuiderzee), and
more a hodgepodge of loosely related attractions in a pretty park
with old houses, Zaanse Schans feels less organized than the oth-
ers. And, since each attraction charges a separate entry fee (and
those that are free are either selling or promoting something), it
also feels more crassly commercial...you'll be nickel-and-dimed for
your cultural education. But it's undeniably handy, just 15 minutes
by train (plus a 15-minute walk) from downtown Amsterdam. Two
of the attractions here—the Dutch Clock Museum and the tour-
able, working windmills—are unique and genuinely interesting.
Because it's the easiest one-stop look at the Netherlands' tradi-
tional culture, Zaanse Schans can be flooded at midday by bus-
loads of tour groups—to avoid the hordes, come early or late.
Getting There:
From Amsterdam, catch a slow
train
going
towards Uitgeest (4/hr, €2.90 one-way, €4.70 day return), ride
for about 15 minutes, then hop out at Koog-Zaandijk (or “Koog
Z.”). From Alkmaar, reaching Koog-Zaandijk requires a change
in Uitgeest (see “Transportation Connections” for Alkmaar, on
previous page).
Once at the Koog-Zaandijk station, it's about a 15-minute
walk to the museum (well-marked, just follow the signs...and the
other tourists). Go through the underpass and exit straight ahead,
watching on your left for a TI machine where you can pull the
crank to get a map. Then continue straight until the road forks.
From here, follow
Zaanse Schans
signs. If the new road bridge is
finished (likely sometime in 2009), you'll turn left, then right across
the river. If the bridge isn't finished yet, you'll turn right, walk a
few more steps, then catch a free little shuttle boat across the river
(every 10 min). Either way, you'll end up at the “back entrance” to
the park, near the Clock Museum (signs to
Ned. Uurwerkmuseum
).
If
driving
from Amsterdam, take A-8 (direction: Zaanstad/
Purmerend), turn off at
Purmerend A-7,
then follow signs to
Zaanse
Schans
(parking-€6.50).
Cost:
Entry is free, but it costs a euro or two to visit each his-
torical presentation, and these costs can quickly add up. If you want
to do everything, it's simplest to spring for the €13 Zaanse Schans
Pass, which gets you into four museums (main Zaans Museum,
Noorderhuis, Dutch Clock Museum, and Bakery Museum), plus
