Zaanstreek and Zaanse Schans

The Landscape

The Zaanstreek region is the oldest industrial landscape in the Netherlands, where once hundreds of windmills turned their blades in unison. Steeped in history, the area features old windmills, distinctive green Zaan houses, and impressive 19th-century warehouses and factories. One of the highlights is the Zaanse Schans, a living open-air museum where the 18th and 19th centuries come to life. As you cycle through, you'll pass working windmills, artisan workshops, and traditional wooden homes. It's a vibrant slice of heritage where history, culture, and craftsmanship blend together in a charming setting.

Along the Zaan River, you cycle through charming villages with traditional green and white wooden houses, typical of this region. On narrow dike roads and over little bridges, you ride through a landscape that's both picturesque and rich in history. Combined with the open peat meadow landscape, filled with lush fields, grazing cows, ditches, peat lakes, reed beds, and marshy land, the Zaanstreek region offers the quintessential Dutch experience. Windmills, cheese, and wooden clogs, this is as Dutch as it gets.