What to do on a Day Trip to the Kinderdijk Windmills
Updated: Oct 5
Are you planning for a day trip to the Kinderdijk Windmills? This 300-year old Windmill village is not only known for its picturesque beauty, but also for its history which made it a UNESCO world heritage site.
I had already visited Zaanse Schans twice before, and had witnessed the beauty of Dutch windmills. So when my husband asked me whether I would like to visit Kinderdijk, I immediately said yes. By car, it is just 45 mins away from The Hague, which is where we live.
I completely enjoyed my day trip to Kinderdijk, we strolled through the pathway with tall grass, canals and windmills surrounding us on either side. The fresh air of this place accompanied us throughout. If you are a fan of Dutch windmills, history, and serene places, I am sure you will love it too!
This article is all you need for your next day trip to Kinderdijk. In here, I will cover the history of this Dutch village, how to reach Kinderdijk from Amsterdam or other places, what to do in Kinderdijk, and other useful information.
What is the History behind Kinderdijk and the windmills?
Before there were windmills in Kinderdijk, it used to be a peat bog a thousand years ago. Which means that there was water everywhere with grasses growing out of the fertile land. Due to the water levels, it was not so easy to live there. However this did not stop the Dutch farmers, who started building dykes to keep the water out.
Over time, the flooding got worse. This is when the water management system became more sophisticated, and windmills were established in 1738-1740. It was an ingenious innovation which rapidly improved the water drainage speed, and led to much improved settlement conditions in this village.
Later, steam-powered and then diesel-powered pumping stations started replacing the windmills. Despite this, the original windmills still exist and function in place to act as backups. In fact, it was what the Dutch government used during WWII when Diesel supply was blocked by the Germans.
Fun Fact: Families still live in many of the mills. They carry out day-to-day maintenance and keep their traditions alive for future generations.
How to get Tickets to Kinderdijk?
There are in total 19 windmills in Kinderdijk, and it is free to walk or cycle here across the open area. However you do need a ticket if you want entry to the museum mills, the multiscreen film, the boat tour, and audio guides via the Kinderdijk app. I would definitely recommend taking this ticket, as you will learn more about the history of this place.
Online Tickets have a 10% discount and cost €19 for adults and €8 for children ages 4-12. You can buy tickets from here.
You can also book a guided day trip from Amsterdam which not only includes a trip to Kinderdijk by boat, but also a visit to the Royal Delft factory to pick blue-and-white pottery. Delft is an equally beautiful city in Netherlands should you choose to visit, I have written more about it here.
You also have the option to book tickets once you reach Kinderdijk. There is a ticket office right at the entrance after the parking lot, it is hard to miss. However it is costlier than online tickets. It costs €21 for adults and €9 for children.
How to plan a day trip to Kinderdijk
By Public Transport - Kinderdijk is accessible from Amsterdam via Rotterdam and Utrecht.
Take the NS train to Rotterdam CS; from there, take the metro to Rotterdam Zuidplein, and then bus to Kinderdijk.
35 minutes travel time to Kinderdijk on bus
Runs twice an hour, seven days a week
To reach Kinderdijk via Utrecht, take the NS train to Utrecht CS, then bus to Kinderdijk.
See the NS website for schedules and fares.
By car - You can arrive by car from all major cities.
From Amsterdam it takes 1h20 minutes
From Rotterdam it takes 25 minutes
From Antwerp it takes 1h20 minutes
From Brussels it takes 2h
The official parking is at : Kabelbaan 1, Alblasserdam. You are required to present an admission ticket or buy one to park here. Parking is billed separately at €9.75 for the full day. Since it is almost 1km away, a free shuttle service will take you to the main entrance.
There is a very small parking lot right next to the entrance where you can park your car and pay for €9.5. However an admission ticket to Kinderdijk visitor centre is required to park here during peak season. We parked here in the month of October and were not asked for an admission ticket at that point.
By boat - You can also reach by a watershuttle which starts from Rotterdam Erasmusbrug (Willemskade) to Kinderdijk Molenkade.
Take the watershuttle.nl as you enjoy the scenic views for 30 minutes. You can also book tickets at the official site combined with your admission ticket.
This direct connection is available from 23 March until 25 October daily, between 09:10 and 17:20, after that, only from Friday–Sunday during winter.
They take card/contactless both online and on board.
Taking a Bike along is free.
What to do in Kinderdijk: A half-day day Itinerary
Understand the history of Kinderdijk through a short film
Your introduction to the history of Kinderdijk, along with your entrance to this village, starts with the Wisboom Pumping Station. The entry to this requires the Kinderdijk visitor ticket and it is right next to the ticket office. I recommend to watch the short film on the history of the dyke and the people whose livelihoods depended on the windmills. I would suggest this as the best starting point.
Wisboom is an old pumping station from 1868, which first ran on steam, and then on electricity. It was built so water could still be pumped out when there was no wind. Inside, you will see the mechanisms behind this engineering marvel.
Walk the path between the canals admiring the windmills
Now that you know the history behind this place, it is truly time to enjoy the scenic beauty. The fresh morning air, the green stretches, the animals, everything immerses you into the Dutch countryside. Be sure you are in comfortable footwear though, there is a lot of ground to cover! As you walk along, you will see windmills on either side, bordering the canals where rows of ducks either swim or waddle along the path.
There are 19 windmills in total, and the longest path will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes. You can hop on and take a canal boat back to the welcome center if you end up walking to the end. I have covered more on this in the "Tips" section below.
Rent a bike and ride further into the polder
I highly recommend renting a bike, it's the best way to travel along the entire canal system and see the mills from different angles. You can feel the wind across your face as you ride and reach the furthest windmills. Here you can endlessly watch the windmills slowly turning, listening to the sounds of nature.
You cannot rent bikes directly at Kinderdijk. However you will get one at the nearby Café De Klok at Molenstraat 117. They rent bikes from 11:00 for €10 per bike, with no time limit.
Go inside the museum mills - Nederwaard and Blokweer
The Nederwaard and Blokweer Museums and Mill are an excellent visit as they used to be a working mill with small farms. As you walk in, it feels as if you walked into someone’s house in the 1950s. The way they have setup, it feels like someone is still living here. The miller used to work day and night, responding to changing winds and water levels. Hence, he and his family had to stay inside the windmill for him to be on call 24/7. There are still some windmills around where families live, however you cannot enter those. As you visit the two museums, you will soon realise that the millers have clever use of space in the windmills to maximise space.
Take the canal boat past the mills
For centuries, the Dutch farmers used to move around in this area by boat. You can also experience this. There is a free shuttle boat included in your ticket that goes along the canals, and this type of boat is called a Hopper. Download the official app and tours guide onto your smartphone for their guided tour. The shuttle boat stops at the visitor centre, and the museums.
There is also a separate Cruiser tour boat which runs from April through October. This takes you through a longer route without disembarking at any location. From the boat, you can capture a perfect photo of the windmills and the landscape.
Picnic on the dike (there aren’t many places to eat)
I have written below all the places to eat in Kinderdijk. However they are pretty limited and mostly restricted to cafes. This means you can enjoy your own picnic at this beautiful place if you plan ahead! There are many open grassy areas and picnic tables where you can freely sit. So bring your picnic mat and your charcuterie board to enjoy food while watching the ducks.
Where to eat in Kinderdijk: Nearby Cafes
Once you walk or cycle all the way to the last few Windmills, you will be working up quite the apetite. It had also started raining by the end of the day, so we were keen to find shelter someplace and get a warm drink. However one must remember that this is a very small village and hence food options are limited.
The Kinderdijk Visitor Center Café: The visitor centre attached to the ticket office has a cafe which is perfect for a hot cup of coffee and some snacks and bakery items. It is right next to the canals, so when we sat down with our hot chocolate and coffee, we could watch the stream flowing by of the windows. It was surely relaxing after a couple of hours of walking. There is also an outdoor terrace above the water, from where you can watch the windmills.
Blokweer Museum Mill: You can also buy hot drinks and small snacks along with ice cream at the Blokweer Museum Mill.
Café De Klok: If you are looking for an alternate option, there is a nearby cafe called De Klok. This traditional restaurant dates back to 1875 and serves machine coffees, beers, lunches, and classic Dutch snacks with an outdoor terrace.
Address: Molenstraat 117, 2961 AK Kinderdijk.
Tips for your day trip to Kinderdijk: Things to know
How to Beat the Crowd: Go early before the tour buses arrive during peak season (summer). Arriving earlier in the morning around 9am helps beat the crowd, it is most crowded around lunch hour. Alternatively you can also visit during shoulder seasons like April, May and September, October to get the greenery without the crowd.
Taking a boat back to the starting point: Hop on and take a canal boat back to the welcome center if you end up walking to the end. The path from the visitor centre along the mills is roughly 1 km / 1 mile one way. At the far end is Museum Mill Blokweer. If you have a Kinderdijk ticket, you can get on the Hopper at Blokweer and it takes you back to the entrance / visitor centre.
Your best friend is your cycle: Try to cycle around, it is much easier covering all the windmills that way. It will also give you time to pause and admire whenever you feel like.
Allow for time to see everything: You can simply walk around at your own pace without any strict itinerary. I would suggest to not attempt to do it as a strict time bound exercise, and instead just relax and take in your surroundings.
Is Kinderdijk worth visiting?
Definitely! With nineteen historic windmills standing beside canals and dikes, and greenery surrounding you on all sides, you can easily fall for this beautiful place. It is worth it for a 2-3 hour trip, but not necessarily for a full day.
The part I liked the most is I could just walk around admiring the windmills without a fixed plan. Kinderdijk gives you time to view it at your own pace. It helps that the air feels so fresh and the sound of water from the canals help soothe you. I also love going to places with a history, and Kinderdijk offers just that. It was very eye-opening to know that windmills are capable of flushing out excess water, and it not just served the Dutch, but also spread across rest of the world.
If you have experienced the highs of Amsterdam with its many touristy areas, and are looking for a quiet countryside escape in the Netherlands, then Kinderdijk is an easy choice for your day trip from Amsterdam.
So let me know how your trip to this beautiful place went in the comments below! :)
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