Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken

Zaanse Schans

Not a village but a reconstruction of one, assembled from buildings moved here from around the Zaan region. The point is what the region was: one of the largest industrial areas of seventeenth century Europe, where hundreds of windmills sawed timber, ground pigment and pressed oil. The mills that turn here still do the work. A clog demonstration takes ten minutes and explains why a wet Dutch field destroys leather but not willow.

The cheese farm

A short demonstration of how Dutch cheese is made, followed by the tasting, which is the part that changes minds. Dutch cheese is graded by age, and most visitors arrive expecting to prefer the young one and leave carrying the year-old one that crunches with salt crystals.

Edam, Volendam and Marken

• Edam is the quiet one: the cheese name, a weighing house, and canals that nobody photographs enough.
• Volendam is the working harbour, with an eel smokehouse, a fish stall and traditional costume still worn behind some counters rather than only in the photo studios.
• Marken was an island until a causeway reached it in 1957. Its wooden houses stand on mounds and posts because the water used to come in, and arriving by boat from Volendam is the better way to see why.

Fitting it into the time you have

All four fit into a full day with lunch. A half day means choosing two, and the pairing that disappoints least is Zaanse Schans with Volendam and Marken. Coach groups usually run the full loop; individuals and families more often take the half day.