Fotostrasse visited the fantastic city of Zaandam, one of the hidden gems around Amsterdam and we are here to tell you the best things to do in there.
Zaandam was built over its industries, being one of the leading cities in the first industrial revolution. One of its trademarks, the amazing windmills, were a big part of this industrial growth and until this day this is a very industrial city, but that doesn’t mean it loses any of its charms.
Below you can learn about our top 5 things to do in Zaandam
Find the Monet Atelier and book yourself a tour!
Zaandam was one of the cities that the fantastic Claude Monet lived in for four months of his life and painted 25 of his 40 Dutch paintings. The Monet Atelier was created in 2010 and is dedicated to this phase, and it’s situated on a lovely house that Monet portrayed in his art. This place offers some amazing tours around the city, where you can see many of the sights that got the painter inspired and hear a bunch of interesting facts about him and the town.
Visit the Zaanse Schans and drool over the views!
Zaanse Schans is the most important part of the city, and there is a good reason why. Here you can see the fantastic Windmills that are so overwhelmingly gorgeous and made the town grow all that it did. This neighborhood is absolutely fantastic and is very pleasant if you just walk around it, but we had a fantastic time crossing the Zaan river in this fantastic boat, and we think that getting there by boat is the best way to enjoy the views of this place.
More info about Zaanse Schans can be found here.
Go to the Zaans Museum
The Zaans Museum is one of the most interactive museums we’ve ever been to, and it is an amazing way to find out even more about the history of the area. Inside you can find the Verkade Experience, where it shows a bit of how this local chocolate factory works. It also has some fantastic works of art and one of the original Monet’s paintings.
Make your chocolate and do a tasting at Zaans Gedaan
Chocolate played a big part in the development of the city, and they honor it here, learn how to make chocolate yourself from scratch and enjoy a fantastic tasting that will change the way you see (and eat!) one of the world’s most loved treats. They also have a store with many delicious things for you to buy.
Here you can see how to take part in one of their workshops!
Eat and drink at the amazing Brouwerij Hoop
Well, we are all about the beers and snacks, and both are amazing here! We recommend the beer tasting since all of them are fantastic, our favorite was the Queen Bee; a delicious blond ale. The place is prominent, and there are a few tables outside as well so you can drink and enjoy if the weather is beautiful.
You need to have some beers at Brouweriji Hoop!
If you are in Amsterdam Centraal, Zaandam is less than fifteen minutes away by train; there is no excuse not to visit this charming place. The entire city is lovely even if you want to walk around, and we truly believe there is no way not to love it.
Our top 5 things to do in Zaandam, Netherlands
We visited this place with the support from Visit Amsterdam and KLM and were welcomed to rest in the fantastic Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam.
<!– Go to www.addthis.com/dashboard to customize your tools –><br /><br /><!– –><div class="addthis_recommended_horizontal"></div>
