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Amsterdam Tours
Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken Tour
4.5

Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken Tour

By Camaleon Tours
Recommended by 94% of travelers
94% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 0-99, max of 50 per group
Duration: 8h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English, Spanish
More


  • Live guide
  • Cheese tasting
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
What's not included
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities


Start:
  • De Ruijterkade 151, 1011 AC Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Main Entrance of The Bowling Alley "ALOHA", in front of the river-cruises. The guide will be dressed in green and they have green umbrellas.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Near public transportation
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 32552P3

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
    • On the 27th of April this excursion leaves at 8:30am in the same point of departure
    • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
    • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
    • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
    • Most travelers can participate
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 32552P3

    From
    $36.75
    per adult
    Select date and travelers

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • De Ruijterkade 151, 1011 AC Amsterdam, Netherlands
      Main Entrance of The Bowling Alley "ALOHA", in front of the river-cruises. The guide will be dressed in green and they have green umbrellas.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Camaleon Tours
      4,952
      The Netherlands
      Joined in April 2013
    • trips_mann
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Very Good Value Tour
      Bea did a great job running our tour. It was a seamless day with no hassles. Visited some very scenic places, with clog and cheese making as a highlight
      Written January 10, 2025
    • Excursion467220
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent tour!!!
      Walking tour of Amsterdam in Spanish was amazing. Andrea was an excellent host. Lots of information and historic details. Very interesting tour. Highly recommend.
      Written December 27, 2024
    • K3700UXalexanderb
      0 contributions
      3.0 of 5 bubbles
      We are not Spanish
      Great place to visit. The only down side was the 2 languages used on his. We booked assuming that tour in English also included the bus. But we had Spanish and English. Not expected and Spanish seemed to be no 1. We would not use Trip Advisor again after 2/2 disappointments
      Written December 23, 2024
    • robsK9080QN
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing staff world class info!
      It was really amazing. The information and history really helps to better understand the local environment and why and how the culture was established.
      Written November 20, 2024
    • vinay9365
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Cameleon tours are the best
      The best tour I have attended, very enjoyable with a knowledgeable guide. Took us to all the best sites around Amsterdam.
      Written October 21, 2024
    • Arthur H
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Brugge is beautiful
      Your guide’s passion and deep knowledge of Brugge truly made our trip unforgettable. Her stories were interesting and insightful.
      Written August 17, 2024
    • Yurigina
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent tour
      Amazing tour organized by Camaleon tours.. Our excellent guide Amna and excellent driver made our day. Amna was very professional, very knowledgeable, very polite and had great sense of humor. We were very happy with this tour and can recommend it to everyone.
      Written August 12, 2024
    • Sand175
      0 contributions
      3.0 of 5 bubbles
      On the whole enjoyable, but a long day with some possibilities for improvement
      This wasn't a private tour; however, the large group tour was not selectable from the drop-down menu. What we liked: The guide was friendly and welcoming and quite knowledgeable The variety of the locations was excellent The coach was comfortable and air conditioned (although the toilet was not open, which was problematic) The cheese shop: delicious cheese The walk through Edam: beautiful town and the guide gave some terrific insight into Dutch life What could have improved: The access to toilets: the confirmation email should have explained that there were no toilets accessible at the meeting point, nor on the coach and that at the first stop, customers needed to have exact change (50c) to use the toilet. Access to toilets should have been explained at the start of the trip; though the guide did mention it after the first stop and gave people guidance on where they could use the toilet (and for free). The last stop Zaanse Schans could/should have been first - by late afternoon it was inundated with tourists and too crowded. Also very expensive, especially to use the toilet (1 Euro). SO much walking. This should have been included in the trip description. More than 8km of walking throughout the day which for those with mobility issues became problematic. This was especially noticeable in Volendam where we were dropped off a 5 min walk from the town, but picked up a 22 min walk from the town.
      Written August 11, 2024
    • carneiro01
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A wonderful experience
      I did the trip lead by Bea and I really like the way she cares about us and did her best to explain everything. Places were awesome, and food as well. I really recommend!
      Written August 8, 2024
    • sueting
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great Countryside Trip from Amsterdam
      My tour guide was Ana, and she did a marvelous job! We learned about the history and local traditions of each place, and she also gave recommendations for what to do in our free time. In Zaanse Schans, I took her advice and went inside the Kat, and the machinery inside the windmill was incredible. Edam cheese factory was a short visit, but the cheese tasting was 10/10. Volendam is a beautiful fishing town, and we had the best Kibbeling (again, courtesy of Ana). I opted for the ferry trip (10 euros more), but it was well worth it. Overall, it was GREAT value and well organized. We were also lucky to have a group of cooperative tourists, and no one was late. Ana got the group together really well. If you sign up for the tour and are ready to just have a good time in the countryside, you will not be disappointed
      Written August 1, 2024
    • R6451RTemilyj
      0 contributions
      3.0 of 5 bubbles
      Would recommend but eat beforehand and bring snacks! Long day without food given tour guidelines and schedule!
      Overall I'm glad I was able to see Bruges and appreciated the smaller tour, however I was not prepared for how hungry we'd be!! The tour left at 9a from Amsterdam and there was no food or drink allowed on the bus, and when we got to Bruges around 12:30p, we were immediately escorted for the start of our walking tour until 3p. At one point our tour guide mentioned "if you're hungry after the tour" which I think all of us laughed knowing we were starving! Once released to tour Bruges on our own at 3p, many of the places I had hoped to eat at (being limited with dietary restrictions) closed at 3p so we just had to prioritize some type of nourishment before getting back on the bus by 5p. All that to say, if you're looking for a guided tour of Bruges, I would recommend this but have a full meal before getting on the bus and bring plenty of snacks for while you walk to hold you over. Otherwise, I wish we had just tipped our guide, skipped the tour and done our own thing in the city for the full 12:30-5p time there.
      Written July 20, 2024
    • indrekv2019
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Spanish!
      This is Spanish based company. You better understand Spanish. I booked a Day Trip to Rotterdam and The Hague on English website, where they say in the heading that trips are "with our English-speaking tour guides", but in the morning of the trip I got to know that the guide speaks only Spanish. Fortunately he could say in English the meeting points and times, so I could look around by myself. Title "Tour in SPANISH to Rotterdam and The Hague" is in Tripadvisor but not on their website.
      Written July 20, 2024
    • JMD01907
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A nice day out
      We had a lovely day out, and our guide was a nice fellow. We wound up not doing most of the touristy things, and instead went to see Hoorn via the dikes up north, which we loved. It was a lot of time in the car, which wasn't optimal, but we were certainly glad to avert the large crowds in some of the other smaller towns. I liked that we could personalize the tour and do our own thing.
      Written July 1, 2024
    • 158st_fanyd
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Bad
      The guide did not explain the tours properly, for instance when we woukd leave certain places and meeting points. She didn't wait for us, we got lost, we didn't enjoy of the tourist attractions, we only had 1 hour in Volendam (where it was 2 hours), we weren't warned about the difficulties and times involved in walking with a baby stroller, it was difficult to keep up with the fast and intense pace of the tours. Everything would have been better if there were just 3 cities to visit slowly instead of rushing through 4. I do not recommend the tour for elderly people and families with babies and children.
      Written June 13, 2024
    • NAEMA5
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      They cancelled when we arrived to check in
      Purchased tour in English, received email confirming tour in English, and got actual tickets which stated tour in English. Got a reminder email the night before to arrive early for our tour in English. The next morning arrived a few minutes early to check in, only to have the tour guide tell us that the tour was in Spanish and that our tour was yesterday and we missed it. I showed her our tickets which had the English tour for the correct date. She called her office and said “someone was supposed to call or email” us regarding the cancellation. No one did. She insinuated that we missed the call or email. I showed her the reminder email send to me the day prior that said to show up on time. She called the main office again and the manager said there was nothing they could do about it. They offered a refund but I am still waiting. However more importantly, this was planned over a month in advance, they cancelled on us when we arrived, they completely ruined our day. And this was not an isolated event. There were 2 other parties that showed up for a tour in English and told there was none, they were also quite upset. Terrible service, lack of respect for customers, I will never do business with company again.
      Written June 5, 2024
    See all 4,952 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    4.5
    4.5 of 5 bubbles921 reviews
    Excellent
    780
    Very good
    92
    Average
    23
    Poor
    10
    Terrible
    16

    These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
    This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

    Viviana F
    Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2024 • Friends
    Take the tour with 10 friends in April. The guide Sergio, very friendly and highly knowledgeable in history, made the day an unforgettable experience. We toured several beautiful towns where the times were perfect. First it was Zaance schans where we saw the typical mills and how clogs were made, then Edam where we went to the cheese factory, volendam and sailing to Marken. We had lunch in a very nice place in front of the lake and gave us time to buy very nice souvenirs at a good price (cheaper than Amsterdam). I recommend the excursion and the tour operator Camaleón who was always in contact with me by email and WhatsApp prior to the excursion.
    Google
    Written April 14, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Adolfo L
    Cartama, Spain1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2023
    Very complete excursion. You visit 3 towns, the Zaanse Schans open-air museum, and a large Henri Willig cheese shop, all in 8 hours. Maximum punctuality: multiple excursions meet at the meeting point and a person from the company is in charge of notifying and distributing according to the excursion and guide. The time in Zaanse Schans is enough to walk and take photos, even to visit a mill (free with the I Amsterdam City Card), but probably not enough to go to a museum or have a coffee in one of the cafes in the area. Next is the stop at the cheese shop, where you can try a multitude of cheeses and shop (I think the prices are normal so it's not a bad option if you want to buy to bring home). Walk through Edam where our guide (Diego, Canarian, very helpful and pleasant) explained various places and customs to us. Food and free time in Volendam (after eating there is not much time left, so if you want to take a walk and shop in a store - better prices than in Amsterdam - you should not spend much time eating - I recommend booking with a menu) . Walk through Marken with the guide, and later return to Amsterdam on time. I would only miss time in Zaanse Schans (to see more than one mill and/or a museum and/or have a coffee) and in Volendam (for the same thing: to be able to walk, shop and have a coffee after lunch), but even With the current organization I consider that the excursion is optimized and is more than recommended.
    Google
    Written August 24, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Valentina M
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2024 • Friends
    My friend and I enjoyed this tour much more than expected! It was very well organised, both in terms of timing and places/activities involved. Our guide Ana Maria was awesome. She was very nice, friendly and really knowledgeable. She told us many interesting (and fun) facts about the country, Amsterdam and dutch people and she kept us entertained all the time during the trip both in the bus and when we were visiting the places.

    The order of the villages we visited was the other way around compared to what was written in the booking, but we didn't really mind. Actually the first stop (Marken) was our favourite one! The only thing we didn't enjoy too much was the cheese workshop as they put two groups together and in our opinion we were way too many people in the same room (it was difficult to have a good view of the cheese demonstration). But apart from that, the tour was very good overall.

    We got to see different villages (Marken, Edam, Volendam and Zaanse Schans) and attended a cheese making demonstration (which included cheese tasting) and a typical dutch clog workshop. Zaanse Schans was the last stop before returning to Amsterdam and unfortunately the place was too crowded, but that didn't obviously depend on the tour operators. Perhaps if we went there first thing in the morning we would enjoy it more (with less people), but then probably the other places would be crowded anyway later in the day.

    In summary I'm very happy I chose this tour for myself and my friend, we had great time in the countryside, we learnt many unexpected things and I definitely recommend it. Thanks Ana Maria! It was such a great experience!
    Written April 24, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Graham_Derby
    Derbyshire, UK166 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    I wouldn’t bother with this excursion. The organisation was poor, the information wasn’t conveyed in a skilled manner and on several occasions we seemed to leave places not sure if all our group was together. Our guide seemed to be in another reality, unaware of the need for travellers such as us to be looked after. We hadn’t been told about the very limited toilet stops, or the fact that for many of the toilets you had to pay to use them. (There was no toilet on the bus. Something you discovered only once on the bus.) So unless you have considerable small change, prolonged bladder control is a must on this day trip. The places visited are not too far from Amsterdam and as such are ideal to visit via public transport and/or cycle hire. From our tour bus you could see the excellent cycle tracks which took cyclists through wonderful countryside. The windmills, cheese factory and Edam are well worth a visit. Vollandam and Marken were both a bit of an anticlimax, but from what I saw these were also within reach by bike if you allowed a full day.
    We were told to arrive at the pick-up point for 9:30am, and lookout for our guides which would be wearing green. We arrived in good time to find several buses and approached two people who were wearing green. When we showed them our tickets they didn’t know what we were talking about. Thanks to the help of the site/car park staff we found where our bus would be at 9:30am.
    Our guides didn’t announce themselves, we had to fathom that out for ourselves. Neither of them were wearing green. One had a green umbrella, and it only became apparent that the other was actually a guide when she started checking tickets. The check-in procedure I can only describe as organised chaos. Having put people in an unnecessary stressful and confusing situation, owing to her complete lack of organisation, one guide was particularly patronising by then asking us to be patient.
    This initial debacle set the scene for the rest of the day. At the end of the first stop to view the windmills, our bus drove off without a family who had a wheelchair user. It was obvious to all that they weren’t back on the bus, but our guide rambled on about people must be on time. It was only because a fellow passenger saw the family next to the bus that the driver stopped so they could get on. At several points after this it remained unclear whether our group was complete before we were shepherded away to the next stop to try and listen to the next piece of information which was poorly communicated, and often confusing with regard to the validity of what we were being told. Our guide regularly seemed to wander off, without having anything to easily identify her, and at one point managed to misguide most of the group so she ended up at the bus and others weren’t sure where she was or where they were supposed to be going.
    The only positives of the day were that we enjoyed the windmills, the cheese factory and Edam, and we had a good laugh about the completely comedic manner in which the day was ‘organised’.
    I’d recommend that if you visit these places, you go under your own steam.
    Written July 30, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    hwanger987
    El Cerrito, CA41 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sep 2024 • Solo
    Had plenty of time to visit all villages, with the exception of Zaanse Schans as it was crowded. Some of the shops at Zaanse Schaans had a lot of customers, so it took longer to shop and check out. Plus if want to walk to the end of the windmills, it took 10 minutes one way plus extra time to take pics. The cheese tasting in Edam is pretty much the same as the cheese shops in Amsterdam in terms of the cheese available for sampling. Loved walking through the villages which were all very pretty. It's a nice break from the bustling Amsterdam. Volendam, the lunch spot was my favorite. Plenty of places to eat, nice walk along the waters, and plenty of shops to browse. Marion (?), the guide gave some background information about each of the villages. Overall, I had a great time. Highly recommend this tour. Visiting 4 villages in 8hrs for $40 is a reasonable price. The only complaint is finding the meeting spot. I had to ask 2 people where the meeting spot is. You have to walk to the other side of the Central Train station, go out, turn right and walk along the waters for about 5 minutes.
    Written October 2, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    marcoscasero
    Torrejon De Ardoz, Spain8 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2023 • Family
    Excursion to see the 4 towns quickly and without complications. Our guide, Ana María, very efficient and friendly, makes you learn interesting curiosities with her explanations. For her it would be 5 stars, but we didn't find the activity spectacular.

    Good itinerary if you want to get to know the area comfortably without worrying about organizing transportation on your own. The towns don't offer much of themselves, especially Volendam (very touristy and with little to offer). If you have time and extra days during your stay in Amsterdam, it is a good option to see another perspective of northern Holland.

    Doing the tour on your own by private car or public transportation can be cheaper and allows you to better organize your time in each place. But the convenience of having everything organized and with explanations is much more comfortable.
    Google
    Written August 24, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Brian U
    Christchurch, New Zealand38 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great tour guide in Wybe. He shared stories of the areas visited which brought the trip to life. He shared the history of each area, the stories behind how, why, they became what they were etc… the stops at various places allowed sufficient time to look around and take in the beauty and history. Thank you
    Written July 13, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    907blaked
    Tampa, FL1,514 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2024 • Family
    This is a big bus tour (up to 50 guests), but the price is very reasonable for what you get: a guided tour of the rural countryside just outside of Amsterdam. Our particular tour started in Marken, continued to a cheese farm, then to Volendam, then to Edam, and finally to Zaanse Schans to see windmills and wooden shoe/clogmaking. We considered doing a smaller private tour, but the difference in price was significant, and we felt that this tour hit all the high spots. Would happily recommend this tour to others. Our guide, Enrique, was very good. There was no bathroom in the bus, even though other reviews said that there was, but the bus travels no more than 30 minutes between stops.
    Written March 16, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Paul A
    Mountain Home, AR17 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2022
    We recently did three days with Camaleon tours on a private basis. Loved all three days, have nothing significant to complain about. The guides were timely, attentive, and caring.

    I have a few minor issues that others may want to pay attention to.
    The first day was to Zaanse, Edam, Volendam and Marken. We elected to bypass Zaanse in the morning as rain was forecast. We later had more weather more in before taking the ferry to Marken, and are thankfulwe choose to skip it. We went on to significantly cut short
    Zaanse at that point and spent the full 90 minutes we had left in the day. Had we gone to Marken, the stop at Zaanse would have been cut short.

    The 2nd day was to Bruges which we knew involved a long drive. We had their new electric van however and with a long stop for a recharge, it took almost 4 1/2 hrs to get there. This significantly cut short our time in Bruges, although we still had a great time. Similar issues with the 3nd day to Giethoorn, problems parking, finding a charging station, having to move the vehicle, etc. Still had an excellent day.
    Written April 19, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Y W
    1 contribution
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    The itinerary of the visit to those different places is fine but our our guid provides limited information about the places and not much historical knowledge. She was a bit grumpy and showed no interest to the group of people she supposed to look after. Very disappointed experience in total
    Written March 27, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

    Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken Tour provided by Camaleon Tours

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