I was truly amazed at all the detail of work that goes into designing and building this wonderful structures.Great Euro 3.50 invested in the tour.
I was not sure at first about wanting to see this, but I am so glad that I did, our guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable, I learned so much, I am a baker and loved hearing the stories about the mills history from flour to oil, fantastic don't not miss, and you get a great view from the top.
This windmill was a highlight of our trip to Haarlem and even Holland. Despite having dead legs do to biking from Amsterdam, we thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
The tour began with a movie that I would recommend skipping if possible. Perhaps it was the jet lagged, but I fell asleep multiple times during the presentation. Once past that boredom, the actual tour was great. This is a working windmill with a museum in the building below.
Museum: really interesting presentation of the four main types of windmills and their different components. The museum is on multiple levels as you make your way up to the actual windmill.
Windmill: You get to see the guts of the windmill including the flour mill and the gears. Then the best part... You get to go outside and look at the windmill up close and have a panoramic view of the city.
This place is a must recommend EXCEPT for the following people:
- Those who are afraid of heights... The windmill balcony is a little high with decking you can see through
- Those who cannot do steep stairs/ladders. Once you get past the first spiral staircase, things get steep and they stay that way the entire time.
- Those that don't like awesome windmills.
After you finishing with the windmill, grab a Gin Tonic at the bar to the left on exiting, it offers a great view of the canals!
Decided to visit Haarlem for the day and the information centre recommended visiting the windmill in the afternoon ( it's open after 13:00). Found the tour guide very helpful and informative, explaining the history of the windmill and how it worked as we climbed the narrow steps to each floor ( 3 floors in total). I was worried about getting back down again but the simple trick is to climb down the stairs backwards which I easily managed to do. Once you get to third level, you can step outside on the platform to get a good view of Haarlem itself and take photos if you want. Really good value (about €3.50) so well worth a visit.
Rode bikes 25 km to view the windmill. Nice museum and even better sitting outside having a drink and watching the boats go by.
