If you’re visiting Amsterdam or Rotterdam, Kinderdijk is a perfect day trip to see Holland’s windmills. Even though it seems touristy, personally I couldn’t wait to find out where to see a windmill in Holland.
Driving from the airport in Amsterdam to Rotterdam, we spotted a few of the historic windmills along with the majestic modern ones of today, but none were really accessible to take pictures since we were speeding by along the highway.
We had a little over a week planned in town as I was speaking at a conference, so I was determined to find a picturesque windmill. Once we arrived among the modern architecture of Rotterdam, I began to think they only existed in old fairytales.
On our first night there we had the pleasure of having cocktails with Julia, Director of PR at Rotterdam Marriott. With her friendly demeanor, warm smile, and passion for all-things-Holland, Julia is quite the ambassador for the area. (If you plan on visiting, definitely follow her Twitter handle @JuliaRdam for tips!)
After sipping a gin and tonic, I had worked up the nerve to confess that I really wanted to see a windmill. Julia enthusiastically suggested, “You must go to Kinderdijk then! It’s so easy to get there. They even have a boat right on the river in the middle of Rotterdam.” With a few clicks on her phone, she had all the information, tickets, and boarding times to help us plan.
The Nehalennia departs twice a day from Rotterdam and meanders along the Nieuwe Maas River up to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The boat ride only costs $14 Euros per person which includes your admission into Kinderdijk. (TIP: They only accept cash, so be sure to stop by an atm before you arrive.)
While on board, they offer a cafe-style menu serving Dutch apple pies and coffee. (There’s actually a lot of great Dutch foods to try.) The boar ride is relaxing and scenic and only takes about an hour.
Kinderkijk is only about 15 km (approx 9 miles) from Rotterdam, so I’m sure you could get there easily by bike or taxi too. That would give you more time to explore as the boat only gives you a limited time to see the site before they re-board and head back to Rotterdam.
And if you want to see windmills, Kinderdijk is definitely the place to go as there are 19 in all. The windmills were built in 1740 as a water management system and are the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands.
There’s also some other fun photo opportunities. Like climbing into a big wooden clog such as Pete did …
Thank you Julia for pointing us in the right direction! We really enjoyed seeing all the windmills.
For more info on the windmills, check out Kinderdijk.com
For more information on the boat to Kinderdijk, check out Kinderdijk’s info about the Waterbus.
Great photos, Rachelle! I’m glad you got to see those famous Dutch windmills! I wish I had stayed in Rotterdam longer so I could have gone to Kinderdijk too! It looks beautiful!
Thanks! Kinderdijk was definitely worth it. After the rainy weather we had it was nice to get out and see some windmills 🙂
I just couldn’t resist checking out if you’d been in Holland and yes definitely Kinderdijk is the place to go for windmills! But I guess it is one of those things that you don’t go to when you live so close, so I have yet to see them for myself (not that I haven’t seen any windmills ofcourse but just not Kinderdijk)