Private Amsterdam Windmill Tour

The Monnickendam Tour

Durgerdam Our first stop is a small village built on a dike just outside Amsterdam. It’s the kind of place that makes you realise how extraordinary Dutch water management actually is. We’ll talk about how much of the country sits below sea level, how it got that way, and what it takes to keep it dry.

The Countryside Drive From Durgerdam we drive through open farmland, flat and green and surprisingly quiet given how close we are to the city. I’ll point out what you’re looking at and why it looks the way it does.

Monnickendam A historic harbour town that almost no tourists visit, which is exactly why I love it. We’ll walk through the streets, I’ll tell you the history, and we’ll stop for Dutch apple pie and coffee at a local spot that makes it by hand. It really is excellent. Bring an appetite.

The Schermerhorn Windmills A working 17th-century windmill that has been pumping water since 1639. We go inside, I explain how it works and why the Dutch adapted windmills in so many different ways, and if conditions allow you’ll see it actually in operation. There are diagrams and a proper explanation, not just a quick look around.

A Real Dutch Farm This is the part people tend to talk about most afterwards. It’s a genuine working farm, dairy and potatoes and tulips depending on the season, run by the same family for over a century on land reclaimed from a lake in 1612. You’ll meet the cows, watch the automated milking system, collect eggs from the free-range chickens who live under the walnut trees, and usually get to meet one of the family. Also Bruce, the farm dog, who is very friendly and extremely good at his job of being a farm dog.

Food Along the Way I bring Dutch snacks to keep you going throughout the day. We can stop for lunch at a local spot on request, or try Dutch fries made from potatoes grown on the farm we just visited.

The Edam Version

The Durgerdam stop, the countryside drive, the farm and the windmill visit are all the same on both tours. The difference is the town.

Edam is a lovely historic town and a perfectly good choice, though we may encounter other tour groups there. It tends to work better with children: there’s a wonderful old-fashioned candy shop, a cheese shop where you can taste various Edam and Gouda varieties, and the Old House Museum with its curious floating cellar that kids seem to find genuinely fascinating.

One thing to note: the apple pie is a Monnickendam thing. Edam has plenty of food options but the pie doesn’t travel.