Visit Kinderdijk for Dutch Windmills and Cheese

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This article is for those who want to know about the best things to do in Kinderdijk Netherlands. Whether you’re on a day trip from Amsterdam or a cruise ship excursion, the experience is pretty much the same.

We hope it helps you decide what to do in Kinderdijk yourself. Travel tips are also included, so read on!

One final day on this Grand European Tour and it all ends tomorrow morning when our cruise ship docks in Amsterdam. Call the country what you will, Netherlands, Nederlands, or Holland, this morning we found ourselves in the country best known for tulips, windmills, and Dutch cheese.

Holland is known for windmills and cheese for a reason.
How’s this for a morning view?

Discovering the best things to do in Kinderdijk

We’d be spending the day in Kinderdijk today. This is a picturesque community with 19 historic, working windmills.

This begs the obvious question, why are these particular windmills so exceptional? After all, these ingenious machines have been around since the Middle Ages and they can be found in every corner of the country. Considering that over one-quarter of the country lies below sea level, for all intents and purposes Holland wouldn’t be on the map without them. Saying “You can see them everywhere” is not overstating it.

A number of river cruise itineraries include Kinderdijk, so for those repeat passengers (like us) who had already toured the site, Viking thoughtfully offered an alternative: touring a cheese farm to see how Dutch cheese is made.

But wait. I digress. We had one last morning aboard.

Scenic cruising

Our morning began with the typical expansive breakfast buffet, this time with Dutch pastries, breads, and other specialties. We joined the others, lingering over coffee while we watched the scenery along the Rhine. The scenery’s flavor had definitely changed, from German to Dutch.

Boaters proudly display the Dutch flag
Family camping along the Rhine in Netherlands
Typical Dutch town along the rhine

Dutch water management

Our Program Director Dewi was scheduled to give a presentation on Dutch water management at 10:30. Just enough time to pack.

Trust me: It pays to travel light. With just a couple of carry-ons for clothing and one small backpack for electronics, it didn’t take long to pack everything up. Aside from a few toiletries, a change of clothes for tomorrow, and our electronics and charging cords, we finished long before her talk began.

Dewi’s talk was actually really interesting. Climate change is an especially important concern here, as the country lies even further below sea level than New Orleans does.

She explained more about the expansive system of dams, dykes, and dunes that Netherlands must maintain for its wellbeing. Keeping the land free from flooding requires a lot more thought and preparation than I had realized!

Motorboat on the Rhine in Netherlands
The Dutch lifestyle is very water-oriented.

Noah’s Ark Holland

And speaking of epic flooding, there’s an actual ark in the Netherlands! When a Dutchman named Johan Huibers dreamed that the Netherlands was overwhelmed by a flood similar to the one in the Bible, he was inspired to rebuild the ark to the same proportions that God had given to Noah.

Johan’s ark is moored on the Rhine at Dordrecht, south of Rotterdam. Huibers kindly put life-sized animal statues on its deck to help give an idea of its proportions.

Noah's ark has been rebuilt to scale in the Netherlands.

Having seen it on our prior cruise, I knew that we would pass right by it, so I made sure to tell Dewi that I’d like her to give me a “heads up” and point it out as we passed. Dewi asked the Captain to tell her when we were approaching so she could let us know.

Based on her reaction, I realized that it’s not a sight they normally mention, so I’m glad I did. The other passengers really enjoyed the sight as well.

ⓘ TIP: If you have time while you’re in Holland, it is possible visit the ark yourself, because it has become a tourist attraction. If you want to see it the ark as you cruise by, you will need to ask your Program Director to point it out.

Welcome to Kinderdijk

Even though both the ark and Kinderdijk (Dutch for “child dike”) are located near Rotterdam, our cruise schedule allowed us enough time to enjoy a delicious lunch before we docked.

Ultimately, the ship was so close that we could see the tops of the windmills from the Sun Deck! Time to do some Dutch sightseeing.

ⓘ TIP: Unsure which activity to join? Well, you can see cheese made worldwide, but Kinderdijk is the only site in the world with so many historic Dutch windmills. So, yeah: Faced with the choice, you should see the windmills.

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Touring the Kinderdijk windmills

Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it contains all the typical features associated with this technology – dikes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings – and 19 beautifully preserved windmills.

Talk about a Kodak moment! These photogenic structures stand like soldiers in two opposite rows along a canal and form a spectacular sight.

Kinderdijk windmills line up like soldiers along a canal

These windmills are still inhabited year-round and those who live in them are required to maintain them to the same standards as the 1400s when they were built. That said, the country no longer relies on windmills to stay dry. These days the country uses pumping stations and here too, the main waterworks are provided by two adjacent diesel pumping stations.

Modern water pumping machinery in Kinderdijk

Today’s included excursion offered a rare opportunity to understand how windmills work in an up-close-and-personal way, as well as to visit one of the pumping stations. Most visitors want to climb into at least one windmill to see the pumping mechanism and living quarters. Some also took the boat around (it is suitable for wheelchairs).

ⓘ TIP: It is not a good idea to enter a windmill if you are uncomfortable in small areas.

Canal boat passes one of the Dutch windmills on a canal at Kinderdijk
This is what a windmill looks like when you look upward

Things to do at Kinderdijk windmills

There are a lot of things you can do when visiting the windmills. Of course, taking pictures of the stunning landscape is a given, as is the ubiquitous selfie.

Aside from that, we think the best part is exploring the inside of a windmill. Imagine what it would be like to live there!

Also, don’t miss

  • a visit to the pumping station and the museum.
  • Boating on the canals offers a waterfront view you won’t get on land.
  • You can also spend money in the gift shop
  • or just sit on the grass and enjoy the scenery.

There’s enough to do that everyone will enjoy the visit.

ⓘ TIP: Kinderdijk is an easy day trip from Amsterdam. Check out Kinderdijk guided tours here.

Visiting a Dutch cheese farm in Giessenburg, Netherlands

If you’re a frequent cruiser, you may have seen and photographed the Kinderdijk windmills on a previous tour. In that case, you might opt to tour a cheese farm instead. Our bus took us to a dairy farm in the town of Giessenburg.

ⓘ TIP: If you’d like to see cheese made on your own, we recommend visiting Gouda. Learn more here.

We all gawked as we drove through the sleepy little town. It was just as interesting as the farm. Certainly, it was prettier!

The fronts of the houses all face the water in Giessenburg, Netherlands
The fronts of the houses all face the water
Bridge over a canal in Giessenburg, Netherlands

Gouda cheese

Best known for Gouda and Edam, Holland is the #1 cheese exporting nation in the world. Gouda is the most popular, and the farm we visited caters to the demand.

As we discovered on our tour, it is possible to produce Gouda in a ridiculous variety of flavors. The flavor gets stronger as it ages as well, and it reaches full maturity (and crumble-ability) at 2-3 years of age.

Viking cruise passengers visit a Dutch cheese farm
We toured the farm
closeup of in Dutch cheese farm
Met their friendly cows
Walking through a sparkling clean room with a steel milk vat
Saw where the milk is cultured
Woman holds up tub of cheese in a mold
And learned how they make their cheese.
Woman in front of a rack of cheese wheels that are being cured
Tourists in room full of cheese wheels almost ready for sale
Shelves of Gouda in various forms and flavors
Gouda comes in various flavors and sizes. It becomes more crumbly as it ages.

The farm has a lovely gift shop and offers samples of all their various gouda flavors. Dan and I ended up with three different types to bring back to share with our family in the U.S.

Back on board

Back aboard our ship, the lobby was crowded with passengers settling their final bills. We joined the queue and missed the afternoon’s presentation on the Dutch Golden Age. Dang.

I was disappointed, to say the least. It’s an interesting era in Holland’s history and I had wanted to learn more. But at least we got to spend a little more time with our new English friends, Pam and Fiona.

Two wonderful English ladies we met on our cruise, Pam and Fiona

The Lounge seemed to a little more sedate after dinner because everyone had settled their bills. Once again, we were glad we had the all-inclusive drinks package. Arthur the bartender wasn’t able to accept cash payments, so only those who had purchased the package were able to enjoy his services tonight.

Six people we met on our cruise
More of the delightful people we met on our cruise

Here’s where it really pays to travel light: You don’t have much last-minute packing to do. Those who had already prepared for departure were exchanging contact information with their new-found friends. We tried to get as many email addresses as we could, as well.

Departure plans a big topic, because Viking does not include a tour of Amsterdam at the end of the cruise. I’m glad we had already spent time in Amsterdam, because we were able to help a few plan what they would do in town.

ⓘ TIP: If you’re on a river cruise, don’t miss the opportunity to see Amsterdam yourself before you fly home. If nothing else, you should at least take a canal cruise. After all, that’s what the city is best known for!

ALSO READ:
One Day in Amsterdam: Itinerary + Things to Do

Plan your Kinderdijk visit

Here are some ideas to help you plan your own trip. If this article was useful, you can thank us by using these links to make your plans. Some of these companies will pay us a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.

  • Lodging: Find your ideal accommodation options here.
  • Transportation: This website shows how to get anywhere by plane, train, bus, ferry and car.
  • For more sightseeing, see our Kinderdijk photo gallery.
  • Get a bird’s eye view on Google Maps here. Zoom, scroll around and explore!

Read

We have a whole series of river cruise articles here on As We Saw It, both tips and individual cruise stops, such as:

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Note: As is common in the travel industry, Dan and Linda were provided with a complimentary cruise package for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced coverage, AWSI believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see the Disclosure page.

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Written by Linda

Linda is multilingual and has been to over 50 countries. Her insatiable love of travel, cuisine, and foreign languages inspired her to create As We Saw It, where she documents her trips, shares practical itineraries, and offers insider tips. She’s passionate about helping fellow travelers save time, money, and hassle, and loves to discover new places to explore.

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20 thoughts on “Visit Kinderdijk for Dutch Windmills and Cheese”

  1. I flew home just a week ago today, from the wonderful Viking Rhine River Cruise. It was so fun to come across your photos and once again see things I experienced. The farmer & his wife gave such an interesting tour of their Gouda cheese farm. I wish I had bought more of their cheese! Very fun to see your photos of the same countryside and windmills that we visited. Thank You!

  2. Oh wow! It’s beautiful!!!
    I’ve only been to Zaanse Schans to see the windmills and I have to say that I do love the very green and “watery” scenery of Netherlands. Love the ark! 🙂

  3. Wow, that arch is amazing! I had no idea something like that actually existed! I would love to see that! I love cruises, but sometimes it’s a little hard to see everything in such a short time. Looks like you made the most of it though! Those windmills are beautiful! They reminded me a lot of the ones in Spain, in the land of Don Quijote 😀 And that cheese farm! I consider cheese it’s own food group and could never get enough, so this experience looks top notch! Free gouda samples—sign me up!

    • We haven’t had the opportunity to see any of the Spanish windmills, but I’ll be honest: Don Quixote has come to my mind too. I wonder if Spanish manchego cheese is made the same way as gouda?

  4. I have always wanted to do a river cruise. Cruising down the Rhine would be classic. Your photos make it look so wonderful!
    It would be hard to decide between the windmills and cheese. I do understand you reasoning for the windmills and I know I would want gorgeous photos of the windmills too! But that gouda looks pretty good!! haha Thanks so much for sharing!!

    • Yeah, Viking made sure that the choices were pretty good, either way. Still, our family was happy we had decided to go to the cheese farm. They enjoyed sharing the gouda!

  5. What an interesting post about Holland! I always wanted to visit the country of windmills and tulips. I love the story about Noah’s Ark replica. It must have been very interesting to visualize what it must have looked like. And that tour of the Dutch cheese farm… makes me want to run out the door and buy some cheese.

    • Yeah, Noah’s Ark looked a bit odd without a bow. But when you stop to think about it, Noah didn’t need one, as he wasn’t trying to go anywhere. He was just trying to stay afloat. 🙂

  6. What an awesome day! I remember visit Volendam and going to a cheese farm too. There were so many variety of cheeses to try. It is one of those memorable experiences you never forget. Gouda has always been one of my favorite cheeses and trying it from a producer was great. That Noah’s Ark looks interesting!

    • Visiting a cheese farm was definitely one of the highlights because I’m such a cheese fan and like you said, it was a memorable experience. I’d have to say that my favorite type of Gouda is smoked and I was surprised that they didn’t offer it. Do you have a favorite?

  7. I live in the Netherlands, and it’s fun to read an outsider’s view of the place! Kinderdijk is indeed lovely, and the river cruise seems a great way to get a first impression of the Netherlands! In my experience the Dutch aren’t particularly worried about the sea level rising. They seem remarkably confident that they can deal with it, as the world’s experts on water control.

    I’d like to warn your readers about something else, though: taking the cheese home on the plane. Dutch cheese has exactly the same density as plastic explosives, so you are very likely to get your carry-on bag searched going through security. It’s not a problem, because they’ll see it’s just cheese, but it’s worth being aware that it’s likely. If you put it in your checked bag, you run the same risk, so leave it at the surface so anyone opening your bag will see it right away and not mess up your careful packing!

    • Two very good tips about the cheese. I have heard that security doesn’t mind cheese as long as it’s been sliced, but that you may lose your food if it is in a wax-covered ball so they can’t verify what it actually is.

      On a side note, we’ve also learned the hard way that it’s better to put your tripod on TOP of your clothes. The security newbies seem to get a bit nervous when they see a bunch of metal pipes…. 🙂

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