Zaans Museum & Verkade Experience: Tickets, Opening Hours and What to See (2026)

The Zaans Museum is the indoor half of a Zaanse Schans visit: a modern museum at the village entrance (Schansend 7) that tells how this river region became the first industrial area in the world, with Claude Monet’s painting De Voorzaan en de Westerhem (1871) and the Verkade Experience, where you run the 1920s chocolate and biscuit machines yourself. Open daily 10:00–17:00, €17 adults, €9 children 4–17, €14 seniors and students, family €46; free with the Museumkaart and the I amsterdam City Card and included in the Zaanse Schans Card (€29.50). Card payment only.

Entrance of the Zaans Museum at the Zaanse Schans
The Zaans Museum at the village entrance — start here, it is also where you collect the Zaanse Schans Card.
  • Opendaily 10:00–17:00
  • Price€17 adult / €9 child 4–17 / family €46
  • Free withMuseumkaart, I amsterdam City Card
  • Included inZaanse Schans Card (€29.50)
  • Time needed1–1.5 hours

What to see

Monet and the Zaan. In 1871 Claude Monet spent four months in Zaandam and painted 25 canvases of the river, the mills and the green houses. The museum owns De Voorzaan en de Westerhem and shows it with an interactive presentation of all 25 Zaandam Monets and the places where he stood — several of which you can still find on your walk.

The Verkade Experience. Verkade of Zaandam made the Netherlands’ chocolate, biscuits and tea lights for a century. The original packaging lines and machines from the 1920s–1950s stand here and work: you sort biscuits, pack chocolate bars and operate the machines through games at each station, and for a small fee you wrap your own chocolate bar. The Verkade albums with collectible pictures, familiar to every Dutch grandparent, are on display.

Four centuries of the Zaan. Whaling and shipbuilding (Peter the Great came here in 1697 to learn it), the thousand windmills that sawed, pressed and ground for Amsterdam’s merchants, regional costume and 17th-century paintings such as The Man Under the Bear (1668). The current exhibition Wooden Dreams tells how the Zaanse Schans itself was assembled in the 1960s from houses saved across the region.

Allow 1.5 to 2 hours; the Verkade Experience alone keeps children busy for an hour.

The windmills of the Zaanse Schans along the river Zaan
From the museum café you look straight onto the mills — the ideal coffee stop before the dike walk.

Tickets and prices 2026

Ticket Price
Adult €17.00
Child 4–17 €9.00
65+ / student €14.00
Family (2 adults + 2 children) €46.00
Museumkaart / I amsterdam City Card free
Zaanse Schans Card (museum + 2 mills + Zaanse Tijd + Molenmuseum) €29.50 / €20

Audio guide included. Tickets at the desk (card only) or online; the Zaanse Schans Card is exchanged for a wristband at the same desk.

Tip: do the Verkade Experience with children first thing in the morning, when the machines are free; by noon there is a queue for the packing line.

Practical

  • Address: Schansend 7, 1509 AW Zaandam — the large modern building at the car park and bus stop, before you enter the village.
  • Hours: daily 10:00–17:00; closed 25 December and 1 January.
  • Facilities: visitor information, toilets, cloakroom, museum shop, café; fully wheelchair accessible.
  • Order of the day: museum first (it explains what you will see), then the mills, then the boat.

Book this experience

Zaanse Schans Card: Zaans Museum, 2 windmills, clock museum & audio tour (Tiqets) Cheaper than the museum plus two mill tickets.

Windmill cruise, 25 min (Tiqets)

Half-day Zaanse Schans tour from Amsterdam (Tiqets)

Stay nearby

Hotels: near Zaanse Schans

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Zaans Museum?

€17 for adults, €9 for children 4–17, €14 for seniors and students, €46 for a family. Free with Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card.

Is the Zaans Museum included in the Zaanse Schans Card?

Yes, together with two windmills, the Molenmuseum, Museum Zaanse Tijd and an audio tour, for €29.50.

Is the Zaans Museum good for children?

Yes, the Verkade Experience is hands-on: children operate packaging machines and can wrap their own chocolate bar.

How long do you need for the Zaans Museum?

About 1.5 hours; 2 hours with the Verkade Experience and the Monet presentation.

Can I pay cash at the Zaans Museum?

No, card payment only.

Plan the rest of your day