Regional museum at the entrance to the Zaanse Schans covering trade, industry, and domestic life in the Zaanstreek – with the Verkade Experience and a Monet room.
May 30, 2026 – October 11, 2026
Cabinet exhibition on two forgotten women artists from the Zaanstreek: portraits and lithographs by Nelly Honig and still lifes by Tine Honig, mostly on loan from the family.
September 19, 2026 – November 20, 2026
Participatory project: Thursdays to Saturdays from 11:00 to 16:00, visitors work on the North Holland section of a nationwide tapestry about the history of Dutch slavery, accompanied by conversations and readings.
October 30, 2026 – May 2, 2027
Illustrator Geertje Aalders responds with paper cuttings to the Verkade collector’s albums by nature educator Jac. P. Thijsse.
June 6, 2026 – September 6, 2027
Exhibition on how the Zaanse Schans came about as a rescue project for endangered wooden houses and windmills, and on its role as a symbol of Holland.
The core of the museum is a collection that goes back to an exhibition in Zaandam in 1874 and was then cared for by a local antiquarian society for many years. The Zaans Museum was founded as an institution in 1994 to bring the region’s heritage together in one central place.
In 1998 the museum opened in a modern new building designed by architect Cor van Hillo, right at the entrance to the Zaanse Schans. Since then it has been adding its own acquisitions to the historical collection. An extension was added in 2009 to house the company collection of the Zaandam confectionery maker Verkade; this became the Verkade Experience, with working machines from an early 20th-century chocolate and cookie factory.
The museum tells how the Zaanstreek, with its hundreds of windmills, became one of the earliest industrial areas in Europe, and it shows traditional costumes, painted furniture, and domestic interiors as well as products of well-known Zaan companies. One focus is Claude Monet’s stay in Zaandam in 1871: the museum owns one of the paintings he made there and presents this period of his work in detail. The Zaans Museum also includes the Czaar Peterhuisje in the center of Zaandam and the Hembrug Museum.
| Adults | €17 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €14Seniors 65 and older, students, and CJP cardholders |
| Children & teens | €9free up to age 3 · Children and teens ages 4 through 17 €9; up to age 3 free. |
| Seniors | €14Ages 65 and older. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Companions get free admission. |
| Students & apprentices | €14Students and CJP cardholders. |
| Groups (10+ people) | –Group visits and guided tours for 10 or more people via sales@zaansmuseum.nl; group prices for the Zaanse Schans ticket €26.55 (adults) and €18 (children). |
| Families | €46Family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children. |
| Zaanse Schans ticket (Zaans Museum, Wevershuis, Kuiperij, Museum Zaanse Tijd, Stijlkamer Kalverringdijk, Molenmuseum, 2 windmills, audio tour) | €29.50Children ages 4–17 €20; with the Museumkaart free admission to the museums, but not to the windmills. |
| Familietour (innovation toolbox) | €5Per family in addition to admission, available at the ticket desk. |
Free with the Museumkaart; also free with the I amsterdam City Card, Rembrandtkaart, VriendenLoterij VIP-kaart, and ICOM card (scan your card at the ticket desk). Audio tour included in the ticket. Card payment only in the museum (debit or credit card). A combination ticket with EBS bus lines 800/801 (“Combinatieticket MeerPlus & Zaanse Schans”) is available.
All floors are accessible by elevator; very large or tilting wheelchairs do not always fit in the elevator. A limited number of loaner wheelchairs can be reserved at +31 75 681 0000 or info@zaansmuseum.nl. Several accessible parking spaces near the museum entrance.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €46 · Family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children. |
Family tour bookable daily for families with children ages 6 and up: with an innovation toolbox, families explore the inventions of the Zaanstreek. Historic factory machines run in the Verkade Experience; hands-on activities during school holidays.
Zaanse Schans (Bus, neben dem Museum)
NS station Zaandijk Zaanse Schans (approx. 17 min. from Amsterdam Centraal) is within walking distance; EBS bus lines 800 (express from Amsterdam Centraal) and 801 stop right next to the Zaans Museum, about every 15 minutes during the day.
Paid parking
Zaanse Schans parking lot (open 8:00–19:00), flat rate of €15 per visit for cars, €55 for tour buses. No spaces for RVs.
GPS address: Schansend 7, Zaandam. The museum’s website still lists the former bus line 391; according to the Zaanse Schans, EBS lines 800/801 now serve the site.
Get directionsMuseumCafé with a view of the windmill panorama (free Wi-Fi); MuseumShop with Zaan souvenirs and the museum’s own design products. The museum also houses the Zaanse Schans information center (with lost and found).
Up to 225 guests.
Verkadezaal (100 m², 30–80 people), full Verkadezaal (175 m², up to 225 people, evenings from 17:00 with catering), and MuseumCafé (up to 120 people, evenings from 17:00); meeting package for up to 25 people. Suitable for meetings, presentations, receptions, dinners, birthdays, and family celebrations.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours only for groups of 10 or more by reservation (sales@zaansmuseum.nl): Zaanse Schans walking tour approx. 1.5 hrs. (€12 in Dutch, €14 in other languages), “Typisch Hollands” with a windmill and the Wevershuis approx. 1 hr. 45 min.; languages: Dutch, English, German, French, and Czech. Digital audio tour and interactive map included in the ticket. Programs for primary and secondary schools and for after-school care (BSO). |
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