EXPLORE NETHERLANDS IN 6 DAYS – DAY 3
Richie and I were holidaying in the Netherlands for 5 days. The Netherlands is a relatively small country in Europe, but packed with many great attractions, that you can see in day-trips from Amsterdam. We planned like this: the first 2 days exploring Amsterdam city, then 1 day-trip to Kinderdijk Windmills and Rotterdam, 1 day-trip to Texel, and the last day relaxing in an unusual accommodation in Amsterdam. This particular blog will help you decide how to plan a visit to the UNESCO-listed Kinderdijk Windmill Complex and the funky city of Rotterdam while keeping Amsterdam as a base of your day-trip.
Highlights of the Day
- UNESCO-Listed Kinderdijk Windmills
- Rotterdam City Sightseeing
What Is Interesting About Kinderdijk?
Kinderdijk windmill complex is very unique in the world. The area once was below sea level when it was one big peat bog, trapped between raging rivers and the fury of the sea. But a constant struggle between human brains and the power of the water had been successful in keeping the soil dry here for more than 1,000 years now. UNESCO declared the area as World Heritage Site in 1997 because of the sustainable blend of nature and technology using an ingenious system of windmills and pumping stations that has kept the area dry despite serious water problems. Now the whole world can visit and experience how the Dutch have been so clever in dealing with the water that surrounds them.
How To Get to Kinderdijk from Amsterdam?
You can always hire a private taxi to reach Kinderdijk directly from Amsterdam, which is 100 km away. This is an expensive option. We opted for the budget-friendly option. We boarded various public transports to reach Kinderdijk from Amsterdam.
- First, we walked to the Amsterdam Centraal station from our hostel – Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen, which is within a distance of 1.5 km. Then, we boarded train to Schiphol Airport station.
- Plenty of trains ply from Schiphol to Rotterdam, we got into one of them.
- Next, we took a tram from Rotterdam Centraal station to Erasmusbrug.
- There are waterbuses from Erasmusbrug to Kinderdijk. There are two options that you can choose from:
Option 1: Waterbus line 202 will navigate from Rotterdam Erasmusbrug and Dordrecht Merwekade to Kinderdijk. Within 10 min, you will walk straight into Kinderdijk.
Option 2: Take the Waterbus line 20 to stopover Ridderkerk, De Schans. Here, you are awaited by the Driehoeksveer Triangle Ferry, which will take you to Kinderdijk in under 5 min. Walk straight into Kinderdijk.
The second option is more frequent, so we chose to opt that.
There is another way to get to Kinderdijk from Rotterdam Centraal. Take a train from there to Rotterdam Lombardijen station. From there, board bus no. 90 or 93 to Kinderdijk bus stop, and walk to the site.
UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kinderdijk
If the Dutch people would have allowed nature to run its course, then 40% of the Netherlands would have been flooded, and 60% would have been under threat from the waters!
The Dutch have always depended on the water, for all possible reasons, such as agriculture, trade, and transport. That is why they have spent centuries finding realistic, authentic, and relevant ways of dealing with all of this water. As these areas are below sea level, throughout the ages, the Dutch people who lived in these areas had to come up with skillful solutions to stave off disasters. Now as the climate is changing and water level is rising, the aquatic tradition of Kinderdijk has become an important chapter in the story of humankind. It is a must-visit when you are in Netherlands – there is a small entrance fee of €8 plus an additional fee of €5.5 for the boat tour.
The UNESCO-listed windmill site of Kinderdijk is associated with the water technology – dikes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings, and a series of beautifully preserved windmills.
Do You Know What Is Clog?
Clogs are wooden shows, locally called Klompen. They helped in protecting feet while working in farms, mines, and factories. They form an important part of Dutch culture, though you will not find many people in the Netherlands wearing these anymore.
Rotterdam City Sightseeing
After Kinderdijk, we spent good amount of time in Rotterdam. We saw places around this funky little port town, often overshadowed by Amsterdam. The city prides itself on its unique architecture, art, food
We took a metro to Blaak station. Cubic Houses and Markthall of Rotterdam are located close to each other just outside the station.
Finally, we headed to Rotterdam Central station taking a metro. Then from there, we took an intercity direct train back to Amsterdam.
Upon reaching Amsterdam Centraal station, we picked up our favorite dinner from Maoz Vegetarian Restaurant. It is the usual yet delicious Lebanese pita sandwich with falafel, hummus, and choice of veggies and salads. We spent some time strolling by the Dam Square and Red Light District before crashing to our hostel.
NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN EUR)
Let us have a look at the expenses of Day 3 in The Netherlands – Day-Trip to Kinderdijk and Rotterdam from Amsterdam.
- Stay at Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen (1 night) for twin sharing: 50
- Food at La Place, Maoz, and snacks at Markthall: 30
- Public transport (overall): 65.5
- Entrance fee of Kinderdijk with boat tour: 13.5
- Miscellaneous: 10
Total expense (roughly): 169 EUR
For a more customized itinerary, whether for solo or couple or group of any number of people, feel free to contact me on Contact Us page.
If you are planning for a much-organized, tastefully-curated, stress-free yet exciting vacation, consider booking your holidays at Travel Love Repeat. It is going to be a treat for sure!
I’ve only visited Amsterdam in the Netherlands and wasn’t familiar with Kinderdijk (but was with Dutch windmills) but would love to visit. This post is so detailed – down to the daily budget.
Oh yes Catherine, you must visit Kinderdijk next time you are in the Netherlands. It’s a great history dose for the kids as well 😉
That’s an interesting article and full of useful information, sometimes we forget that there are many beautiful places beyond the key European capitals!
Yes, exactly, we should definitely visit them. I have made a list of such places and want to tick them off my list soon. Will share them as well.
The Noah’s ark lookalike is quite neat with the giraffe standing there! The windmills sound like quite an interesting part of history, I did not know that they had a water problem there and have been draining the area for so long!
Oh, the Dutchies had a major problem with water, but they were too smart to deal with it, which is why it is UNESCO-listed. Great history behind all these!
Omg! So beautiful – I would love to go there one day. The windmills are so photogen! Thanks for sharing this with us
I am glad you liked ’em.
This is a great day trip! I loved the cubik house in Rotterdam, it’s so iconic and colourful too. Love your photos, especially of the big clogs!
Thanks so much. I am glad to know you liked ’em.
This sounds like a great day trip – I have been to Amsterdam, but never Rotterdam, and I didn’t even know Kinderdijk existed! I was thinking about doing a challenge of seeing all the UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world, and this one looks beautiful. Interesting to read that it used to be below sea level! x
Totally.
I luv the structure of ur blog so much .u cover every single detail and I luv the places u chose too.. Have bookmarked this blog
Thank you so much Ritika!
I remember going to Kinderdijk and Rotterdam on a guided bus tour and that was probably the first (and the last time) in our lives that we took a guided tour. I did not like the fact that we did not have the flexibility to explore the towns at our own pace and stroll around and get lost in the streets. I love those colourful tilted houses in Rotterdam and the windmills are an iconic thing in Amsterdam. Thank you for bringing back great memories of our trip from 5 years ago!
It is sometimes nice to go on an organized tour, but the flexibility with time becomes a challenge, I agree.
Oh wow! Finally, a firsthand info about the famous windmills. Thanks for sharing. I often dream about visiting this place. At least now, I have an idea on how to get there. Will surely add this to my bucketlist.
Surely Neil, you must visit soon!
A very interesting and informative post. I have actually not heard about Kinderdijk Windmills before this. Such a beautiful place. That Santaclaus statue was hilarious and Johan’s Ark seems interesting! Rotterdam seems lovely too with those markets and buildings. Definitely need to visit soon!
Yes, Holland has so many hidden gems, this is definitely one of them!
Very interesting how the Dutch addressed their water problems with an impressive engineering feat. I would like to visit Rotterdam someday to see those Cubic Houses. My family had the same experience last year with The Hague as our base day tripping to Amsterdam and Lisse (for Keukenhof).
Oh definitely Ash, I bet you would love to spend your day there!
We had gone to Netherlands last year. However, couldn’t take trip around Rotterdam. I remember while on our way to the Tulip fields from Amsterdam we came across similar picture perfect small houses tucked amidst greenery and people boating around in their backyard on the weekend. It seemed like just that perfect world we all starve for 🙂
Wow Neha, so you went to Keukenhof?
My colleague recently visited Kinderdijk and ever since I saw the windmills, I was hooked to the place. That and Rotterdam. I was aware that it was one of the major European ports but the Cubic Houses and Markthall I wasn’t aware of. They sound like amazing places to visit. I wish I could also stay a while at the “lovely hidden gem” you found while cruising. Looks so romantic 🙂
Oh yes Swati, these places are romantic indeed!
I love this part of Netherlands and I am a regular visitor here. I love the Kinderdijk and been here several times and love to cycle and do some running in the area whilst checking out the windmills at the same time. However I am not a fan of Rotterdam, to me, its just another city however my favourite thing was checking out the Cubic Houses. I went inside one and the layout of the inside is just weird and kept banging my head on the staircase. This blog post and photos sure did bring back some great memories. 🙂
It was so much of fun, Danik.