Kinderdijk brings together 19 windmills lined up along two canals in the polders of the Alblasserwaard, about 15 kilometres east of Rotterdam. Sixteen of them were built between 1738 and 1740 to pump water from the low-lying land into storage basins and then into the river: it is the largest group of historic windmills in the Netherlands, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Walking along the mills is free; the ticket gives access to two museum mills, the Wisboom pumping station, a film and a boat tour. Allow half a day on site and a full day including the journey.
Highlights
The windmill path
A paved path runs along the Nederwaard and Overwaard canals: eight brick mills from 1738 on one side, eight thatched mills from 1740 on the other. The walk, on foot or by bike, is open and free, and it gives the best-known views, with the mills reflected in the water.
The Nederwaard and Blokweer museum mills
Most of the mills are still lived in by millers. Two can be visited with the ticket: the Nederwaard mill shows the life of a miller's family around 1900, and the Blokweer, whose current mill dates from 1630, life in the 1950s, with a floating exhibition on water management next to it.
The boat tour and the Wisboom station
The boat, included in the ticket, passes the mills on the water. The Wisboom steam pumping station, from 1868, shows how machines took over from the mills; in the former De Fabriek station, a film tells the story of the Dutch fight against water.
Tickets and opening hours
Tickets cost €21 for adults, €9 for ages 4 to 12 and are free under 4, with a 10% discount online. From 6 March to 1 November 2026 the site is open daily from 9am to 5.30pm; from 2 November to 31 December, from 10.30am to 4pm; closed on 25 December. From January to early March, it opens only a few days a week: check the Kinderdijk website before you go.
Infos pratiques
Tips
The WaterShuttle combination ticket (return boat from Rotterdam and all visits) costs €32.50 for adults and €15 for ages 4 to 12. The mills mostly turn on windy days and during Windmill Days (in 2026: Saturdays 3 October, 7 November and 5 December, 1pm to 5.30pm). Prices checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Visitor centre: Nederwaard 1b, 2961 AS Kinderdijk. From Amsterdam, take the train to Rotterdam Centraal (about 1 hr 10 min by Intercity from Amsterdam Centraal, or under 40 minutes by Intercity Direct from Amsterdam Zuid, with a supplement). By boat: the WaterShuttle leaves from the Erasmusbrug pier (Willemskade) and reaches Kinderdijk in about 30 minutes, €9.75 single, €19.50 return, card payment only (OV-chipkaart and OVpay are not accepted). In 2026 it sails daily in season, then only on certain days in winter: check the timetable. Another option: waterbus 20 to Ridderkerk De Schans, then the small Driehoeksveer ferry. By bus: Qbuzz line 489 from Rotterdam Kralingse Zoom metro station, twice an hour, about 35 minutes to the Kinderdijk Molenkade stop. By car, from mid-March to early November, park at the Alblasserdam Transferium (€9.75, free shuttle).
Opening hours
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