Explore Kinderdijk Windmills: The Perfect Day Trip From Rotterdam

The Kinderdijk windmills scream traditional Netherlands to me and it’s an exquisite place to effortlessly slip into a beautiful Dutch daydream. Especially if you’re seeking a little taste of authentic Netherlands whilst learning some interesting history about this important UNESCO World Heritage site.

A total of 19 picturesque thatch-roofed windmills stand proudly along the banks, creating a charming vista that appears to stretch for miles. Rather remarkably, almost all of them are still inhabited by millers. Even though the more modern pumping stations now take on the responsibility of managing the water levels, you still must have a millers qualification in order to live inside these snug windmills.

We visited Kinderdijk when our MSC Euribia cruise had a port of call at Rotterdam; a unique modern city that we absolutely loved (you can read everything we got up to here!) But one of the activities we factored into our Rotterdam day trip was taking the waterbus over to admire the Kinderdijk windmills!

So whether you’re exploring Rotterdam on a city break, enjoying a flying visit, or visiting as a port-of-call like us; I highly recommend venturing out of the city to visit the nearby beauty of Kinderdijk. It’s one of the Netherlands national treasures, and it makes for such a fun day of site-seeing no matter the season.

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How to get to Kinderdijk from Rotterdam

The easiest way to get to Kinderdijk from Rotterdam, is to take the Waterbus along the Nieuwe Maas river.

We simply hopped on at the Erasmus Waterbus stop, which is located just a stones throw from the beautifully designed and engineered Erasmusbrug (Erasmus bridge). There are a few different boats and routes that use this floating platform, but we took the boat to Molenkade which was Waterbus number 21.

The journey is fairly brisk, it took around 25 minutes and was relatively calm seeing as we did this on a windy December’s day when the water was a tad choppy. We passed some interesting sights along the way including ‘De Ark van Noach’ which looked like Noah’s arc with a wooden giraffe popping out the top. Not something you see everyday!

We purchased our return boat tickets online, but there were some people who were paying for them once onboard. You’ll also be able to find the timetable on their website, or it’s displayed inside the Waterbus shelter on the floating platform. As for the boat, there is a toilet onboard and it has both indoor and outdoor seating which is all first come first served. If you want to guarantee yourself a warmer seat inside, then be sure to arrive in plenty of time so that you’re near the front of the queue.

The Molenkade platform is located pretty much opposite the entrance to Kinderdijk. Once you arrive, simply cross the road and head down towards the visitor centre.

Why was Kinderdijk built?

A large amount of the Netherland’s sits below sea level, with around a quarter of the Netherland’s created from polders – land thats been reclaimed from the sea. Kinderdijk being one.

To solve the flooding problem caused by all this low-laying land, the Dutch engineered these incredible dykes. They lined the banks with windmills which harvested the wind to pump and move the water. This incredible development meant the land became dry, creating additional land to be built on and used for farming. Their creation was so innovative, that other countries around the world copied their design in the hopes of solving their own water level issues.

The windmills power did all the pump work here until eventually steam power took over, which was later replaced with diesel and then finally electric power. Although the mills have to be kept in working order incase the modern equipment goes on the blink. Another reason why residents must have a millers degree so that they know how to work them in the case of an emergency.

Hiring bikes and cycling around the Kinderdijk windmills

A popular thing to do at Kinderdijk is to hire bikes and cycle around the dreamy site, however its worth noting that this activity is seasonal. If you visit during winter like us, you will soon discover the bike rental shop is all packed away, locked up and gone into hibernation for the long cold winter. I understand why, but it was such a shame as we would have loved the option to cycle around (and to be fair, there were still plenty of visitors on this chilly December’s day)

If you’re visiting during peek season in the spring/summer, you will see the big bike hire shop right at the entrance to Kinderdijk – you can’t miss it!

The tarmac path around Kinderdijk is divided into two lanes; a designated bike zone and the other a pedestrian path. Which just helps make it slightly easier to keep out of each others way when it gets busy and a smidge more congested. As this is a big site, you will get to see far more and travel a greater distance during a shorter amount of time by hiring bikes.

Bike hire shop at Kinderdijk windmills — Where all the bikes would have been!

Do you need tickets to visit Kinderdijk?

You don’t need entry tickets to just come and walk around Kinderdijk. Although, if you would like to do either the boat river tour, or head inside the two museum windmills then yes, you will require a ticket.

Tickets can either be purchased from the ticket shop when you arrive, or you can get ahead and buy them online. Queues can quickly form for both activities, so I would advise coming early in the day if you’re wanting to avoid the hustle and bustle. Even during our visit on a freezing cold December’s day, there were quite a few people queuing to take a look inside the windmills.

How long do you need to explore?

In all honestly; this really depends on how much you want to see. If you wanted to leisurely stroll around all the windmills you would probably need to set aside a solid 2 hours, which you could undoubtably halve if you were doing this under pedal power (or there is a 5 mile circular bike route you can take) Having said that, plenty of the windmills are located pretty near to the start, stretching perhaps 1 mile? So if you only wanted a brief visit to see some of them, you could probably see what you need to within half an hour.

If you wanted to do the boat tour and visit the museums then you would need to allow additional time. Perhaps around 4 hours, especially if its busy with queues.

Can you go inside any of the windmills at Kinderdijk?

Most of the windmills are inhabited by millers but if you’re curious to see whats inside, there are two windmills that you can pay to enter. The first museum windmill is called Nederwaard, which was built in 1738. The second (Blokweer) is even older, it was built in 1630 making it over a century older than any of the other mills here at Kinderdijk! If you go to Blockweer you’ll get to experience what life was like living here during the 1950’s and experience how families managed to live and sleep inside such a tiny footprint.

Tuck into something tasty at the Kinderdijk Cafe

As you enter the Kinderdijk site, you will see a sleek glass building which is home to the Kinderdijk cafe and shop. We went inside the cafe to warm up after our chilly walk and had a slice of sweet apple cake, a savoury pastry and hot drink each. The staff were super friendly and the food and drink prices in here were fair. Sometimes places like this can really ramp up the prices, but I wouldn’t say that was the case here.

On a summer’s day I can imagine how gorgeous it would be to sit outside on the cafes veranda whilst soaking in the postcard perfect views of the windmills. There’s even a roof terrace where you can enjoy a slightly higher vantage point.

Visit the gift shop and buy a fun souvenir

Down stairs from the cafe you’ll find the Kinderdijk gift shop (it’s also where the toilets are – your cafe receipt gives you a code to access them). They sold loads of lovely souverniers and gifts in here, from soft toys, to decorative house items. We picked up a Netherlands bicycle keyring to add to our Christmas tree decoration collection.

Is there anything else to do nearby?

We had a little venture into the village, but there wasn’t really anything else we found to do around here (this could be different if you visit in peek season though – as I know you can go into the more modern pumping stations) After our visit, we caught the Waterbus back to Rotterdam and then spent the rest of our time exploring more of the fun, modern city where we:

Took a ride up the Euromast tower
Visited the famous yellow cube houses
Climbed the wall art on Witte de Withstraat street

And loads more! Take a look at everything else we did in Rotterdam here!

Other tips for visiting Kinderdijk

Drones are prohibited which is understandable seeing as these are peoples homes. I’m sure the residents don’t want endless drones flying over their homes daily. So please be respectful of the millers who live here.
There are a few toilets here; at the museums, pump station and cafe – If you buy something you will be given a toilet access code.
It’s a popular place and can get very busy. Get one of the earlier water buses over to try and beat the crowds
Download the free Kinderdijk app and you’ll be able to listen to the audio tour as you make your own self guided way around the site.

Conclusion

I think Kinderdijk is worth a visit no matter what time of year, but it’s perhaps more enjoyable on a warmer day. It was freezing cold when we visited, and incredibly windy from being so exposed- which is great for windmills. We would love to revisit when we can hire bikes and enjoy a sunny afternoon cycling around this magical place.

Overall, it was a great place to venture to during our time in Rotterdam.

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