Kinderdijk near Rotterdam and Dordrecht has the largest collection of historic windmills in the Netherlands. The area is easily explored on foot, but cycling is more fun.
The 19 historic windmills at Kinderdijk near Rotterdam form the largest collection of working windmills in the Netherlands. These windmills, inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, can easily be seen on a short walk, but cycling past them is more fun and allows visitors to explore more of this lovely rural landscape. Bike rentals are available onsite, with the typically flat Dutch landscape providing not much of a challenge, as long as the wind remains calm. Cycling gear and even helmets are completely optional. Dedicated cycling paths provide a safe environment even for inexperienced cyclists. Parking is available at Kinderdijk, while public transportation (bus or watershuttle from Rotterdam) and day-trip tours offer further options.
Despite the prominent ticket office at the entrance, access to most of the Kinderdijk is free. The Kinderdijk tickets (around €22) give access to the interior of two windmills and a short, but lovely, cruise along the canal.
The 19 Historic Windmills at Kinderdijk
The main reason to visit Kinderdijk is to see the 19 historic windmills – the largest collection of historic windmills in the Netherlands. These windmills are on the dikes in the community (gemeente) Molenwaard in Ablasserdam near Rotterdam in South (Zuid) Holland.
Visitors can see the windmills from any of the public paths and walkways along the dike. The mills are privately owned and generally not open to the public. Currently, only two mills are open to the public and included in the Kinderdijk ticket.
Cycling at Kinderdijk
Cycling along the dike is more fun than hiking and, of course, allows visitors to go farther faster. The Ablsasserdam area still has over 50 historic windmills, and cyclists can thus easily see more than just the 19 mills directly at Kinderdijk.
Holland is famously flat, and the only inclines cyclists will experience are on bridges to cross the various waterways. Wind can be more problematic. The windmills were placed here and worked because of frequent strong winds. Strong winds often become apparent only when turning back.
Cycling Routes at Kinderdijk
Several cycling paths are in the immediate vicinity of Kinderdijk for easy and safe access, even to inexperienced cyclists or those out of practice.
Although these cycling paths are not specifically marked for tourist circular routes, it is easy enough to work the routes out and to adjust to conditions.
Easy Cycling Routes at Kinderdijk
A few suggestions, as marked on the map:
- The simplest route (green / line 1) is to simply cycle straight along the dike past the windmills. This path starts right from the information center and souvenir shop with bike rental. Although it is a cycling route, watch out for the huge number of tourists who stray off the pedestrian paths onto the cycling route. Once past the first set of mills, pedestrians are mostly absent.
Turn back whenever – the route on the map is marked to the red marker, which is 3.5 km from the Kinderdijk windmills information center. Of course, visitors with less time or stamina (or on windy days) could simply turn back earlier.
- Line 2 (purple) is an alternative to simply going back the same way. It is hardly longer and gives views from the eastern side of the windmills.
- Line 3 (black) goes all the way to Zijdeweg with further historic windmills. This option is around 20 km.
- Line 4 (yellow) passes through lovely rural landscapes with large farms and small, typical Dutch houses – all very neat and proper. Much of this route is on public roads, which are little used and thus relatively safe even when cycling with smaller children.
These routes can easily be adapted with many options available for shortcuts or to make detours to anywhere looking interesting. Bike rental shops usually have detailed cycling maps, and tourist information offices suggest routes of interest to travelers not necessarily looking for the shortest or fastest routes.
Renting Bicycles at the Kinderdijk Windmills
Bicycles can be rented at the café De Klok just down the road from the entrance to Kinderdijk. Rental is €10, irrespective of the duration, and reservations are not possible. It is an ideal option for anyone just wanting a quick, fun cycle. The Café is usually open from around 11 am.
Bike Rentals Near Kinderdijk in Holland
The green standard bikes from the café work fine on the flat Dutch landscape, but for longer distance cycling, it may be a better option to rent elsewhere. Many tourist information offices and rental shops at train stations rent out bicycles. Children’s bicycles, tandems, e-bikes, and geared bikes are usually available and in good condition.
Two easy options that take reservations – useful for tandems or any other special bikes – are:
- The Tourist Info Alblasserdam – De Portier, Zuiderstek, 2952 AZ Alblasserdam, has bicycles for rent, usually daily from March to October (rest of the year on a day’s notice). The office is near the Ablasserdam Veer Kade stop of the Waterbus 20 between Rotterdam and Dordrecht. Ample free parking is also available, making it a great option for drivers. (Parking at Kinderdijk is €10, and it can be crowded on busy days.) From here is around a 3 km cycle to the southern ends of the windmills (at the red sign shown above). The tourist office has great maps for the most picturesque routes of various lengths.
- Bicycles can also be rented directly in Dordrecht – an easy 15-km cycle from Kinderdijk and a great option when arriving by train.
Cycling from central Rotterdam should take around an hour. However, this 15-km distance requires a lot of city cycling and a ferry crossing to reach Kinderdijk.
Helmets are not obligatory when cycling in Holland, and very few Dutch would use one except when participating in or practicing for races. However, most bike rental stations have helmets available for free or at a small fee.
Transportation to Kinderdijk
Kinderdijk is easily reached by car – note the small car ferry directly at Kinderdijk that connects Veerkade (south) with Hoofdstraat in Krimpen aan de Lek (north of the Lek River). It is often the easiest route, but not included in all online navigation systems. Car ferries further to the east of Kinderdijk are also a faster way to reach the northern shores of the Lek than going all the way to a normal road bridge.
Parking is available directly at Kinderdijk for a charge of around €10 per day. Free parking can be found further away, but do note the parking restrictions – locals are quick to call the police on illegally parked cars, or cars parked on private property.
By public transportation, Kinderdijk is usually easiest reached on the direct watershuttle from Rotterdam (30 minutes), or the waterbus to Ablasserdam with bike rental. Qbuzz R-net Bus 489 is the local public bus line stopping at Kinderdijk. It is frequent and reliable, but multiple transfers are often needed to reach central Rotterdam in about an hour. Cycling from a nearby station may often be the better option.
→ See Visit Kinderdijk to See the Largest Collection of Working Historical Windmills in Holland for more transportation details.
Further seasonal boat cruises, especially from Rotterdam and Dordrecht, and bus day-trip tours are available from most cities in the Netherlands to Kinderdijk.
An alternative to Kinderdijk is the historic windmills at Zaanse Schans in North (Noord) Holland. It is closer to Amsterdam and very popular with day-trip tour excursions from the Dutch capital.
For More on Seeing Windmills in the Netherlands:
- Visit Kinderdijk to See the Largest Collection of Working Historical Windmills in Holland — including transportation details.
- Book Day-Trip Tours to Kinderdijk
- Book Watershuttle boat trips from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk.
- Buy the Kinderdijk UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Ticket
- Visit the historical windmills at Zaanse Schans on public transportation from Amsterdam.
- More Photos of Kinderdijk on Flickr
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