# Kinderdijk The World Heritage windmills half an hour by boat from Rotterdam: two museum mills, a boat trip between the sails and the pumping station. Entry €21, or €32.50 with the WaterShuttle from Rotterdam. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/the-netherlands/kinderdijk · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Kinderdijk is the picture most of the world has of the Netherlands: a row of enormous windmills along a canal, in a green polder lying below the level of the river. But it is no stage set. The mills were built in the 18th century to draw the water out of the polder and pour it into the river Lek, and today, together with the pumping stations that replaced them, they form a water-management system declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Several are still lived in by their millers. You can visit on foot, by bike and by boat, and the best way to arrive is along the river. ## How do I get there from Amsterdam or Rotterdam? From Rotterdam, take the WaterShuttle, a fast boat that leaves from the Erasmus Bridge and drops you at the entrance in about 30 minutes. It costs €9.75 one way and €19.50 return, or €32.50 with entry included. In season it sails daily; in winter, only Friday to Sunday. The other option is bus 489, which leaves from the Kralingse Zoom metro station every half hour, every day, and takes about 35 minutes to Kinderdijk Molenkade. From Amsterdam there is no direct connection: you take a train to Rotterdam, about 40 minutes on the Intercity Direct, and from there the boat, or the metro and the bus. Allow an hour and three quarters door to door. That is why the easiest thing is to do Rotterdam and Kinderdijk on the same day, or to stay overnight in Rotterdam. By car, it is about 95 kilometres from Amsterdam. From mid-March to 1 November you can only park at the Alblasserdam Transferium, with a free shuttle to the entrance, for €9.75; in winter, parking is at the entrance itself, for the same price. The car park is only valid with a ticket to the mills. ## What does the ticket include? The ticket (€21; €9 for ages 4 to 12; 10% off online) covers everything you visit: the two museum mills, Nederwaard and Blokweer, the boat trip between the mills, the Wisboom pumping station, the film and exhibition at the De Fabriek station, and a free audio guide on your phone. Start with the film, which explains in a few minutes what you are looking at, and carry on on foot or by boat, which lets you hop off and on. ## How much time do I need? An hour if you only want to see the mills; two to three hours to do the route with the two museum mills, the boat and the pumping station, and the whole day if you hire a bike and carry on along the polder dykes. It is flat, but the site is large: there is a good walk between the entrance and the Blokweer mill. ## When should I go? From April to October, when there are more boats and the Cruiser, a longer loop around the surrounding area. In winter it opens from 10:30 to 16:00 and closes for a few weeks in January (in 2027, from 4 to 21 January). Go early: the coaches arrive mid-morning. Sunset beside the mills is beautiful, but the site closes earlier. ## Can I take a dog? Yes. Dogs on a lead are allowed throughout the site, in the mills and on the boat; the only place they cannot go is the café in the visitor centre. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Dordrecht (a 8.5 km), Rotterdam (a 11.5 km), Gouda (a 14.6 km), Delft (a 23.6 km) ## Qué hacer - **Nederwaard museum windmill** (30 min · From about age 6 because of the stairs; no wheelchair access · Included in admission · €21 adults · €9 ages 4 to 12): Nederwaard is one of the two museum windmills of Kinderdijk, the closest to the entrance. Inside you see how the miller's family lived, in tiny rooms around the machinery: the kitchen, the cupboard beds, the almost vertical wooden stairs and the gears that turn when the windmill works. The millers are there and answer questions. Practical details It is included in general admission (€21; €9 for ages 4 to 12). The stairs are steep and the entrance narrow, so it is not wheelchair accessible and with small children you have to be careful. Dogs on a lead may go in. - **Boat between the Kinderdijk windmills** (45 min · All ages; wheelchair accessible · Included in the €21 admission): The De Hopper boat travels the canal between the two rows of windmills and stops at several points, so you can get off at a museum windmill and board again at the next one. It is the best way to see the sails from below and to save your legs on a large site. From April to October the Cruiser also runs, with a longer route around the surroundings. Practical details It is included in admission. The boats are wheelchair accessible and dogs come aboard on a lead. In summer, mid-morning, there is a queue at the jetty by the entrance: board further along, at another stop. - **WaterShuttle from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk** (30 min · All ages; accessible · €9.75 single · €19.50 return · €32.50 with admission · ages 4 to 12, half price): The WaterShuttle is a fast boat, not a tourist cruise: it leaves from the jetty at the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam and in about 30 minutes drops you at the entrance to Kinderdijk, with no changes. On the way you see the Rotterdam skyline, the shipyards and the river landscape. Bikes go free. Tickets and season A single costs €9.75 and a return €19.50 (half price for ages 4 to 12; free for under-4s). The combined ticket, with return and admission to the windmills, costs €32.50 (€15 for ages 4 to 12) and does not require you to choose a time: you board the boat that suits you. In season it sails every day; from late October, from Friday to Sunday. On busy days the last boat back fills up: do not leave it too late. - **Blokweer museum windmill, with its cats and rabbits** (45 min · All ages · Included in the €21 admission): Blokweer is the other museum windmill, further from the entrance, reached by boat or by a walk along the dyke. It is quieter and has a small stand where you can have a drink, an ice cream or a snack, with two cats that live in the windmill and, on sunny days, rabbits hopping about on the grass. Inside, like Nederwaard, it shows the miller's life. Practical details Included in general admission. Combine it with the boat, which stops nearby, so you do not have to walk there and back if you are with children. - **Wisboom pumping station and the De Fabriek film** (45 min · All ages · Included in the €21 admission): Before the windmills, go to De Fabriek, a former pumping station beside the entrance: a short film, without words, explains the landscape and why Kinderdijk exists, and an exhibition with maps and tools tells how water has been controlled for centuries. Next door, the Wisboom pumping station shows the next step: the steam pumps that arrived when the windmills were no longer enough, still working and explained by an operator. Practical details Included in admission. It is the best stop for a rainy day and what gives meaning to the rest of the visit. - **Walking and cycling the dykes among the windmills** (2 h · All ages; flat): The Kinderdijk site is a flat polder crossed by paths beside the canals, and on foot or by bike you see the two rows of windmills at your own pace, away from the boat queues. Beyond, the Alblasserwaard is a countryside of dykes, lagoons and small villages, perfect for cycling without hills. Bikes and routes Bikes are not hired out on the site, but are next to the entrance, at Tourist Information Kinderdijk (Molenstraat 232), and at Café De Klok (Molenstraat 117, 500 metres away). If you come from Rotterdam on the WaterShuttle, the bike goes free. There is bike parking at the visitor centre. ## Dónde comer - **Kinderdijk Café, at the visitor centre** (Café, Kinderdijk, €). Qué pedir: a sandwich on the terrace over the water, looking at the first row of windmills. ## As a family: Kinderdijk with the family Kinderdijk is a trip that works for all ages: windmills you can go inside and see the miller's life, a boat that stops where you want and a pumping station with machines that move. Children aged 4 to 12 pay €9. ### What works best The boat between the windmills, with stops The museum windmills Nederwaard and Blokweer The De Fabriek film, without words Arriving on the WaterShuttle from Rotterdam ### Where to sleep Familie Resort Molenwaard, with a pool and farm, by car ### Where to eat Kinderdijk Café, with high chairs The ice-cream kiosk beside the Lek ### Bear in mind The stairs in the windmills are very steep The site is large: use the boat to get back ### Qué hacer as a family - Nederwaard museum windmill - Boat between the Kinderdijk windmills - WaterShuttle from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk - Blokweer museum windmill, with its cats and rabbits - Wisboom pumping station and the De Fabriek film - Walking and cycling the dykes among the windmills ## With young children: Kinderdijk with small children With small children, Kinderdijk is flat countryside, boats and animals. Under-4s pay neither admission nor the WaterShuttle. ### What works best The De Hopper boat, accessible and with stops The cats and rabbits at the Blokweer windmill The WaterShuttle from Rotterdam ### Where to sleep Familie Resort Molenwaard, designed for children ### Where to eat Kinderdijk Café, with high chairs ### Bear in mind Leave the pushchair outside the windmills: the stairs are almost vertical ### Qué hacer with young children - Boat between the Kinderdijk windmills - WaterShuttle from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk - Blokweer museum windmill, with its cats and rabbits - Walking and cycling the dykes among the windmills ## With teenagers: Kinderdijk with teenagers For teenagers, what is interesting about Kinderdijk is understanding how a country lives below river level, and the bike. With a hire bike they can tour the dykes on their own. ### What works best Cycling the Alblasserwaard dykes The Wisboom pumping station The WaterShuttle on the river ### Where to sleep In Rotterdam, half an hour away ### Where to eat Kinderdijk Café ### Bear in mind Drones are banned throughout Kinderdijk ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Nederwaard museum windmill - Boat between the Kinderdijk windmills - WaterShuttle from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk - Wisboom pumping station and the De Fabriek film - Walking and cycling the dykes among the windmills ## Consejos ### Arrive by boat The WaterShuttle from Rotterdam is quicker than the car and drops you at the door. ### The last boat back fills up On busy days the last WaterShuttle to Rotterdam is full: catch one earlier. ### Buy online The ticket is 10% cheaper. ### Bring a bike It goes on the WaterShuttle for free and the dykes are perfect for cycling. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Amsterdam to Kinderdijk? By train to Rotterdam, and from there on the WaterShuttle from the Erasmus Bridge, about 30 minutes, or by metro to Kralingse Zoom and bus 489. In total, around an hour and three quarters. ### How much is the ticket to Kinderdijk? €21 for adults and €9 for ages 4 to 12; under-4s go free. Online, 10% less. ### Can you see the mills without paying? The ticket gives access to the museum mills, the boat and the pumping station; the money goes towards looking after the place. ### Is it open in winter? Yes, from 10:30 to 16:00, except 25 December and a few weeks in January. ### How long do you need at Kinderdijk? Two to three hours to see the main sights; half a day including the journey from Rotterdam. ### Can I take a dog? Yes, on a lead, including on the boat; it just cannot go into the café.