Visiting the Kinderdijk mills

Are you thinking about visiting the Kinderijk Mills? What to expect?

The village of Kinderdijk is located in South Holland and is known worldwide for the Kinderdijkse Mills. These 19 windmills have been on the World Heritage List of UNESCO since 1997 and form an important tourist attraction in the Netherlands.

Kinderijk is on a corner where the rivers Lek and the Noord meet. Water management has been used here intensively since the Middle Ages. You will find a large number of dikes, storage reservoirs and gas stations in and around the village. Some providers of excursions take this part with them when they visit Kinderdijk, but the majority of tourists see no more than the mills. If you do not feel like standing in line during your visit to Kinderdijk, then it is advisable to order your tickets online in advance.

Parking at Kinderdijk

Whoever wants to visit the Kinderdijk windmills must bear in mind that parking space is rather limited and that in the season (which runs until the end of October) parking must be paid. Parking on the Lekdijk is prohibited. No matter how tempting it looks to park the car here, don’t do it if you don’t want a parking fine.

The mills are in an area where you cannot drive by car. There are three ways to view the mills: on foot, by bike and from 1 April to 1 October also by a round-trip of approximately half an hour. At the beginning of the dike opposite Kantine you get on the Molenhoek. No reservation is required.

Going into a mill

Mill 2 of the Nederwaard is a visit mill. This mill can be visited daily throughout the year for a fee, with the exception of a few days such as Christmas Day and days that are used for maintenance. Starting in 2015, one ticket will be used, giving you access to the Museum Mill Blokweer, Museum Mill Nederwaard and the multiscreen film in the Visitor Center Wisboomgemaal.

Photographing at Kinderdijk Mills

Photographers who want to grind beautiful photos of the mills can best do that early in the morning, after sunrise. If you are lucky you will get mist above the water in addition to beautiful sunlight, which gives the photos more atmosphere. The chance of this is especially present in early spring and late autumn, when the nights are relatively cold and there is sufficient moisture in the air. By going early you can avoid the bus loads of tourists visiting Kinderdijk on busy days.