Windmills and cheese

Up on the first floor of De Kat windmill, the stones thrum and the room smells of linseed; outside, the sails carve the North Sea breeze just as they did in 1782. A short walk traces old Zaan shipyards and green-timbered houses, where mills once sawed planks, ground pigments and pressed oils that fueled Amsterdam’s Golden Age trade. From Julianabrug, the gabled facades line up like a measuring stick, and small boats slide upriver toward Wormerveer, only a couple of miles away.

For the day, your dedicated driver collects you in Amsterdam and handles the transfers while you tour and taste. A Mercedes is at your disposal: about 25 minutes to Zaanse Schans, then roughly 20 to Edam via the N247. Stop at a clog workshop, then head to an Edam dairy to compare 4-, 10- and 18‑month wheels. While you sample, the driver waits and tweaks timing; the return can loop through Monnickendam if you want to catch the summer Wednesday cheese market.