Note: Currently the museum mill is being repainted, and not open for public!
Of the 19 Kinderdijk windmills one is open for public to visit. Windmill no. 2 of the Nederwaard (western) side, about 5 – 10 minutes walk from the central parking. The windmill dating from 1738 is open daily from half of March up to the last Sunday of October from 9.30 to 17.30 hour. From November to March it is only open in weekends from 11.00 to 16.00 hour. The entrance rate is € 6,00 p.p. and € 4,50 p.p. for groups of more than 20 persons. Children from 6 - 12 pay € 4,00 p.p. and kids group rate is € 3,00 p.p. Children aged 0 – 5 jaar can visit the sites freely. With the entranceticket you can also visit the Wisboom pump house. It has the same opening hours as the visitor's mill.
Outside regular opening hours both can be visited on reservation, with calculation of a minimum of 20 participants.
Individual visitors can always take a look, groups are advised to make reservations. Specifically when the Keukenhof is open for public from April to half of May, it can be rather crowded from 9.30 - 11.00 and from 15.00 - 17.30. In peak hours timeslots are used and booked groups have preference.
Unlimited parking on the central parking of the World Heritage is € 5,00 for cars and € 12,50 for touringcars. On the dike parking is free and in weekends you can park at the IHC shipyard parking, some 800 meters before the entrance. Paid parking is only administered when the visitor's mill is open. A Kinderdijkmap is handed out at paid parking. This is normally € 1,00.
Kinderdijk World Heritage Foundation
The Elshout-Kinderdijk windmill area was added to the Unesco list in 1997. Since then the monumental character of the mill complex is guarded by the Kinderdijk World Heritage Foundation. The ongoing watermanagement activities are still carried out by the Waterboard; in this district the Rivierenland Waterboard, running from Kinderdijk up to the German border.
The watermanagement requirements are always the guideline for current and planned touristical or other activities.
Even though many tourleaders and visitors may think the windmills are placed here purely for their entertainment; for then and now safety is top priority. Likewise the planned sandsculpture festival planned for 2009, could not continue because the weight of all this sand would undermine the stability of the quais.
The Kinderdijk Foundation uses the revenues of the windmill entrance and endeavours to gain funds from other sources for the restaurations and regular maintenance of the mills.
Also several new projects are initiated, a Kinderdijk shipwharf, a restauration workshop better suited for group education and a new show for individual visitors; to gain more income and be able to present the windmills better to the public!
website stichting werelderfgoed kinderdijk
Many possibilities from guided walks, boat tours, bike tours, educational visits, to rivercruise programs...
Below you find a range of excursions. If you need more detailed information on a topic please mail us ...
Many different school- and educational visits are possible. In the dike warehouse an educational exhibition by the Waterboard can be seen (Dutch with translation brochures in 3 languages). Quizes and puzzle routes can be done. Bike tours can take groups further through the Windmill District revealing more about what these windmills actually do and showing the whole infrastructure. Did you know there used to be 150 windmills here, many of them cooperating in a wide water pumping grid and communicating together?
Bike tours are very popular with scholars from Belgium and France and f.e. yearly an average of 50 groups of the People2People-organisation come day after day for a fun bike tour, combined with picknick and soccermeeting with the local guys. The more end up in a ditch the more memorable the visit! Watermanagement education is possible in a large variety. Presentations on the electroboat and guided walks, but also expertmeetings on specific topics can be arranged.
The Alblasserwaard district is known for its dredgers and shipbuilders and many world leading companies stem from this area, coming up with innovations exported worldwide.
On motorway A15 take exit 22 Alblasserdam - Kinderdijk. Right from the exit follow the special windmill signs, also mentioning the distance to the central parking of the windmill park.
At your right hand you enter the parking. It is a paid parking; € 5,= per car for a day; the parking address is Nederwaard 1.
for wisboom pump house & electroboat
From the central parking walk across the modern 'Overwaardgemaal' and turn right for the bicycle shed, the mediashow in the 'Wisboomgemaal' or the electroboat tour. When agreed the boat can also start at the central parking or visitor's mill dock.
