The Mills of Kinderdijk are not to be missed in the Netherlands! Visit the unique UNESCO Kinderdijk

Surely the mills of Kinderdijk are world-famous and one of the most beautiful pieces of the Netherlands. At least among tourists because there are plenty of Dutch people who have never heard of Kinderdijk to my surprise. When I then show them a photo, more than half of them still say. Oh yes, I do know that 🙂 Thank goodness!

The Mills of Kinderdijk – UNESCO WORLDHERITAGE

After all, who does not know the postcards of this row of imposing Kinderdijk windmills?

It had been on my bucket list for inside the Netherlands for a while for that reason. I always kind of felt it was for tourists. That it was kind of made for it or something…But nothing could be further from the truth I read when I started looking into it.

UNESCO Heritage Site Kinderdijk – The Netherlands at its most beautiful!

Can you imagine that you sit in your backyard and this is your view? I cycled on the mainstreet of Kinderdijk and looked in between the  houses and to my surprise this was what I saw!

History of Kinderdijk

The windmills all line up so nicely along the water, as if they are there to pose for the many photos taken by the thousands of tourists there every time.

But why are the mills there so close together? I honestly didn’t know and when I figured it out, of course it made sense. It’s what the Netherlands is so well known for in the rest of the world. Poldering.

These mills were once built to pump up water from lower-lying polders such as Alblasserwaard. The mills could each raise the water about 140 cm higher, to the adjacent water. So it actually had a function that could be vital for local residents. There are about 19 mills in the relatively small area. Because two rivers run parallel for a while at Kinderdijk and there is a branch line, there are many mills here on a small piece of land doing a lot of work.

How happy we are now with this state of affairs earlier…. Maybe the residents of Kinderdijk sometimes a little less….their village is flooded with tourists from all over the world…but I loved being there for a while.

I was on a roadtrip and hopped along Kinderdijk on my way back

Coming back from Belgium with the campervan, I had also visited Willemstad. Such a great star-shaped fortified town, I love it when the history drips off such a town. As I drove on, I suddenly saw the Kinderdijk exit on the signs. Well…I couldn’t drive past that without taking a look.

How does Kinderdijk got his name?

There are more then one stories about this but the one I was told is about a Child. An acquaintance I met in Malaysia when I did some volunteering lives near Rotterdam and so also near Kinderdijk. She told me that they learned about the story of Kinderdijk when they were little at school. The story was that someone had seen a cradle in the water.

This was at the time the big st. Elisabeth flood had flooded the land. They saw it floating and they didn’t had any hope that the child that had been in there was still alive. But when it got closer trhey also saw a cat. The cat was walking back and forward to keep the balance of the cradle so it didn’t got water in it. When they finally got a hold of the cradle and got it out of the water they were surprised to see a baby peacefully sleeping. The baby was still dry inside the cradle.

Other stories are about child  labour, a family with a lot of children or that this dike was to small and low and for that reason got the nickname of being the child amongst dikes.

Of course, you can get a nice scoop ice cream on the grounds, by the bridge! And yes… The ice cream man was delightfully traditionally dressed and on clogs 🙂

Costs and admission Mills of Kinderdijk

Entrance fee for Mills of Kinderdijk

Prices 2025 – For adults, the ticket is €19.50 and for children 4t/m 12 years it is €8.00. Up to and including 3 years, children can come along for free. For this price, you can visit the windmills, join a boat trip, visit the Wisboom pumping station and watch a film that takes you into the background of Kinderdijk’s windmills.

Plan your visit in time and buy your ticket to Mills of Kinderdijk

Hiking and Cycling at Mills of Kinderdijk

You can walk for free at Kinderdijk. You don’t have to pay an entrance fee if you just go for a walk or bike ride among Kinderdijk’s windmills. I went cycling because I had it with me, on the back of the motorhome! Advantage of a little road trip with motorhome 🙂

For campers, they possibly have a special car park accessible from 8am to 6pm, staying during the night is unfortunately not allowed here. Cost for parking there is €9.50.

The weather was super and the place was overflowing with tourists. It would obviously be nicer if you are there on a less busy day but I don’t even know if I had that less busy day right either…. There are busloads of tourists coming every day….

You can get a map of Kinderdijk at the information centre. You might want to get that for the other information it offers because the area itself is very clear. All the mills are along the water you walk past as you walk across the Molenkade Nederweerd into the area.

UNESCO Heritage – Mills of Kinderdijk

I really thought it was a super area. As you see it in the best photos….ja…that’s what it really looks like! I was really pleasantly surprised! Sometimes something does want to disappoint huh? When you’ve searched for it before and looked at the most beautiful photos of it. But say it yourself! This is amazing!

Oh yes…ofcourse I did a Yoga pose here too 😉

How long do you need for your visit Kinderdijk

At least part of a day will be lost if you want to see Kinderdijk properly.

A path has been created for cyclists and a path for walkers. At some point it does become 1 path but it was no longer too busy at that point. Also because there would have been a branch with a bridge and a side road.

 I only spent an hour walking around and cycling there, lovely! I definitely could have been there for another hour or two. Past the first bridge I went and there you could still walk down a whole path.

If you have an afternoon and can walk a few kilometres, that’s a good option to see the area properly!

Overnight stay near Mills of Kinderdijk?

Theetuin Onder de Pannen is just over 1.5 km from Kinderdijk, making it a perfect place to explore the area. They offer bikes for use so you can do that at your leisure too, how nice!

Or are you looking for some wellness after a day of walking and cycling? Then book this Kapiteinhut in Lekkerkerk where you have a lovely private sauna at your disposal.

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Do you want to read more about The Netherlands?

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Intertidal Walk through the Waddensea – UNESCO

The Famous Village of Volendam

Or visit my Netherlands Page