The beautiful European village that's about to hit visitors with £15 tourist tax

Located just outside Amsterdam, this charming village is famous for its iconic windmills, canals and traditional wooden houses. Despite its small size and a population of only 100 residents, this spot has been attracting more and more visitors. In 2024, 2.6 million tourists visited the small village, a number which is only expected to rise in 2025.

To tackle the overwhelming crowds and preserve its delicate heritage, the historic village of Zaanse Schans has announced that starting in Spring 2026, it will be charging visitors an entry fee of £15. By introducing this tourist tax, local authorities plan to use the money collected to maintain the working windmills and new infrastructure like parking and new toilets that will improve the experience of both visitors and local villagers.

The ticket will grant access to the museum and the inside of the windmills. These attractions currently require separate fees.

Residents and select groups will continue to enjoy free entry, but people will need to book online in advance.

The village's narrow streets and pathways will also have restricted access to ensure visitor numbers are controlled effectively.

The oldest mill dates back to 1609 and the oldest house was built in 1623 and these centuries old structures are part of what makes the village such a major draw for tourists.

Marieke Verweij, the director of the village museum told the BBC: "In 2017 we had 1.7 million visitors... this year we're heading for 2.8 million.

"But this is a small place! We just don't have room for all these people!"

Verweij added that this is having an impact on the lives of those living in the Dutch cottages and their quality of life.

"[The visitors often] don't know that people live here so they walk into their gardens, they walk into their houses, they pee into their gardens, they knock on doors, they take pictures, they use selfie sticks to peek into the houses. So no privacy at all."

Not everyone is thrilled with the decision, however. Some local shop owners fear the fee could discourage visitors and have a negative effect on small businesses.

Sterre Schaap, who co-runs the gift shop, Trash and Treasures, said: "It's awful. It will mean that people who don't have a big wallet won't be able to come here.

"It will mean that we will lose a lot of our shoppers. If you're with a family of four and you have parking, it will be around €100. So people won't have a lot of budget over for other stuff."