De Gooyer Windmill

The Basics

This octagonally shaped wooden windmill is the last remaining of a group of five windmills. It has been built, destroyed, and rebuilt over time; its wooden facade was placed over the original stone in 1814. Though it is not open to the public, it remains an important relic of the history of Amsterdam. The windmill is often visited on biking, walking, and boating tours of the city, including hop-on hop-off bus tours.

Things to Know Before You Go

• De Gooyer Windmill is a must-visit for those who are interested in Amsterdam’s history.

• Visiting De Gooyer Windmill is ideal for those without time to travel outside the city to see Dutch windmills.

• There were once more than 10,000 windmills around the Netherlands, but only about 1,000 remain.

• The windmill is also popularly known as Funenmolen (The Mill on the Funen”) for its location.

How to Get There

The windmill is located outside Amsterdam’s center on the Funenkade, an old harbor district. From the Amsterdam Centraal train station, it’s a 30-minute walk or 20-minute tram ride (lines 7, 14, and 26). The nearest metro station is Weeserperplein (line 51), a 20-minute walk away.

When to Get There

As visitors cannot enter De Gooyer Windmill, there are no set visiting hours. The windmill is a 10-minute walk from the colorful Dapper Market, so try to time your visit to coincide with the market’s opening hours (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm) and combine two major attractions.

The Pub Next Door

There is a persistent misunderstanding—that has even been repeated in published travel guides—that beer is brewed inside the windmill, when in fact it is merely served in the pub next door. The pub, managed by the small Amsterdam-based Brouwerij 't IJ brewery is open from 2pm to 8pm.