A historic Dutch village famed for its windmills and tulip fields is set to start charging visitors an entry fee.
Zaanse Schans, a village just north of Amsterdam, will introduce a €17.50 (£15.25) charge from spring 2026 in an effort to reduce visitor footfall.
The pre-booked ticket will include access to the local museum and windmill interiors – currently individually charging for entry.
Holidaymakers often visit Zaanse Schans as a day trip destination during city breaks in Amsterdam.
The “living museum” with just 100 residents welcomed around 2.6 million tourists in 2024.
Museum director Marieke Verweij told BBC News that the small town doesn’t “have room for all these people”.
Verweij added that too many tourists are ruining residents' privacy.
She said: “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."
Money raised from the entry fee in Zaanse Schans will be spent on windmill maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, including parking and toilets.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands, Amsterdam campaigners have filed a lawsuit against the city’s local authorities in an attempt to curb mass tourism with stricter rules.
Pressure group Amsterdam Heeft een Keuze (Amsterdam Has A Choice) filed the complaint on 22 September after raising €50,000 (£43,700) from supporters, local reports said.
The group has accused the City of Amsterdam of not complying with a 2021 bylaw, which capped tourist overnight stays at 20 million per year. Rules state that if the number of visitors reaches 18 million, the municipal executive is obliged to take action to prevent the city from reaching the cap.
Amsterdam Has A Choice was instrumental in the implementation of this bylaw, with local authorities approving it after the group’s campaigning efforts.
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