Real-time positions, delays and departure times on the map.
Open the live map of ZaanstadZaanstad is not a single town but a string of places along the river Zaan: Zaandam, Koog aan de Zaan, Zaandijk, Wormerveer, Krommenie and Assendelft. That explains the number of stations — the railway towards Alkmaar threads them together, from Zaandam and Koog aan de Zaan to Krommenie-Assendelft. NS runs both intercities and sprinters here, and every train can be followed live on OVatlas with its current delay.
The bus network points mainly south, towards Amsterdam. Routes run from Zaandam station to Sloterdijk, the Noorderpark and Amsterdam Centraal, and an orbital link crosses north of the IJ to Purmerend. The Hempont ferry additionally shuttles free of charge between Hempontplein and Zaandam, a crossing used by many cyclists and pedestrians. That ferry appears on the map as an ordinary line with sailing times per landing stage.
The Zaanse Schans is the destination that draws the most visitors. You can reach it by bus from Amsterdam Centraal or on foot from Zaandijk-Zaanse Schans station. In high season those runs fill up and slip behind schedule. On OVatlas you see that in the real departure time at the stop rather than in a timetable that says little by then.
A bus runs from Amsterdam Centraal via Zaandam to the Zaanse Schans, and Zaandijk-Zaanse Schans station is within walking distance of the windmill site. OVatlas shows you which of the two options departs first.
It is. Like the other IJ ferries, the Hempont is open to all and needs no check-in or check-out. It appears on OVatlas as an ordinary line, so you can look up sailing times at the landing stage just as at a bus stop.
Among others Zaandam, Koog aan de Zaan, Zaandijk-Zaanse Schans, Wormerveer and Krommenie-Assendelft on the line towards Alkmaar, plus Zaandam Kogerveld on the branch towards Purmerend and Hoorn. Open a station on the map to see which trains actually call there.
The train takes only a few minutes and runs throughout the day. For destinations away from Centraal there are regional buses to Sloterdijk and the Noorderpark, plus the metro from Amsterdam Noord. All the options appear live on the map.