Enkhuizen or Zaanse Schans?
 

I've read numerous comments on both, but can't decide which destination.
Aim: to see windmills, clog & cheese making, a feel of country/rural Dutch.

If given a choice, would you:
- do both?
- or do either + Volendam & Marken?

p/s: I'm also scheduling Den Haag, Delft, Haarlem in the trip

Really appreciate your expert advice :)

I suspect some "purists" will tell you to forget Zaanse Schans because it seems somewhat "contrived" in that the various elements were brought together to form some sort of "living museum" and that it somehow isn't "real life."

Personally, I've enjoyed going through the working windmills there but have not paid much attention to the wooden shoe making demos, etc.

Going to more "regular" venues may be more satisfying for some folks.

Enkhuizen is far more north and much bigger then zaanse Schans.You need more time there. Parking is outside the park and you need to take the shuttleboat to the park.
This is more about the old fishingvillages around old Zuiderzee. No really about windmills , clog and cheese making, more history.

If you are happy with a quicker/shorter stay and want this in combination with Voldendam/Marken, better go to zaanse Schans.

We thoroughly enjoyed spending the day at the Zuiderzeemuseum and then walking around the town of Enkhuizen. Zaanse Schans is a great diversion also and much closer to the city but if you have a car available or can do the trains I would go for Enkhuizen! Have a great trip.

Do both if you have time.

Enkhuizen is a pretty city so you have a historic city plus a much more elaborate open-air museum, to which old edifices have been brought to from all around the Zuider Zee. And the boat ride to the museum entrance from the train station adds to the intrigue. (You can walk back to the station from the park's exit i believe.)
Trains take about an hour from Amsterdam and go frequently. Ask about a ticket that includes admission at the station and buy a day return ticket at any rate.
Zaanse Schanse is great too, but much less time-consuming and really close to Amsterdam so it could easily be done in a half-day. Take a train to Koog Zaandijk (20 min or so from Amsterdam C.S.) and then a short walk. Zaans Schanse ambience is negated somewhat by the rather industrial area it's located in. There are also some boats at some times that go from Amsterdam to Zaans Schanse. Z S could easily be twinned with a trip to Haarlem - being a slight detour off the Amsterdam-Haarlem rail line. Actually i think Koog Zaandijk is on the Amsterdam-enkhuizen rail line so you could do both in a day.
Volendam and Marken are quite different from Z S and Enkhuizen museum.
Marken is a museum town left in a circa 1900 and below look and locals traipse around in old costumes (just for show) and then you hop a boat to Volendam across the water for a neat waterfront full of cafes, pancake places, etc. and a more real but nice town. Buses go to Volendam and Marken and you take the boat between the two. There are also boats from Amsterdam at times.
You may take a look at the Holland Flexipass if doing Enkhuizen, Alkmaar, Hague, Delft, etc. It comes in 2 forms: 3 days out of a month $90 in 2nd cl; $133 in first or 5 days/1 mo for $142 2nd, $213 first class. www.ns.nl is the Dutch railway site so you can compare walk up prices. For pass info i always recommend BETS (800-441-2387) for their expertise or you can try www.raileurope.com.
Haarlem and Delft to me are the finest Dutch regional towns and Den Haag is a marvelous blend of some of Europe's most strikingly modern architecture and an older sedate look.
For cheesey things go to Alkmaar on Fridays for the old-world cheese market in the main square - cheese and beer museums i think and a swell old town.

Thanks Dukey, Ida101, Suspaul, PalenQ... I think I'll just wait until I'm there to decide which one to go to. If I have more time available, then perhaps the trip to Enkhuizen and Zuiderzee would be on the cards.