Volendam travel guide
Fish stalls on the dyke, a wooden 1934 fish auction and the ferry to Marken
Volendam is a former fishing town north-east of Amsterdam with a harbour dyke, smoked eel and the best-known traditional costume in the country. Go between April and September; the Marken ferry runs in summer. Half a day is enough, or a full day with Marken and Edam.
Volendam is an old fishing town on the Markermeer, north-east of Amsterdam in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. Visitors come for the harbour with its moored boats and smoked-fish stalls, for the women's costume with its tall pointed bonnet, and for the ferry to Marken across the water.
Along the Haven, the street on top of the sea dyke, fish stalls compete with souvenir shops for the day-trip crowd. Look past them. The wooden Visafslag of 1934, where fishermen once sold their catch, still stands at Haven 41. Behind the dyke the oldest streets twist into a maze that locals call the labyrinth.
Two churches stand in the old centre. The Stolphoevekerk, a wooden Protestant church from 1658, is a listed monument and rarely open; the Catholic St. Vincentiuskerk of 1860 opens at weekends. For the story of the place, the Volendams Museum on Zeestraat covers life and work here around 1900 and is open from mid-March to late October.
Food here takes some care. The waterfront restaurants feed passing crowds and quality suffers for it. Paviljoen Smit-Bokkum on Slobbeland smokes its own eel and sells it to take away; try that, or a paper tray of fried fish from a harbour stall, rather than a set tourist menu.
Music matters here. Several of the country's best-loved Dutch-language singers grew up in Volendam, and the local pop style was nicknamed the Palingsound after the eel. In summer the terraces on the dyke stay full into the evening, the best time to see the harbour after the coach tours have gone.
No train comes here; regional buses from Amsterdam Centraal take about half an hour. In summer a ferry crosses to Marken every 30 to 45 minutes. Edam is close enough to cycle, so many people link all three places in one day.
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Top things to do in Volendam
A harbour dyke, two old churches, a local museum and smoked eel from the source.
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Best time to visit Volendam
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Ferries to Marken every 30 to 45 minutes and terraces busy into the evening.
The Volendams Museum is open and the harbour is calmer.
Cold wind off the water, the museum closed and a quiet, local town.
Tour coaches fill the harbour in the middle of the day; arrive early or stay for the evening terraces on the dyke.
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Getting there
Bus from Amsterdam, ferry from Marken
Volendam has no railway. Regional buses leave the bus station on the IJ side of Amsterdam Centraal and cross the Waterland meadows in about half an hour, and buses also run from Purmerend station. From Schiphol, take the train to Amsterdam Centraal first. In summer a ferry crosses the Gouwzee from Marken every 30 to 45 minutes.
- From Amsterdam Centraal
- Regional bus from the IJ-side bus station, about 30 minutes
- From Marken
- Summer ferry every 30 to 45 minutes
- By car
- N247, then the N517 into the centre
- By bike
- Signed routes from Purmerend station
- Tour coaches reach the harbour by late morning; an early bus gets you there first.
Where to stay
On the Haven, Zeestraat or in Edam
Stay the night in Volendam and you have the harbour and the dyke terraces largely to yourself once the coaches leave. Rooms range from harbour hotels on the Haven, such as Hotel Spaander, to plain B&Bs on Zeestraat, and Edam next door is quieter still.
- Haven
- Hotel Spaander and others right on the harbour, crowded by day, calm at night
- Zeestraat
- Simple B&B rooms above a pizzeria, some lit only by skylights
- Edam
- Quieter old town next door, a short ride along the dyke
- Amsterdam
- Plenty of choice, about half an hour away by bus
Getting around
The Haven dyke, the labyrinth and the Marken ferry
Walk Volendam: the Haven runs along the dyke the length of the harbour, and the old lanes behind it, the labyrinth, are too narrow for anything else. Edam is about a quarter of an hour away by bike along the water, the summer ferry to Marken leaves from the harbour, and boat trips head out onto the Markermeer.
- Walking
- Harbour and labyrinth are minutes apart
- To Edam
- Flat path along the water, about 15 minutes by bike
- Ferry
- To Marken from the harbour in summer
- Boat trips
- Rentals and organised tours on the water
- The lanes of the labyrinth are lived in; keep your voice down and do not peer through the windows.
Know before you go
What makes Volendam worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Smoked eel from Smit-Bokkum, straight from the company's own smokehouse.
- The labyrinth, the tangle of narrow lanes behind the dyke.
- The Visafslag, the wooden fish auction hall of 1934 at Haven 41.
- The ferry to Marken, and the quieter former island on the other side.
- A costume photo, kitsch but fun, at one of the studios on the Haven.
Good to know
- Pick restaurants carefully: waterfront places live off one-time visitors and the service can show it.
- No train station: check the last bus to Amsterdam before you settle in for the evening.
- The Stolphoevekerk is usually closed; admire it from outside.
- Traditional dress is rare in daily life now; only a handful of residents still wear it.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Volendam, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Volendam are being researched.
Volendam, Marken and Edam in one day
Take an early bus from Amsterdam Centraal and walk Volendam's Haven before the coaches arrive, stopping at the Visafslag, the wooden fish auction hall of 1934. Late in the morning, catch the ferry across to Marken, every 30 to 45 minutes in summer. With only one day, pair Marken with Volendam and save Edam for another visit.
Stop at the Visafslag at Haven 41, the wooden fish auction hall of 1934, then drop down from the dyke into the labyrinth of lanes behind it. Look for the wooden Stolphoevekerk of 1658 on the way, and spend an hour in the Volendams Museum on Zeestraat on fishing life around 1900.
Back in Volendam by mid-afternoon, eat smoked eel or a paper tray of fried fish on the dyke. Then rent a bike and follow the water to Edam for its canals and the Kaaswaag, and catch the bus back to Amsterdam from there in the evening.
Smoked eel from Smit-Bokkum and the harbour fish stalls
Smoked fish is the dependable choice in Volendam, where many waterfront restaurants cater to one-time visitors. Eel is the local emblem: buy it straight from the Smit-Bokkum smokehouse or at the harbour fish stalls. For a sit-down dinner, d'Ouwe Helling on Zuideinde is one of the larger restaurants.
Eel is the local emblem, so much so that the town's homegrown pop music was nicknamed the Palingsound after it, and Paviljoen Smit-Bokkum on Slobbeland still smokes its own on site. Eat it there with bread, or buy it vacuum-packed from the small deli to take home. Stalls along the harbour sell kibbeling, battered pieces of white fish with a garlic dip.
For a sit-down dinner, d'Ouwe Helling on Zuideinde is one of the larger restaurants and has more atmosphere than most. Some of the most reliable kitchens belong to the bigger hotels, such as Spaander on the Haven, a hotel long tied to the painters who came here from the 1880s. In summer, end the evening on a terrace on the dyke as the light fades over the Markermeer.
Marken's green wooden houses, an island until 1957
Marken was an island in the Zuiderzee until a dyke tied it to the mainland in 1957, and it still feels apart: open meadows, wooden houses painted dark green and black, many raised on mounds or posts against floods. From the harbour, walk through the village and out along the dyke.
In summer the ferry from Volendam harbour crosses the Gouwzee every 30 to 45 minutes, and the crossing is half the point, with the dyke front of Volendam shrinking behind you.
Once there, walk from the harbour through the village and out along the dyke to the Paard van Marken, the white lighthouse on the eastern tip, with the Markermeer on one side and fields on the other. When the ferry is not running, reach Marken by bus or bike via Monnickendam. Fitting Edam in as well is possible, but rushed.
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How we research our Volendam travel guide
Volendam's bus and Marken ferry times are checked each season with the town's official site and Holland.com, with NS Dutch Railways for connections and Wikipedia's Volendam entry for background.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of VolendamHolland.comNS Dutch Railways
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Volendam.
Getting there
About half an hour by regional bus. Volendam has no train station, so the bus is the only public transport option.
The two towns sit side by side in the same municipality; a flat path along the water links them in about 15 minutes by bike.
General
In summer a ferry leaves the harbour every 30 to 45 minutes. Outside the season, go by road via Monnickendam.
Often, yes, along with the souvenir shops. Come early or late in the day and half a day covers the harbour, the Visafslag and the labyrinth of lanes.
Smit-Bokkum on Slobbeland smokes its own and sells it vacuum-packed. Harbour stalls also sell smoked and fried fish.
Only a handful of residents wear it day to day, though you may still spot it. Photo studios on the Haven let you dress up.
The nickname for Volendam's homegrown pop scene, taken from the Dutch word for eel. Several of the country's best-loved singers come from the town.
Walk Volendam: the Haven runs along the dyke the length of the harbour, and the old lanes behind it, the labyrinth, are too narrow for anything else. Edam is about a quarter of an hour away by bike along the water, the summer ferry to Marken leaves from the harbour, and boat trips head out onto the Markermeer.
Volendam is best known for:
- Smoked eel from Smit-Bokkum, straight from the company's own smokehouse
- The labyrinth, the tangle of narrow lanes behind the dyke
- The Visafslag, the wooden fish auction hall of 1934 at Haven 41
- The ferry to Marken, and the quieter former island on the other side
- A costume photo, kitsch but fun, at one of the studios on the Haven
Timing & weather
Daily from mid-March to late October, 10:00 to 17:00. It covers life and work in the town around 1900.
The best time to visit Volendam is Apr to Sep. The museum is open, terraces are out on the dyke and the Marken ferry runs in summer.
- Summer: June - August (Ferries to Marken every 30 to 45 minutes and terraces busy into the evening)
- Spring and early autumn: April - May, September - October (The Volendams Museum is open and the harbour is calmer)
- Winter: November - March (Cold wind off the water, the museum closed and a quiet, local town)
Stay & facilities
Yes, it sits right on the harbour, and there are simpler B&B rooms on Zeestraat. Evenings are quiet once the day visitors leave.
Prices & payment
Studios on the Haven, including Foto de Boer, Foto Zwarthoed and Fotoshop Volendam, dress you in the traditional costume for a souvenir portrait.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules govern entry to the Netherlands. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime in the Netherlands is low. Bike theft and pickpocketing in busy areas are the main issues; watch out for cyclists.
