Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Last updated: 12 October 2026
Table of Contents
- How Much Time Do You Need in Volendam?
- Top Things to Do in Volendam
- What to Eat in Volendam
- Getting to Volendam From Amsterdam
- Day Trips Around Volendam
- Best Time to Visit Volendam
- Volendam Travel FAQ
How Much Time Do You Need in Volendam?
Most visitors need two to four hours in Volendam. That’s enough to walk the harbor dike, see the wooden houses, try smoked eel or fried kibbeling at a fish stall, and pop into the Volendam Museum. Add an hour or two if you also take the small ferry across to Marken. Because Volendam sits only 20 km from Amsterdam, almost everyone visits as a half-day trip rather than an overnight stay.
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So what is this place, exactly? Volendam is an old fishing village on the edge of the Markermeer, a big freshwater lake in North Holland. It sits about 20 km northeast of Amsterdam. The bus ride takes roughly 30 minutes, per the EBS route info, so you can leave the city after breakfast and be back by lunch if you want.
The draw is simple. A raised sea dike lined with green and white wooden houses. Fish stalls selling herring. A few folks still wearing the old costume, the klederdracht, mostly for photos now. That’s the heart of Volendam in Holland, and it’s why the harbor gets packed with tour buses between 11am and 3pm.
Here’s the honest part. It’s touristy, and it’s small. The main strip is short by design. You won’t need a full day. For wider trip planning, the official Netherlands tourism board and the Municipality of Edam-Volendam both cover the area, and the VVV Edam-Volendam tourist office lists local routes. Below are the Volendam highlights worth your short visit.
What We Used for This Guide
This guide draws from Dutch tourism boards, historical records, and firsthand accounts from Volendam visitors. All facts were current at the time of writing, please verify details with local sources before your trip since schedules and attractions can shift seasonally.
Top Things to Do in Volendam
Volendam’s main sights, the harbor dike, the Volendam Museum, a cheese factory and costume photo studios, all sit within a 10-minute walk of each other.
Start on the dike. The port of Volendam is the whole reason people come. Old wooden botter boats sit moored along the quay, and the row of green and white houses runs right behind them. Walk the promenade end to end. It takes maybe 20 minutes if you don’t stop, but you will stop. There are benches, fish stalls, and a lot of people taking the same photo.
Next, duck into the Volendams Museum. It’s small and cheap, and it tells the real story of the village before tourism took over. The odd star of the place is a set of rooms decorated with roughly 11 million cigar bands, glued into pictures over years by one local. It sounds strange. It works. You’ll also see the old fishing gear and the story behind the town’s look.
Then there’s the costume. The klederdracht is the traditional Volendam dress, the striped skirt and the pointed lace cap. Almost nobody wears it day to day now. But several photo studios on the main strip will dress you up and shoot a portrait, a tourist tradition that goes back over a hundred years. It’s cheesy. Kids love it.
Speaking of cheese, the local cheese factory is a quick free stop. You’ll watch a short demo on how Gouda-style wheels get made, taste a few samples, and probably walk out with a wedge. Clog-making demos run nearby too. Fifteen minutes, no ticket needed.
Now, the windmill question. People search for a Volendam windmill all the time. Here’s the honest bit. Volendam has a small mill and some pretty dike views, but the classic row of working Dutch windmills is not here. Those are at Zaanse Schans, about 40 minutes away. If a windmill photo is the main thing on your list, plan for that side trip instead of expecting it in Volendam itself.
What ties it all together is scale. The Volendam Museum, the harbor, the cheese factory, the studios, they’re all within a 10-minute walk. You’re not hopping between neighborhoods. You’re just strolling one waterfront and a couple of side streets. For opening hours and a full list, the VVV Edam-Volendam tourist office keeps things current.
One more tip. Come early. Between 11am and 3pm the tour buses roll in, and the dike gets shoulder to shoulder. Show up by 9:30 and you’ll have the harbor almost to yourself, with better light for photos and shorter lines at the fish stalls.
What to Eat in Volendam
Volendam’s food scene centers on harbor fish stalls serving smoked eel, salted herring and fried kibbeling, plus a cheese factory offering free tastings.
Eat fish here. That’s the point. Volendam grew up as a Zuiderzee fishing town, and the old vishandel stalls along the harbor still sell the classics. Smoked eel, called paling, is the local prize. It’s rich, oily, a little smoky, and it costs more than the rest. Try a small piece before you commit.
Herring is the other big one. The Dutch way is to hold it by the tail, tip your head back, and take a bite. Ask for it with raw onion and pickle. If that feels like too much, get kibbeling instead. Those are chunks of battered, fried white fish, served hot in a paper cone with garlic sauce. Hard to mess up. Great for kids.
For something not from the sea, hit the cheese factory. Free tastings of Gouda-style wheels, plus a wedge to take home. It’s a nice break from fish and a cheap souvenir.
You can sit down. A few harbor cafes do coffee and thick slices of Dutch apple pie with cream. Good spot to rest your feet.
One honest note. Prices right on the waterfront run higher than inland towns. A herring stall in Edam or Amsterdam often costs less. Think of Volendam food as a snack stop, not a full meal plan.
Getting to Volendam From Amsterdam
EBS bus 316 runs from Amsterdam Central Station to Volendam in about 30 minutes, and the Marken Express ferry crosses to Marken in roughly 30 minutes.
The bus is easiest. EBS bus 316 leaves from Amsterdam Central Station and drops you near the Volendam harbor in about 30 minutes. Buses run often, so you don’t need a ticket in advance. Just tap a contactless card or an OV-chipkaart on the way in and out. Check times on the 9292 journey planner before you leave.
Driving? It’s a 20 to 25 minute trip from the city. The catch is parking. The lots near the harbor fill up fast and cost money, so weekends can get tight.
You can add Marken. The Marken Express ferry has run since 1933 and crosses in about 30 minutes. Boats leave roughly every 45 minutes, and your bike rides free. It’s the nicest way to link the two villages in one go.
Day Trips Around Volendam
The best add-ons to Volendam are Marken by ferry, the cheese town of Edam, and the working windmills of Zaanse Schans about 40 minutes away.
Volendam is short. That’s good news, because it pairs well with a second stop. The easiest is Marken. The Marken Express ferry takes you across in about 30 minutes to a car-free village of green wooden houses and a little lighthouse walk. Searching for a dagje Volendam usually means people want this exact combo. Do both.
| # | Stop | Highlights | Drive Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amsterdam | Depart from Amsterdam Centraal. Bus 316 or 317 via EBS takes ~30 min to Volendam. | Start |
| 2 | Volendam | Walk the harbor dike, see moored botter boats, try smoked eel or kibbeling at the fish stalls. Visit the Volendams Museum (cigar-band rooms, traditional fishing gear). Cheese factory demo & tasting. Klederdracht costume photo studios. | 30 min from Amsterdam |
| 3 | Marken | Short ferry ride across the Markermeer from Volendam harbor. Traditional wooden houses on stilts, green-painted village, local museum. Quieter and less touristy than Volendam. | 30 min ferry |
| # | Stop | Highlights | Drive Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amsterdam | Start early to beat the tour bus crowds at Zaanse Schans. | Start |
| 2 | Zaanse Schans | Iconic working windmill row, the classic Dutch windmill photo stop. Open-air heritage village with working mills, clog-making, cheese farm, and traditional green wooden houses on the Zaan river. | 20 min from Amsterdam |
| 3 | Volendam | Harbor promenade walk, harbor dike & wooden houses. Volendams Museum, cheese factory, and costume studios. Grab fresh herring or kibbeling for lunch at a harbor stall. | 40 min from Zaanse Schans |
| 4 | Edam | Quiet neighboring town famous for its round red-waxed cheese. Stroll the canal-lined streets, visit the Edam Museum, and browse the local cheese market (summer Wednesdays). Only 5 min from Volendam. | 5 min from Volendam |
| # | Stop | Highlights | Drive Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amsterdam | Depart by car or regional bus for a clockwise loop of North Holland’s waterfront towns. | Start |
| 2 | Volendam | Harbor dike walk, fish stalls, Volendams Museum, cheese factory demo. Arrive before 11am to beat the tour buses. | 30 min from Amsterdam |
| 3 | Edam | Scenic canal town with 17th-century architecture, the historic Edam Museum, and traditional cheese culture. Easy 5-minute drive or short bike ride from Volendam. | 5 min from Volendam |
| 4 | Hoorn | Historic VOC trading port with a charming old harbor, the Westfries Museum, and lively market square. Return to Amsterdam via direct train (~30 min) making this a great loop itinerary. | 25 min from Edam |
Edam is the other close one. It’s a short bus hop north, quieter than Volendam, and it’s the home of the famous round Edam cheese. In summer there’s a staged cheese market with porters and old scales. It’s a calmer place to actually sit and have lunch.
Now for windmills. If you came to the Netherlands for that classic row of turning mills, go to Zaanse Schans. It’s about 40 minutes away and has roughly six historic working windmills lined along the river, plus craft workshops. You can climb inside a couple. Check hours and tickets on the Zaanse Schans site before you go.
Amsterdam sits just 20 km back, so plenty of people do Volendam in the morning and the capital in the afternoon. Want fewer crowds? Utrecht is a bit further but doable, with split-level canals and no Amsterdam mob. Across the water, Flevoland shows off Dutch land reclamation, flat polder farmland that was open sea within living memory.
One honest tip. Don’t try to jam all of these into a single day. Pick Marken plus one more and actually enjoy it. Two stops is the sweet spot.
Best Time to Visit Volendam
Planning Tip
The best time to visit Volendam is April to June or September, when the weather is mild and the tour-bus crowds are lighter than in peak summer.
Go in spring or early autumn. April through June and September give you mild days and a harbor that isn’t packed. The Volendam weather in those months sits around 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, according to KNMI records, which is comfortable for walking the dike.
Summer is warmest but busiest. July and August bring the most tour buses, so get there before 11am if you can. Winter is the flip side. Some shops cut their hours, but the harbor is quiet, cheap, and kind of moody. A cold, clear day in Volendam winter has its own charm.
Pack for changeable coastal weather any time of year. It’s breezy off the water, and rain blows through fast. Bring a layer and a light rain jacket. Check the forecast on KNMI, the Dutch weather service.
Two quick notes. The Volendam history is tied to the sea; the town took its modern shape after the Zuiderzee was dammed in the 1930s. And the Volendam beach? There’s a small man-made stretch, but this isn’t a swimming spot. Come for the harbor, not the sand.
Volendam Travel FAQ
How do you get from Volendam to Amsterdam?
Take EBS bus 316 to Amsterdam Central Station, a ride of about 30 minutes. Buses run often, so no reservation is needed. Just tap a contactless card or an OV-chipkaart. Driving takes 20 to 25 minutes, but Amsterdam parking is pricey and hard to find.
Is the Volendam cheese factory worth visiting?
Yes, for a quick free stop with cheese tastings and clog-making demos. Entry costs nothing and the visit takes 15 to 20 minutes. You’ll see how Gouda-style wheels are made, sample a few, and can buy a wedge as a cheap souvenir to take home.
Can you visit Marken and Volendam together?
Yes, the Marken Express ferry links the two in about 30 minutes. Marken is a car-free village with green wooden houses and a short lighthouse walk. Boats leave roughly every 45 minutes, and your bike rides free. Doing both makes a full, satisfying day out.
What is the weather like in Volendam?
It’s mild, breezy coastal weather that changes fast year round. Summers from June to August are warmest, sitting around 20 degrees Celsius. Autumn and winter are wetter and cooler. Bring a layer and a light rain jacket in any season, since showers blow through quickly off the water.
Does Volendam have a beach?
There is a small man-made beach area near the harbor, but it’s not a swimming or sunbathing spot. The water is the Markermeer lake, not the sea. Most people skip it and come for the harbor, the fish stalls, the wooden houses, and the photos instead.
