From Amsterdam to Edam and Volendam. Volendam is a Dutch village. Cheese farm Catherina Hoeve

We got to Volendam quite by accident - it was not included in our route plan for the Netherlands. But at a hotel in Amsterdam, due to my carelessness, our reservation was canceled and when I started looking for accommodation options, I was horrified. There were no available rooms in all the budget hotels in the capital, and prices started from 10,000 rubles. We were not satisfied overnight.

We decided to look in the villages nearby, and found a hotel at a reasonable price in the village of Volendam near Amsterdam. I had never heard of such a village before. Then I learned that Volendam is a village within the North Dutch municipality of Edam-Volendam with a population of just over 22 thousand people, which serves as the residence of the Volendam football club, founded back in 1920.

Previously, Volendam in Holland served as a harbor for the larger city of Edam, which is located 2 km away. But when a canal was dug to the Zuiderzee, Volendam received its own harbor and quickly began to be populated by farmers and fishermen. Nowadays it is a huge all-season tourism cluster offering an introduction to a typical Dutch fishing village.

The hotel where we booked the night, Marinapark Volendam, is located in the heart of the village on the artificial freshwater lake IJssel. The Marinapark brand, in addition to the hotel, also includes a complex of guest houses. When we walked to our hotel, there were families with children near every house.

Official website of Marinapark Volendam: https://marinapark-volendam-volendam-nl.wintega.com.

A funny thing happened to us at the hotel. When I booked a hotel through Booking, I additionally wrote them a letter saying that we were arriving today. The hotel administration sent me a response in which they said that if we check in before 17.00, then everything will be as usual, at the reception. After 17.00 the reception desk closes and an electronic key card can be obtained in a special box at a stand near the hotel. We arrived at 16.50, but everything was already closed. I called the hotel and they told me that in box number 4 I had to dial a code of certain numbers. The box will open and there is our key. In general, I typed the code dozens of times - it was useless; called the hotel. There's no one around. The box does not open. Finally, a two-meter-tall guy (like almost everyone in the Netherlands) walked into the hotel and asked sympathetically what had happened. I indignantly told him that I had been typing the code for almost half an hour, but the box was not opening. As it turned out, you need to type the numbers so that they don’t go all the way into the puzzle or something like that... In short, sleight of hand. 🙂

The photo shows the ill-fated boxing.

A room in a hotel is like a room in a fisherman's cottage. In the center are the oars. Complete delight.

During the walk, the beauty of the village shocked me - there are mills, canals, and many birds that have already become family during our trip - whole families of ducks with children, including such interesting ducks with a tuft. Next to the hotel there is a pier where you can rent boats. Multi-colored houses are reflected in the water.

Useful information about Volendam

Volendam is famous for its beautiful harbor, authentic Dutch architecture, fish trade (they say this is where the most delicious Dutch herring is), and traditional clothing shops. Volendam in Holland was sung by Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and Renoir.

Visit Volendam Museum, operating since 1977. Opening hours: daily from 10.00 to 17.00. The museum presents history, folklore and unusual exhibits - mosaics created by a monk from strips of cigarette paper.

Official website of the museum: https://www.volendamsmuseum.nl/home-en.

Visit cheese factory museum, which opened in 2012. Address: Haven 25. Admission is free. The showroom offers excursions about the history of cheese, its types and preparation technology. And, as in all of the Netherlands, you can “taste” different cheeses, sauces and mustard so that you don’t want to eat for another half day. 🙂

Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/44677849/cheese-factory-volendam/?hl=en.

Take a boat ride to Marken in Lake Markermeer. The pier is located at Haven 39. Boats depart every 35-40 minutes. From March to October from 9.00-19.00; from November to February from 9.00-17.00. Ticket price: 11.50 euros. Marken is an island that was separated from the Dutch mainland after a severe flood in the 18th century. For a long time it developed separately, thanks to which it retained its special flavor and culture. By the way, you can get to Marken from Amsterdam Central Station by bus 315 (direction Marken Monnickendam).
Visit the family factory for the production of traditional wooden shoes (Familie Klomp) at Wagenweg 2. Opening hours: daily

from April to August from 8.00-19.00
from September to October from 8.00-18.00
from November to March from 8.00-17.00.

What to try in Vollendam (Holland)

Dutch mini-pancakes (pancakes) poffertjes, which in 2016 won the delicious confectionery competition from Horecava (Food & Service industry award). Poffertjes are traditional fluffy pancakes served with powdered sugar and hot melted butter. They are eaten during the New Year and Christmas holidays.
Sweets in the confectionery shop "Snoepwinkel Crielaard". Address: Zeestraat 21-05. Opening hours: daily from 09.00 to 18.00; on Monday from 10.00 to 18.00.
Freshly baked cookies and waffles at Woltje’s Backerij (HAVEN 98).
The famous smoked eel and herring.

How to get to Volendam

By car. There is free parking near the harbor.
By bus from Amsterdam. Bus 316 from the Amsterdam Centraal train station (direction Volendam-Edam) to the Julianaweg / Centrum stop, Volendam.

All routes in the Netherlands, if you are traveling by public transport, can be found on the website of the Dutch Railways: https://www.ns.nl/en. The site provides information on how to get to any point in the country by train and/or bus. Very comfortably.

Where to stay in Vollendam

In Volendam itself, Booking.com offers 4 accommodation options at prices ranging from 7,000 to 9,000 rubles. per night and many options in small towns nearby.

Volendam (Holland) is a fishing village near Amsterdam where you can see how Dutch fishermen lived in the 19th century. Volendam is not an open-air museum; its population lives its normal life, giving guests the opportunity to observe it with the cordiality of hospitable hosts. It would not be complete without a visit to Volendam and the nearby town of Edam and the village of Marken.

General information

The history of the village of Volendam (Netherlands) is inextricably linked with the nearby city of Edam. Edam has been known since the middle of the 13th century; in 1357 it was given the status of a city, and by the beginning of the 16th century. it became the center of shipbuilding in North Holland. However, after a couple of hundred years, shipbuilding stopped here, and cheese making became predominant in the city’s economy. From the middle of the 16th century. and until 1922 official cheese fairs were held here weekly.

Now Eddam is a small town with a population of about 7,000 people, which, like Volendam, is a landmark in Holland and attracts many tourists. The interest of the country's guests in these places is not only educational, but also gastronomic - many come to Volendam to taste the freshest Dutch herring, smoked eel and shrimp, and Edam attracts with its famous cheese, which bears the same name as the city.

Volendam initially served as Edam's harbor, but over time a canal was dug to the Zuiderzee Bay, and the former harbor lost its importance for the city. The fishing and farming settlements that appeared here formed the village of Volendam. It now has a population of about 22,000, which is three times more than Edam. Getting from Amsterdam to Volendam on your own is not at all difficult.

Attractions and entertainment

Volendam itself is a tourist attraction. People come here to feel the spirit of old Holland, to find out how this country lived for many centuries.

Neat village streets with traditional Dutch architecture, windmills, all kinds of fishing boats from which you can buy freshly caught fish - all this will tell you about Holland better than any guide. It is enough to see with what love every square decimeter of land is cultivated here to understand how much the inhabitants of Holland value the land, because they literally have to reclaim it from the sea.

Openness is an important part of Dutch culture, a tradition that dates back to ancient times when the wives of fishermen who went to sea would leave their windows open to show their fidelity to their husbands. Openness allows the residents of Volendam to live and work peacefully under the tireless attention of an endless stream of tourists. Many windows in Volendam are not curtained, just like many centuries ago.

Historical Museum

For those coming to Volendam, the attractions here are of great variety. This is a local historical museum with ancient household items and scenes from the life of fishermen of the past, and workshops for making wooden shoes, and traditional cheese factories and confectioneries. Other attractions include the Church of St. Vincent, built in the mid-19th century.

It also has its own art gallery. For the village of Volendam (Holland), this attraction is of particular importance, because the development of tourism here occurred precisely thanks to artists.

Leendert Spaander

At the end of the 19th century, the owner of the village inn, Leendert Spaander, began providing rooms to artists in exchange for their paintings. This attracted many painters to the village, and the local landscapes they painted were spread all over the world, attracting new travelers to these parts.

Every year the fame of this Dutch village grew, and with it the influx of tourists. Among Volendam’s admirers are such famous personalities as Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Walt Disney, Elizabeth Taylor, etc.

Volendam embankment (Marina Volendam)

Judging by the number of tourists, the main attraction of Volendam is its embankment. Most of the tourist flows are concentrated at Marina Volendam; it is always crowded and noisy. A characteristic component of the landscape are numerous yachts, boats, and fishing boats moored near the shore.

Typical buildings in Volendam are one-story houses with an attic and a gable tiled roof. The exception is the embankment, where you can see two- and three-story houses in the style of traditional Dutch architecture. The first floors of all embankment buildings are occupied by numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, and souvenir shops.

An interesting feature of the Volendam embankment is that it rises above the village. If you take a photo from the sea, Valendam will be completely hidden by a row of coastal houses. The fact is that the embankment is located on a dam and is located just above sea level, while the rest of the village is located significantly below sea level. If not for the efforts of its inhabitants, the territory of Volendam would be the seabed.

Traditional entertainment on the embankment includes feeding ducks and cormorants, fish for which can be bought here, tasting local fish delicacies, taking photographs in national costumes of Holland, and boat trips. There are also some attractions here - bronze figures of people from the past, hurrying about their business, or sitting down to rest on benches.

Marken village and Volendam-Marken Express ferry ride

From the Volendam embankment, a ferry runs 8 months a year (from mid-March to mid-November) to the small village of Marken, located on the island of the same name. The ferry to Marken runs every 30-40 minutes, the first departure is at 9.45, the last flight from Marken to Volendam is at 18.00. You can get here in half an hour. Ticket price is €8 one way, or €11.50 round trip.

The village of Marken is small, its population is about 1800 people. Since the 13th century, after a flood, its territory became isolated from the mainland, which led to the emergence of special customs, dialect, and costume. In the mid-20th century, a dam and a road were built to the island, along which it can be reached by regular bus services. The main trade of the residents used to be fishing, now the main source of income is tourism.

Marken

Marken is interesting for its unique architecture of houses on stilts, cleanliness, comfort and well-groomed courtyards. Tourists can enjoy many cafes and restaurants serving local cuisine and souvenir shops.

The other day I started telling you that we went on a tour along the route Edam - Volendam - Marken. About. And about Volendam and Marken, I decided to tell more practical details: how to get there from Amsterdam and what are the best tickets to buy. While I was preparing for the trip, I discovered a lot of interesting and new things!

So, you have gathered from Amsterdam to Volendam and Marken. You can, of course, join an organized excursion. If you don't have much time in Holland, then it's worth doing. with a cruise along the canals of Amsterdam. – excursions to Volendam and Marken with Russian-speaking guides. But now we will look at how to go on an independent journey.

Just a couple of important points:

1. Your journey will begin with bus station Amsterdam/CS IJzijde. It is very easy to find: it is located right behind the central railway station. Walk along the station tunnel in the direction opposite to the center. And beyond platforms 14 and 15, without leaving the railway station building, you take the escalator to the top. That's it - you're there!

2. Depending on where you decide to go first, you'll need to take different buses (which makes sense). But the numbering of buses this year, for example, is not exactly the same as last year. In this article I will write the bus numbers, current for 2016. I will also provide links where you can double-check the relevance of the information immediately before your trip.

By numbering, in short: bus No. 316 goes to Volendam, No. 315 to Marken, No. 312, 314 and 316 to Edam. I will tell you more about this below. In the meantime, let's sort out the tickets.

In the photo: here is your bus from Amsterdam to Volendam!

What ticket can I use to travel to Volendam and Marken?

There are many options. You can go with:

In general, in my opinion, it is also a very worthy option.

But back to the topic of how to get where...

How to get from Amsterdam to Volendam?

Take bus number 316 and in about 45 minutes you will be there! You need to get off at the Julianaweg/Centrum stop and walk a short distance to the embankment. Check bus schedule Amsterdam - Volendam >>

Everything worked out, enjoy! :)

How to get from Volendam to Edam?

You need bus No. 110 or No. 316. Fare with OV card: 1.44 euros (on bus 316) – 1.51 euros (on bus 110). Check bus schedule Volendam - Edam >>

How to get from Volendam to Marken?

There are two options:

1. From Volendam to Marken by ferry. Every 30 – 90 minutes (depending on the season) such beautiful ferries run between Volendam and the Marken Peninsula. I checked the schedule on the day of our trip, July 27, 2016, ferries departed every 45 minutes. On the route Volendam - Marken from 9.45 to 18.30, Marken - Volendam from 10.30 to 19.00.

Ticket price:

Return ticket for adults:
Adult one way ticket:
The ferry journey takes about half an hour. You can buy soft and strong drinks on board :)

2. From Volendam to Marken by bus.

You can get from Volendam to Marken by bus with one change in the town of Bruck in Waterland. In Volendam we take bus number 316 going towards Amsterdam. We get off at the stop Broek in Waterland, Dorp. We cross the road and take bus No. 315. It will take us to Marken in 20-25 minutes. Travel time is about an hour. Travel with an OV card – 4.89 euros. Check the current schedule >>

How to get from Amsterdam to Marken?

By direct bus No. 315. Travel time is approximately 1 hour. Travel with an OV card costs about 5 euros. Check the current schedule >>

By the way, I liked Marken much more than Volendam :)

He reminded me of both at the same time. There are few people, it’s nice to walk - however, in literally an hour, or even less, we saw everything and went home.

I hope my tips will be useful to you on your trip to Volendam and Marken.

Have a nice trip! Stay in touch!

If you are visiting Amsterdam for longer than 3-4 days, then going to another city and seeing different images of Holland is a great idea! Where can you go for one day from Amsterdam? Here are some ideas for what to see in the area within an hour's drive of Amsterdam.

Zaanse Schans

What to see: ancient mills, an authentic Dutch village where people still live, and it looks like it did in the 17-18 centuries.

How to get there from Amsterdam:

by bus number 391, which goes from the IJzijde bus station (on the opposite side of the central railway station). Travel time is 40 minutes.
by train to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans station and then on foot. Travel time: 17 minutes by train + 10 minutes on foot.
join to . The duration of the excursion is approximately 4 hours.

Attention! In 2019, a Hop-on Hop-off bus operates on the route Zaandam - Zaanse Schans - Edam - Volendam - Monnickendam. Ticket price is 28 euros for adults and 15 euros for children. Buses run every 45 minutes. A great option to see the most picturesque Dutch villages for one day.

Volendam and Marken

What to see: the authentic fishing village of Volendam, the traditional Dutch village of Marken, separated from the mainland. This part of Holland is called Waterland because it is based primarily on water.

How to get there: by bus number 316 to Volendam. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes. You need to get off at the Julianaweg/Centrum stop and walk to the embankment. You can get from Volendam to the Marken Peninsula by ferry, which runs every 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the season.

Review of the trip to Monnickendam-Marken-Volendam-Edam >>

What to see: an ancient city, the capital of the province of North Holland. According to many, Haarlem is a mini-version of Amsterdam, with similar architecture, but a more relaxed, non-tourist way of life. Real Holland!

Advice: If you're looking for budget-friendly accommodation options around Amsterdam, check out Haarlem hotels. Their prices are lower than in the capital, and the city itself is pleasant to live in and convenient for tourists. location and transport links.

Zandvoort

Zandvoort is the closest coastal city to Amsterdam. Half an hour on the road - and you are on the North Sea! In summer you can sunbathe and swim here. And in other seasons - walk along the beach, breathe the sea air, and sometimes watch the elements rage.

How to get there from Amsterdam: by direct train to Zandvoort aan Zee station, travel time - 30 minutes. On the road from Amsterdam to Zandvoort, you can get off at an intermediate station, see Haarlem, and then continue your journey. A great option to spend a day or half a day around Amsterdam!

Cheese fairs

If you come to Amsterdam between April and August-September, you should definitely visit the colorful Dutch shows: cheese fairs. They are held in Alkmaar, Edam, Hoorn, Gouda and Woerden on certain days of the week. can be viewed here.

These articles will help you plan your day trips from Amsterdam:

Everything about public transport in Holland. The Netherlands is a country where it is convenient to travel by public transport. Find out how to build a route,

Volendam is a former fishing village turned into an international tourist attraction. A wide variety of fishing boats and yachts can be seen in the port of this old fishing village. Volendam's fish auction is no less famous - here you can buy delicious smoked eel and the freshest herring.

Volendam is also famous for the beauty of its folk costumes. Women wear pleated sweaters with blue or black stripes, over a seven-color skirt called “Zevenklürige rock.” But the most characteristic feature of the costume is the headdress: it almost completely covers the face and resembles a medieval helmet. Men wear short jackets with silver buttons cinched at the waist, fluffy black trousers and round hats.

Fans of active recreation in Volendam can play tennis, fishing, windsurfing, yachting and canoeing, walking and cycling. Since the city is located near the water and on the water, vacationers take boat trips along the harbor to see this amazing fairy-tale settlement from the sea.

At the end of the 19th century, Volendam was a very popular place among impressionist artists. At the local hotel "Spaander" they often paid with their paintings. Today these works, which are over 100 years old, can be seen on the walls of the hotel.

Cheese farm Catherina Hoeve

Cheese is one of those national Dutch products with deep historical roots. In the village of Zaanse Schans, located near Amsterdam, a real cheese factory has been preserved, keeping the ancient secrets of making the legendary Dutch cheese.

Here the cheese is made according to ancient recipes of Dutch masters and not only from cow’s milk, but also from goat’s and sheep’s milk. The value of cheese is also due to the high consumption of milk: at least 10 liters are required for 1 kg of cheese.

The variety of assortment will surprise even the most demanding gourmet. Visitors are given a unique opportunity to taste and purchase several dozen cheeses of different varieties: from classic to exclusive. Cheeses, soft and hard, smoked, with various additives (nuts, spices, garlic, herbs, etc.)

Visiting the cheese factory is free for everyone.

What sights of Volendam did you like? Next to the photo there are icons, by clicking on which you can rate a particular place.

Mill town Zaanse Schans

The city of mills - Zaanse Schans - is located just half an hour from Amsterdam. In this city, all the architecture is typically Dutch.

Today this town is a tourist reserve, which contains ancient exhibits, and some of them still house cheese factories and workshops for making klomps. Here, in almost every house there are small museums, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops that attract numerous tourists. Rich and especially wealthy tourists can rent any of the presented houses, where you can feel like a true Dutchman of bygone centuries. Also in this town, windmills operate daily, pressing peanut butter or sawing logs.

In the 18th century, there were more than 1,000 windmills in the city, of which only 6 remain operational. Inside the mills you can even chat with the miller and learn about the intricacies of his work or the history of the city and each house.

Klomps are the national wooden shoes of the Dutch, which are one of the symbols of this country. Originally from the Middle Ages, klomps are still in demand by some residents of Holland. They are worn by peasants who value high durability and practicality in klomps. The clogs are convenient to put on and carry, and the foot in a wooden shoe is reliably protected from cuts and bruises.

In the town of Zaanse Schans there is a museum where the largest collection of klomps is collected. There are simple shoes without patterns for everyday wear, and there are also painted ones, which the Dutch wear on holidays. Some samples can be called works of art. A person wearing klomps used to be recognized by a unique pattern characteristic of a particular place in Holland.

There is a workshop in the museum building where they make clogs. Previously, they were cut out by hand, but now the production uses sophisticated technology, thanks to which the shoes are made in a matter of minutes right in front of visitors.

National Dutch shoes can be purchased as souvenirs in a small souvenir shop: the choice is very rich. Interesting accessories made from different types of wood are also sold here.

The museum is open from April to September daily from 8:00 to 18:30, from October to March from 9:00 to 17:00. The entrance is free.

The most popular attractions in Volendam with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Volendam on our website.

Individual and group