Volendam, Marken and Edam: fishing villages day trip from Amsterdam

Where old Holland meets the Markermeer

The arc of villages along the Markermeer — Volendam, Marken, and Edam — represents one of the most satisfying day trips from Amsterdam precisely because each place has its own distinct character. Volendam is vivid and harbourfront-busy, with fishing boats and painted wooden houses. Marken is a former island of strict Calvinist traditions, its houses raised on stilts and its people still wearing regional costume on special occasions. Edam is quieter, canal-laced, and famous for the round red-waxed cheese sold at its summer market.

You can visit all three in a single day if you start early and move at a reasonable pace — though most visitors choose one or two and linger.

Getting there from Amsterdam

Volendam is the easiest to reach. Bus 316 from Amsterdam Centraal (Buiten IJ stop) departs every 20–30 minutes and takes about 30 minutes. The fare is roughly €3–4 each way with a contactless bank card.

Edam is served by bus 315, also from Amsterdam Centraal, taking around 35 minutes. Buses run every 30 minutes.

Marken requires either bus 315 to Monnickendam and then bus 316 towards Marken, or — more satisfyingly — a ferry from Volendam harbour. The Volendam–Marken ferry takes 25–30 minutes across the Markermeer and runs mid-spring through mid-autumn, making a natural loop.

If you prefer not to plan connections, an organised tour covers all three with a guide and transport included. The Volendam, Marken and Edam countryside bus and boat tour combines the bus journey with the ferry crossing. For a full day including Zaanse Schans windmills as well, the Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam and Marken bus tour is a popular choice, though it is a long day.

Volendam

Volendam’s harbourfront is its heart: a long row of wooden houses in shades of terracotta and green, fishing boats tied up along the quay, and the smell of smoked eel drifting from the smokehouses. The village is compact and easy to explore on foot in about an hour.

The Volendams Museum traces the history of the fishing community and the tradition of regional dress — colourful striped skirts and lacework caps for women, wide-bottomed trousers and wooden clogs for men. You can book a traditional Dutch costume photo experience in the village if you want a souvenir portrait. A virtual reality experience of the harbour’s history is also available near the main quay — worth 20 minutes if you have children with you.

The village can feel crowded in summer between 11:00 and 14:00 when tour groups arrive. Head to the quieter streets behind the main harbourfront, where residents still live and small vegetable gardens back onto the polders.

Marken

Marken was an island until a causeway connected it to the mainland in 1957. The sense of isolation has not quite disappeared: the cluster of black-painted houses on stilts over the harbour, the working lighthouse, and the narrowly paved lanes retain a genuinely remote feel. Residents of Marken historically wore their own distinct regional costume, different from Volendam’s, and it is still worn by some older residents on Sundays and during local festivals.

The ferry crossing from Volendam is the nicest way to arrive — the Markermeer is wide and open, and Marken’s lighthouse appears on the horizon like a scene from a 17th-century painting. The ferry operates roughly from April to October; check current schedules as timings change each season.

Edam

Edam lies about 3 km from Volendam and is best reached by bus or bicycle. It is a proper small Dutch town — canals lined with tall brick houses, a monumental church, and the famous cheese weigh house (Waaggebouw) at its centre. The Edam cheese market runs on Wednesday mornings in summer (approximately July to August), when wheels of cheese are carried on wooden sledges to be weighed in the historic square. It is a theatrical event partly staged for tourists but also a genuine continuation of centuries of trade.

The cheese sold in Edam’s shops differs from the wax-coated export version: young Edam (jong) is mild and creamy; aged Edam (belegen, oud) has a stronger, almost caramel flavour. Buy a wedge at the market or from one of the farmhouse cheese shops.

Edam’s Stedelijk Museum occupies a historic canal house and covers local history including the town’s past as a major herring-packing port. Entry is inexpensive and the canal house interior alone is worth the visit.

Combining the three villages

A practical day plan: take bus 316 from Amsterdam to Volendam by 09:30, spend two hours exploring the harbour and museum, then walk the 3 km to Edam (or take the connecting bus) for cheese and the canal-house museum over lunch. From Edam, return to Volendam by early afternoon for the ferry to Marken, giving you an hour to walk the island before the last ferry returns. The entire circuit is manageable without a car.

Alternatively, join the full-day excursion to Edam, Volendam and Marken which organises the transport and timings for you.

Honest advice

Volendam’s main harbourfront is heavily commercialised — the souvenir shops sell Dutch clichés at significant premium, and several restaurants are priced for tour groups. Walk one block inland for local cafés at normal prices. The costume-photo studios are fun for families but skip them if you are on a tight budget. Marken is genuinely quieter and more authentic; if you only have time for one village, it gives a more honest impression of rural Netherlands.

The combination tour that adds Zaanse Schans makes for a very full day — if you find long coach days tiring, consider splitting Zaanse Schans into a separate morning trip (it is only 20 minutes from Amsterdam by train) and spending a more relaxed day on the Markermeer villages.

For more on traditional Dutch culture and the region’s windmill heritage, see our Zaanse Schans destination guide and the windmills near Amsterdam culture guide. The Volendam, Marken and Edam day trip guide has a timed itinerary with bus numbers and ferry schedules.

More day trip ideas from Amsterdam are in our best day trips guide and trains and day trips transport guide. If you are combining with a cheese market in season, the Amsterdam cheese tasting guide pairs well. For a broader Noord-Holland day, the Amsterdam in spring guide covers seasonal context and the Dutch food to try guide explains what to eat in traditional fishing villages.

For a combined loop that starts in Amsterdam, see the Netherlands day trips week itinerary which places the Markermeer villages in a full seven-day circuit.

Cycling between the villages

The flat polder landscape between Volendam, Marken, Edam, and the Zaan region is excellent cycling country. A 35–40 km circular route connects all three villages: from Volendam, the cycle path runs north along the Markermeer dike to Edam (about 4 km), then south-west to Purmerend, and back via the polder route to Volendam. The landscape is almost entirely flat, roads are quiet outside Edam’s centre, and the dike path along the Markermeer gives wide views across the water to Marken.

Bikes can be rented in Volendam and Edam from local hire shops (around €10–15 per day). The route to Marken requires crossing back to Volendam and taking the ferry. If you plan to cycle and take the ferry, start early to allow time for both villages and the ride between them.

Frequently asked questions about Volendam, Marken and Edam

Can you visit all three villages in one day?

Yes, with an early start. The circuit — Amsterdam to Volendam to Edam to Marken by ferry and back — takes a full day (roughly 09:00–18:00). If you prefer a slower pace, pick Volendam plus one of the other two.

Is there a direct bus from Amsterdam to Marken?

Not directly. You can take bus 315 to Monnickendam and change to bus 316 towards Marken, or take the ferry from Volendam harbour (operates approximately April–October). The ferry is the more scenic option.

When does the Edam cheese market take place?

The traditional cheese market at the Waaggebouw runs on Wednesday mornings from approximately early July to late August, around 10:30–12:30. Outside those dates, Edam is still worth visiting for its cheese shops and canal-house museum.

Is Marken still an island?

No. A causeway built in 1957 connects Marken to the mainland near Monnickendam. However, the village retains an island character and feels very different from the surrounding polderland.

What should I eat in Volendam?

Smoked eel (gerookte aal) is the signature local food — you can buy it at the harbourfront smokehouses. Herring (haring) is also excellent, eaten raw with diced onion in the Dutch style. The village bakeries sell traditional Dutch stroopwafels and speculaas biscuits.