Volendam

For a glimpse into the past, and a drive along the low-lying fields and windmills of North Holland, Volendam is an ideal day trip destination from Amsterdam. Too cute to be true, the quaint fishing village surrounds a picture-postcard harbor lined with wooden houses, where locals still wear traditional Dutch clogs, aprons and bonnets.

Historically, Volendam’s claim to fame was as the harbor for the neighboring town of Edam. More recently, it’s easy to see why artists like Picasso and Renoir were drawn here to paint scenes of the harbor lined with steep-roofed fishermen’s houses, canals and drawbridges.

Today, tranquil streets lined with gabled homes run back from the boat-filled harbor, and the port is fringed with souvenir shops and Dutch cafes. Take a stroll away from the water to get a sense of old Volendam, and drop into the town’s museum to see traditional costumes, harbor paintings, maritime paraphernalia and a massive collection of cigars.

Lunchtime in Volendam is a seafood banquet fresh from the sea, including smoked cod, eels and herring. Order salmon with dill or a bouillabaisse seafood stew in a traditional hotel restaurant.

Practical Info

Volendam is on Gouwzee Bay, 22 km (13.5 mi) northeast of Amsterdam. You can easily get here from the capital by bus. The nearby fishing village of Marken lies across the bay, linked to the mainland by a causeway and to Volendam by a 45-minute ferry ride.

Behind Volendam, heading inland a few kilometers/miles, you’ll come to the famous cheese town of Edam.