How to get to Volendam from Amsterdam. From Amsterdam to Volendam and Marken: planning a trip

. :) Today is the last part and it is about the suburbs of Amsterdam.
From Amsterdam Central Station you can take bus number 311 to the village of Marken. Previously, it was a fishing village on the island, then they built a road from the south to the island and wanted to extend it to the north, to Volendam. For some reason this whole thing was abandoned and the island turned into a peninsula. Now the village is home to about 1,800 people.

The bus route looks something like this:

The ride to all stops is about 40 minutes, there is free Wi-Fi on the buses. There are few tourists here (especially in comparison with Amsterdam), and in general there are almost no people on the street.

2. When you get off the bus you will be greeted by these deserted streets.

3. The area is newer.

4. And older. The interiors of the church are decorated with models of fishing boats (reflecting the village's past).

5. Real village atmosphere.

6. Everyone drys their clothes outside.

7.

8. Everyone tries to decorate their home as best they can.

9. At first you think that these are some kind of private museums. But no, these are ordinary residential buildings in an ordinary village.

10.

11. They also have a cafe here.

12. The most “party” place is the pier. It seems as if every family in the village has their own boat.

13. There are old wooden houses around the pier. Most are residential. There is one souvenir shop, one house museum and a cafe with delicious sandwiches. And a separate “tent” with fresh seafood (herring, mmm). :)

14. We buy a one-way ferry ticket and sail to Volendam.

15. Hello, Volendam!

Volendam is a city with a population of 22,000 people. Typical Dutch architecture, many cafes, souvenir shops. And a lot of tourists. Everyone gets to Marken mainly by ferry from Volendam.

16. Why tourists flock to Volendam is not clear to me. In the same Marken it is more interesting and there are practically no tourists.

17. There are a lot of different cafes and restaurants on the embankment with high prices and mediocre food.

There is nothing else to do in Volendam, so we head to neighboring Edam. You can get here by bus 110 or 118 from Volendam. The drive is only 10-15 minutes, since these are neighboring cities. The population of Edam is about 7,500 people.

19.

20. Very quiet and sweet.

21. There are practically no tourists.

22. On the main street, along the canal, there are several souvenir shops and coffee shops.

23. Strange, humpbacked bridge.

24.

25. Locals go in for sports.

26. And they go about their business.

27. Classic, littered houses.

28. In July and August, every Wednesday, a cheese fair is held in one of the squares. We didn't get it.

29. Mobile lamp post.

30.

Another day we go not to a real village, but to the Zaanse Schans open-air museum. Here are the famous Dutch mills. At the Amsterdam station we take the Sprinter train to the Koog-Zaandijk station (direction Uitgeest) and in 30 minutes we reach almost our destination. All that remains is to walk a little (past the chocolate factory) through the city to the museum itself.

31. I had to wait a little while the bridge was being built.

32.

34. Here they are. The mills were brought here from different regions of the Netherlands.

35. All houses are non-residential. It's all one huge museum. The houses are ancient, but they were also brought here specially from different parts of Holland.

36.

37. You can go into many houses, but some can only be seen from the outside.

38.

39. There is a workshop-shop for famous Dutch wooden shoes.

40.

41. You can’t go anywhere without sheep. :)

42. You can go to all the mills (one is free, the rest for money). In each of them, all sorts of things (spices, flour, dyes) are ground for tourists.

43.

Thank you for reading to the end. I hope it was interesting.

November 20th, 2014 , 02:12 pm

You can often hear the expression “if you were in Holland and didn’t eat herring in Volendam, then you haven’t seen the country.” Why is that so? Because they say that there is no fresher and tastier fish than in Volendam in all of the Netherlands. It’s strange, of course, because Volendam is not only a fishing village, there are others. Well, okay, I’m also pleased to believe in this and so on, but the herring is really awesome.

It seems like the same country, and not far from Amsterdam, but the sensations are completely different, the perception is also different. At the same time, before the trip I thought that Volendam and Zaanse Schans would be identical, the impressions would be similar, now I know for sure that they are not, and I know for sure that there are two villages to visit.

How to get here? By bus. Unfortunately, the trains that you are so used to using in the country do not travel here. But it doesn’t matter, the buses here are also wow, we can dream about them. So we eat from the bus station, which is located BEHIND the Amsterdam Centraal railway station, i.e. The bus station is located not on the city side, but on the canal side. The question immediately arises of how to get through if you need to “check in” tickets, so if we are facing the entrance to Amsterdam Centraal, then we go through the very left wing, there is a free passage where you don’t need to punch tickets, and the Bus signs will tell you. When we pass the station, there will be an arrow to the top floor, we go up the escalator and we are already at the bus stop. Immediately go to the screen and look at the bus schedule, we need the one that goes in the direction of Volendam-Edam. There were several bus numbers written on the Internet, but when I was there, there were only two numbers 110 and 118 (November, 2014). The stop in Volendam is called Centrum. And now we have already arrived.

In Volendam there is an interesting development of houses on stilts, they look like solid townhouses, the first floors of which are brick, and the tiled roof - also known as the attic - serves as a full floor with a wooden facade, usually green or blue. All this peculiarity and at the same time the similarity of all the houses gives the village its charm.

Initially, Volendam served as a harbor for the neighboring town of Edam, but later Edam acquired its own harbor, and Volendam began to be populated by fishermen and farmers.

The main industry here was fishing. The most popular are, of course, herring and smoked eel; shrimp are also popular.

Notice, it’s November, and how much green there is in this northern country.

Often, while walking around the city, you can see window curtains gathered on the sides. Previously, this was a peculiar feature of the residents, since their husbands, fishermen, went on long voyages, then by not closing the windows with curtains, the woman demonstrated that she had not acquired a lover and had nothing to hide. Now, when I encounter such pictures, I think this is more a coincidence than a tribute to tradition, although I have seen such windows more than once.

What I also liked was the cleanliness and neatness around. It would seem like there are solid townhouses everywhere, but if you look closely, you can see how every door and window is decorated, somewhere at the entrance there is a cute bench, somewhere a table with a candlestick or a pot of flowers. And how many small cozy courtyards there are. It is clear that the residents treat their homes with love and thrift.

By the way, I read that it is almost impossible for a foreigner to buy a house here; if the house is put up for sale, it will be bought by neighbors, relatives or the commune, in order to keep foreigners out as much as possible and to preserve local traditions.

But rest assured, tourists are very loved and welcomed here. They always smile friendly, greet you in national costumes, and it’s not surprising, because the village has already become a tourist “mecca”.

For all its tourist character, Volendam fully preserves its way of life, traditions and authenticity.

Sometimes walks along the streets of the village are replaced by walks along canals or crossing bridges. In general, an interesting fact is that the Netherlands is 7 meters below sea level. And this is clearly visible when you go up to the Volendam embankment, which goes to sea level, and the entire town is below.

Life outside the embankment is quiet, calm and measured. Often the streets are simply deserted.

Volendam has its own characteristics that give the village its own flavor. So, in July and August there are cheese fairs here, although we were on a Saturday in November and found the cheese market in the center. Fish auctions are also held here. And in general, in the mornings, you can buy fish straight from the boat.

Volendam is also the birthplace of the traditional Dutch costume - the symbol of the country. In everyday life it is used to take pictures with tourists, but the most interesting thing to get to Volendam is on Sunday morning, when residents in traditional costumes go to church.

After a walk around the city, we came to the embankment - crowded and noisy, but at the same time no less interesting.

On the embankment there are many cafes, bars, stalls where you can buy the famous herring, souvenir shops and places where you can take pictures in national costumes.

By the way, the first house I saw here with a hook for lifting loads. It turns out that even such small houses have this.

And here is the same view - I’m standing on the embankment at sea level, and the rest of the houses are below.

Traveling late is very bad, only one thing is that the days are shorter and it gets dark early. Now the sun is already setting, illuminating Volendam with sunset rays, giving it some romanticism.

Integral residents of Volendam are cormorants, greedily waiting for food from tourists, or brazenly snatching fish from fishermen. There are really a lot of them here and they are protected by law.

View of the embankment.

Volendam, like many other Dutch cities, has its own cheese factory.

Here there is an exposition of the cheese-making process, there is the same rich milky smell, they show a video of the process, they let you taste the cheese, and, of course, there is the opportunity to buy cheeses.

You know, this cheese seemed incredibly tasty to me, with such a delicate milky-creamy aftertaste.

The country is also famous for its mustard, with honey or other spicy flavors. Honestly, I bought honey mustard from us and it’s completely different. And how delicious it goes with cheese. Initially, it was strange for me that cheese was eaten with mustard, well, why interrupt the taste of cheese, I thought, but it turns out this is a very interesting combination of flavors.

In the photo, the cheese tasting plate is already empty, they quickly empty out, of course, but the sales girls quickly replenish them. Here you can taste different types of mustard. In addition to the previously purchased cheese, I bought myself two more heads of cheese and three jars of mustard.

In general, I can’t imagine how you can come from Holland without cheese?!

From Volendam you can take a boat to Marken Island. I often read reviews on the Internet that you need to come to Volendam for an hour, but in Marken it is much more interesting. Of course, I won’t argue, I’m in love with Volendam and an hour is not enough here, just eat for as long as you need (and all my friends laughed at me here :)). But on my next trip to the Netherlands I really want to go/sail to Marken, since it is so praised.

A couple more photos of the harbor and we’ll go eat.

The issue of eating here is especially acute. How can you not pay attention to fish delicacies in a fishing village? The stomach is not capable of trying everything, but still we ordered local beer, and French fries, which is a traditional dish, are always served, at least in this restaurant. By the way, many people know that the best restaurants are away from tourist crowds, and in the center of Volendam the most popular dish is “fish and chips”, but the farther you go, the more interesting the menu.

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. It is now 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 needed 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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).
  2. 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 convenient.

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.

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 and and 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 connected!

We decided to wander around Waterland on Saturday to get away from Amsterdam overcrowded with tourists, visit local fairs (market day), and admire the sea.

For planning, we used the websites www.9292.nl and http://en.gvb.nl/.


Some plans were brought printed out from Moscow, some plans and schedules were downloaded via Wi-Fi at the hotel, screenshots were saved and used on the road.

We started not very early (about 10:30) from the bus station, which is located behind the Central Railway Station (see plan in the picture on the left).

To save money, we used the Region day card (valid for 24 hours by ground transport in the immediate surroundings and in Amsterdam itself, except for trains and costs 13.5 euros in 2016. Sold at tourist offices in Amsterdam, including in, so the card can be used in the morning of the next day).

There are many buses that go to the (Monks' Dam), founded in 1356, and stop a little closer or a little further from the De Grote Kerk cathedral. We took bus 315, which is closest to the city center.

Entrance to the Old Church is free; you can see an openwork wooden pulpit, an old organ and a model of a sailboat.

The small, neat town looked like a doll's house, and every house was an object of admiration.

The city’s special pride is its bell tower, which at 11 o’clock on Saturdays produces the melodic ringing of carillons on a clock with moving mechanical knights.

In Monikendam, in the bell tower building, there is a wonderful local history museum, Museum De Speeltoren, and two colorful, friendly employees explained to us in detail what the territory looked like in the distant past, how slowly the construction of dams proceeded, and how the territory was changing. On the floors, interactive films are shown about local dairy farms, the city itself, its bell tower, and mechanical clocks.

The museum made an indelible impression with the hospitality of its employees and the facilities for maximum convenience for people with disabilities.

On Saturday there was a local fair with a sea of ​​​​various delicacies: fish, vegetables, meat and confectionery. We, on the recommendation of a friendly customer, tried Dutch herring and, as we suspect, smoked eel, an impossibly tender and tasty dish (Maybe we’re wrong? :)).

We wandered through the tiny streets, the harbor, and went to the local tourist center, which also struck us with special friendliness and friendliness. We left the visitor center with a variety of detailed, free maps and diagrams of Waterland and all of Holland. It was time to go further along the route.

We returned to the same bus stop 315 and continued on our way to Marken. The picturesque road that goes along the embankment offers picturesque views and panoramas of nature. On the driver's advice, we did not reach the final bus stop and got off in Marken on a small area open to the water, next to which there was a souvenir stall. A lot of people spilled out of the bus, and we set off after them.

Previously, it was a small island, which later turned into a peninsula. Here you can see residents in national clothes and shoes (klomps), and narrow houses sit on stilts.

After admiring Marken and purchasing a ticket in advance by ferry to Volendam at the gift shop by the bus stop, we headed to the ferry dock for the Markenexpress ferry. A thunderstorm was brewing.

We loaded onto the ferry and it started SNOWING (and this is at the end of April)!!! Marken was covered by a huge snow cloud, which thickened and hovered over Marken. We sailed further, and the cloud got stuck and was localized in the sky only over the small village of Marken. And we were already heading towards the sun in Volendam!

After only 40 minutes in Volendam, memories of snow seemed fictitious, but from the shore it was clear that something unusual was happening on the other side of the bay.

In Volendam, as in Marken, there are many cafes and souvenir shops.

I liked the museum-cheese store, with exhibits, a lecture hall and a tasting room.

At the end of the main street we found the Foodcorner cafe and were seduced by delicious king prawns, which turned out to taste rubbery and completely tasteless and for a mind-boggling 15 euros.

We wandered through the small streets and looked into the disproportionately gigantic church for little Volendam.

We looked at the clock: there were a full 12 minutes left before the bus departed for Edam, and we hurried to the bus stop (buses 316 and 110 run between towns). Surprisingly, there are buses in this country! A minute after we arrived at the stop, a bus came and picked us up!

- a city widely known throughout the world - was almost asleep at 17:30. It was not crowded, tourists had fled, shops and cafes were closed, and only a few restaurants were open in the entire city. We were pretty cold and to drink a glass of tea we had to stop by the restaurant...

We wandered until evening and admired the ancient city, shop windows, house decorations, the tilted bell tower...

The cheese market still opens on certain summer days to renew the city's traditions.

Church of St. Nicholas was still open after the end of the service, and we managed to look into it.

We arrived right on time at the bus station, where 4 buses were parked at the same time. One bus immediately left the station, and we recognized it as our 314 bus. So we wandered around for another 30 minutes, enjoying the evening views. The bus arrived and took us to Amsterdam Central Station in 25 minutes. The program was completed.

Want to keep up to date with the news?

Views