Volendam fishing village
Volendam fishing village
THE FISHING VILLAGE
VOLENDAM
Volendam joins Zaanse Schans on the list of top tourist attractions in the Netherlands. The traditional wooden houses painted in bright colours and a beautiful port make this fishing town a must-see in the local area.
My rating:
The positives:
You’ll have a lovely day out exploring the town if the sun is shining.
The negatives:
Don’t underestimate how many people flock to the town during the holidays – the quaint little lanes can get very crowded!
Last Modified: 16.01.2025 | Céline & Boris
all
Volendam Tickets
| Volendam Tickets | Prices | Information | Buy Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Photoshooting in costumes |
EUR 13.50 | Photo in traditional costume, 1-2 printed photos, duration: 25 minutes | Book Shooting |
|
DAY TRIP 1 |
EUR 47.50 | Volendam, Edam & Zaanse Schans, guided tour in English, duration: 6.5 hours, Tour + Transport | Bookt Trip |
|
DAY TRIP 2 |
EUR 37.50 | Volendam, Marken & Zaanse Windmills Bus + Tour, Language: English + English audio guide, Duration: 5 hours 30 minutes | Bookt Trip |
|
Clogs Workshop |
EUR 36.50 | Make your own Clog! Duration: 2 hours | book workshop |
|
Photo + cheese |
EUR 9.50 | Photo in traditional costume, 1 photo, Cheese + clogs tour, Duration: 1 hour | Buy Ticket |
|
I AMSTERDAM CARD |
EUR 65 | I Amsterdam Card for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days. Free entry to the Volendam Museum | Buy Ticket |
The details
at a glance
Opening hours
Opening hours:
Virtual Reality: daily 11 a.m. – 5 p.m
Photo shooting: daily 11 a.m. – 5 p.m
Volendam Museum: Monday – Thursday, Sat + Sun: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m,. Fri: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Palingsound Museum: Tuesday – Sunday: 9.30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Cheese Factory Volendam: Winter: 10.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. / Summer: 9.30 a.m. – 6.30 p.m.
Volendam
Photo Gallery
WHAT IS THERE
TO SEE?
Volendam lies on the banks of the Markermeer lake to the north-east of Amsterdam. When a dam was built 600 years ago, people decided to settle there too. And the famous fishing town had its first residents!
Volendam joins Zaanse Schans on the list of top tourist attractions in the Netherlands. But don’t expect to see any windmills in Volendam! It’s the traditional wooden houses painted in bright colours and the beautiful port that have been bringing people to Volendam ever since the 19th century. The narrow lanes and quaint charm of this traditional Dutch fishing town started inspiring artists all the way back in 1880. It’s no wonder that Volendam and the town’s traditional lace bonnets have become a symbol of the Netherlands for so many people. It doesn’t get more Dutch than Volendam!
The people who live here still wear the traditional costume. They also speak their own dialect and have their own style of music called Palingsound (which literally means ‘eel sound’).
Volendam Museum
find out more
Palingsound Museum
find out more
Volendam Experience
find out more
PHOTO IN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING
find out more
Cheese Factory
find out more
The village
find out more
FOOD & DRINK
find out more
Boat trip
find out more
GETTING TO VOLENDAM
find out more
Tip 1
VOLENDAM MUSEUM
The museum first opened its doors in 1977 on the back of an initiative by members of an association called Oud Volendam, who wanted to preserve and share their traditions.
The museum offers an insight into what it was like to live in Volendam between 1850 and 1950.
It’s filled with traditional clothing and paintings. There are five rooms designed to replicate the past – four of them are living rooms from throughout history and one is an old shop. Given that Volendam is a fishing town, the exhibition focuses heavily on the fishing industry. Model ships also play a big part in proceedings!
The cigar band house is in a separate part of the museum, having been put together between 1947 and 1996. Wondering why it took so long? Well, the room is absolutely packed with cigar bands. There are 11 million of them altogether… Wow 🙂 And they’re not just displayed any old how. The cigar bands have even been arranged to create mosaics of Dutch coats of arms and famous buildings.
* Pictures from the inside will follow soon 😉
Tip 2
PALINGSOUND MUSEUM
What do eels have to do with music? You can find out the answer to that question at the Palingsound Museum. You see, Paling is the Dutch word for eel. And the museum is located in an eel smokehouse/restaurant.
The Volendam locals are known for saying, “Acting normal is crazy enough”. And that makes a lot of sense when you realise that their distinctive style of traditional music is called ‘eel sound’. To be fair, this music has made it onto the international music scene in the past. It had its heyday back in the 1970s, when bands like BZN, The Cats, George Baker Selection (Una paloma blanca) and The Classics (Yellow Sun of Ecuador) had some hits between them.
The word Paling was originally chosen to express how smooth this catchy music is – smooth as an eel. It’s what you might call easy listening.
* Pictures from the inside will follow soon 😉
Tip 3
VOLENDAM EXPERIENCE
* We’ll be back soon with more on this 😉
Tip 4
PHOTO IN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING
You can make your trip to Volendam even more special by dressing up for a photo in traditional clothing.
My tip: I’d recommend making an appointment nice and early because it can get pretty busy.
* I should know – let’s just say I need to go back before I can finish this section 😉
Tip 5
VOLENDAM CHEESE FACTORY
Maybe music isn’t your thing but your ears prick up whenever someone mentions food? How about a trip to the Volendam Cheese Factory to find out all about how cheese is made?
OK, it’s more of an experience than a museum. But you do get to go on a tour to see the traditional way of making cheese for yourself. I bet you’re wondering which cheese you can see being transformed from milk into a delicious food… Well done if you guessed gouda!
You can book a cheese tasting session or buy some cheese from the shop to try at home. What better souvenir to share with the family?!
Tip 6
The village
From the dyke, you can look down at the harbour. You’ll be able to spot traditional Dutch flat-bottomed ships, modern power boats and yachts from all across Europe. You can pretty much walk around the whole harbour. You’re bound to spot plenty of seagulls and old pirate-style ships along the way. And don’t forget to take in the lovely view of the village.
The historical town centre isn’t that big, but it’s home to the museums I’ve already mentioned, restaurants, little shops and old fisherman’s houses (so pretty).
Have a stroll around and try to find the four statues dotted throughout the town. Go ahead and take a photo or two with them as they go about their business – they won’t mind at all.
Tip 7
Food & Drink
If the weather’s on your side, you can sit outside at the bars and restaurants. Feel the sunshine on your face as you watch the world go by.
Remember that Volendam is a fishing town, so it wouldn’t be right to leave without trying some fish.
Volendam is famous for its smoked eel. Back to that Paling! Kipperling (battered fish) and raw herring are other popular choices that you’ll have no trouble finding around the harbour.
If you have a sweet tooth, head to the dyke for Pepernoten (mini spiced cookies), waffles and Poffertjes, which are mini pancakes covered in icing sugar.
Yum, those are my favourite!
Tip 8
BOAT TRIP
If you’re craving even more postcard perfection after you’ve finished exploring Volendam, you could always hop on a boat to another little village called Marken.
The Volendam Marken Express runs all year long, providing a connection between the two harbours. The journey only takes around 30 minutes and an adult return ticket is currently priced at EUR 12.50.
Tip 9
GETTING TO VOLENDAM
If you’re heading to Volendam from Amsterdam, you have three options…
- The 316 bus leaves from Amsterdam Centraal every 15 minutes and the journey takes around 25 minutes. When you get off the bus, you’ll have a bit of a walk into the village.
- Have your car with you? Lucky you because that’s by far the easiest option. But the journey from the city centre isn’t any quicker than getting the bus. And you’ll need to allow time to find a parking space 😉
- Or you can do as the Dutch do and cycle the 25 kilometres through the lowlands. Your bike ride will last an hour to an hour and a half.
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2021 – 2025
With the support of Boris Hermann.
