Volendam and Marken

Volendam is an old fishing town on the shore of the Markermeer, once the open Zuiderzee. Its harbour front is lined with shops and cafés, and behind the dyke a tangle of narrow lanes and small wooden houses keeps its old character.

Visitors love having their photograph taken in traditional Volendam costume at one of the town's studios. From the harbour, a ferry crosses to Marken, a former island village of green wooden houses, some on stilts, with a lighthouse at its tip.

Volendam is about half an hour by road from Amsterdam and is usually paired with Zaanse Schans; Edam, home of the round, red-waxed cheese, is a short drive away. Cheese shops offer tastings, and since smoked fish is the local speciality, vegetarians will prefer the pancake houses.