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 collected 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, so in the center of Volendam the most popular dish is “fish and chips”, but the farther you go, the more interesting the menu.
. :) 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, as 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.
Volendam (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.
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Volendam is a small town near Amsterdam, which gained tourist fame back in the 19th century. Then it was a fishing village, and at the same time a port for sending products from the cheese factories of neighboring Edam to other Dutch cities. In 1881, the first hotel, the Spaander, opened here, thanks to which the idyllic and dull outback suddenly found its first guests - they turned out to be artists looking for a cozy pastoral. As a result, little Volendam became famous, first among the artistic community, and then among the masses.
What to see
This is a very well-kept, neat town. Brick houses in red-brown shades, tiled roofs, benches on clean sidewalks, flowers in tubs on windows and pavements - in a word, beauty. Everything is miniature and geometrically correct - like in an excellent student’s notebook.
The main feature of the village is the bridges. Since the settlement is literally all cut up by canals, there are a lot of them. Moreover, all of them, even the tiniest ones, rise, and it is the lifting mechanisms of bridges that are the most striking part of the city landscape.
The tourism infrastructure is well developed. There are many good fish restaurants and pubs, souvenir shops, shops selling the main Dutch specialty - herring (you can buy a portion and enjoy it right there), there is a large cheese shop and a small sandy beach.
Since the town is very small, the best way to get around it is on foot - in a couple of hours of a leisurely walk you can see all the sights. One of the most interesting places for tourists is the embankment. It’s atmospheric here: several old boats are moored at the pier, cafes and souvenir shops are open. In addition, steamboats depart from here to Marken.
There are three Protestant churches in the village: the oldest, 1658 - Stolphoevekerk, the newer, 1860 - St. Vincent's Church (Vincentiuskerk) and the modern one, 1957, consecrated in honor of St. Mary (Mariakerk). The very small Museum of Volendam is dedicated to the culture and history of the town.
The monument “Klaassie and Klaassie” - bronze children, a boy and a girl, sitting on a bench in Havenstraat street, first appeared here in 1999. The author of the sculpture, artist Jans van Baarssen, thus introduces visitors to the peculiarity of two Dutch names - the female Klassie and the male Klaas, which sound the same in an affectionate form.
The Spaander Hotel looks perfectly in harmony with the surrounding houses and does not stand out in anything special. It is interesting for its collection of paintings - those very first artist guests sometimes paid the owner with their works. And there is also a list of famous guests, who in different years included Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney, Muhammad Ali and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Practical information
Address: Volendam, GPS coordinates: 52.5002187,5.0403089. Website (in English).
You can get there from Amsterdam by public from Central Station. Routes No. 110, 118, 312 and 316 depart towards Volendam. A round-trip ticket costs 10 EUR, travel time is about 30 minutes. Prices on the page are for October 2018.
Twenty kilometers from Zaanse Schans there is another popular tourist destination - Volendam. Visits to these two villages are combined not only by travel agencies, but also by free travelers. Traveling “Through the Outback of Holland” (that was the name of our excursion), we were transported from a folk village of windmills to a fishing village.
This is exactly how Volendam is positioned. And you immediately imagine wooden houses standing alone on a cliff with fishing nets hanging around, boats lying on the shore of an unfriendly sea, and an all-consuming fishy smell. The fishing village of Volendam is anything but. This is a very well-kept cozy place where you want to settle.
Of course, there are boats, motorboats and yachts here.
Perhaps these are fishing schooners
I don't know if they are used for fishing. They are laid up near the shore, and do not cut across the water surface. In general, as a fishing village, the surrounding water area is too deserted. The only regular boats that were seen were connecting Volendam and Marken Island.
Regular boat plying the route "Volendam - Marken Island"
Marken Island is no less popular with tourists than Volendam, and actually turned into a peninsula after the construction of a dam connecting it to the mainland in 1957. He gave the name to Lake Markermeer, on the shore of which Volendam is located. Lake Markermeer appeared after the construction of a dam in 1976, dividing Lake IJsselmeer, which, in turn, arose on the site of the Zuiderzee thanks to a dam built in 1932 and separating the bay from the North Sea. Thus, the sea bay became a freshwater lake. As part of this project, the Dutch wanted to go even further and drain the Markermeer, but stopped in time. Volendam remained a fishing village on the shore of a fresh lake, the water of which we checked for salinity on the left side of the harbor on a small sandy beach.
The water was tested for salinity here.
In Volendam, like most small coastal settlements, all active life is concentrated on the embankment. Cafes, restaurants, shops, and souvenir shops occupied the first floors of cute houses standing in a row.
Everything to attract tourists. This was largely due to Leendert Spaander. In 1881 he opened the Hotel Spaander with rooms for artists. Visiting artists were inspired by local landscapes of wooden houses and boats and took away a “corner of Holland” on their canvases as free advertising. A few years after the opening of the “hotel for artists,” tourists poured into Volendam, who wanted to see the “real Holland” with their own eyes. Artists often paid for their stay at the Spaander Hotel with their works. As a result, a whole collection of paintings is now collected there. The Hotel Spaander welcomes its guests with a warm welcome; for good measure, a list of famous people with the dates of their stay at the hotel hangs at the entrance. The hotel's guests included members of the royal families, Auguste Renoir, Eleanor Roosevelt, Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney, Kirk Douglas, Muhammad Ali and others.
The embankment is crowded and bustling, but you just have to dive into the alley and you immediately find yourself in Volendam “for the locals.” We are big fans of such streets, and even with extreme time constraints, we couldn’t help but wander there a little. True, we didn’t meet a single local.
In addition to the ducks, I met this beauty on the embankment. We think it's a heron.
There are several sculptures along the embankment depicting local people in traditional costumes. An elderly man wearing clogs sat down to rest on a bench.
"Local"
And this is our guide to the Netherlands, Vlad, next to an elderly lady in a high cap.
Our guide to Holland is Vlad (one of the best guides we met on this trip)
Not so long ago, Volendam residents called all visitors “coat”. Such a strange nickname appeared because in Volendam all local residents wore a traditional suit and headdress, and visitors wore a coat. Today, traditional clothing has become a rarity.
The hour and a half spent in Volendam flew by quickly. Finally, we went to a supermarket located near the harbor and, in addition to all the little things, bought a pack of Heineken beer, which we planned to bring home. The beer changed its physical form along the way and arrived home as a memory of taste.
From Volendam we returned to Amsterdam, where we still had to look into.
We got on the excursion an hour after arrival, so as not to waste time, since we only have 3 days in Holland. The suitcases were left in a storage room at the Amserdam railway station, where the excursion began. Tour starts at 9:45 am and ends at 2:00 pm. I describe in detail to make it clear that the tour is not tiring.
The guide Polina is very erudite and fascinatingly told us many interesting historical facts about Holland, Amsterdam, Edam and Volendam. Moreover, this was NOT a repeat of the programs “Heads and Tails”, or “The Lives of Others”, but rather an immersion in the topic. Listening to Polina, asking questions and talking with her was a pleasure! The guide was not in the mood to “drag her into lured tourist places” where she is paid for tourists. The provided 20’ break was given for an independent visit to the museum in Edam / lunch / toilet
In Volendam, we were shown a fish shop and deli, where we tried the best Dutch herring and smoked eel, and on the way back we bought them there ourselves and had a delicious lunch for 8.5 €/person.
We walked along the embankment, got acquainted with the life and way of life of local residents, heard a story about an amazing hotel where artists worked at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, visited a cheese factory, learned how to make this famous cheese, tasted and chose wonderful gifts for ourselves and our loved ones.
The tour turned out to be wonderful, rich, interesting, easy!
Huge thanks to Polina!
An impeccable tour, professional Polina, she told interesting stories and showed a lot. Edam - above all praise, Volendam - seemed a little empty. Sea, cheese, herring - not bad, of course, but not enough. That hotel with the paintings is great, but maybe then at least stop and look at a couple of paintings, find out from the owners who the author is, etc. This is not a question for the guide at all, but something for the organizers to think about. And this is a small thing, overall - “bravo”! Rich, informative, comfortable, interesting!
All liked it!!! Edam and Volendam are lovely towns. Valentina is a professional guide and an interesting storyteller (no one got lost, although we traveled by public transport, despite the 5-hour format of the excursion, the information did not tire us).
Many thanks to Valentina for the tour of Edam and Volendam, both towns are very beautiful, there are many places for photography, wonderful courtyards, a wonderful story about the history of the houses and their owners, cheeses and fishermen. You want to return to these places again and again.
We went on an excursion to Edam and Volendam with a wonderful guide Polina, we really enjoyed everything! Adam was absolutely charming! Polina is smart and beautiful, positive, erudite, delicate; eyes are burning! We received a lot of useful and interesting information about Amsterdam and Holland, we recommend it!
I was on a group excursion "Volendam and Edam" with Valentina. The only drawback is that 15 people is a bit too much for a group to travel on a city bus. 10 people in a group would be much more comfortable.. Valentina is a wonderful storyteller and guide. She guided and organized us very tactfully and gave advice. Everything was interesting. At the end of the excursion, we stayed in Volendam. It was not difficult to return to Amsterdam, thanks to Valentina’s explanations. Thanks her!
All liked it. It’s just a pity that we weren’t given the opportunity to try cheese in Edam. We were taken to Volendam without tasting
Good afternoon With gratitude to your company, I remain deeply positively impressed by the tour of Little Holland conducted by guide Polina.
The meeting with Polina recreated an atmosphere of understanding and trust - your own person in a strange world, all the anxiety and uncertainty disappeared wherever. Polina delighted us with her organizational skills (easily uniting a group of completely different people) and attracted interest with her knowledge of the history and peculiarities of the way of life of the local residents of the region. I had the impression that she was born and lived here, because the whole story was so easy and interesting that time passed unnoticed quickly, despite the fact that the route included transfers by public transport. I have never seen a more successfully chosen route (including travel!). I would especially like to write about Polina’s charm, the beauty of the sound of her voice and the correctness of her speech, the human qualities of the guide - friendliness, goodwill, a pleasant smile descending from her face, empathy and hospitality, and listen and respond competently.
I have the same impression about your company, where the best specialists work. I'm sure it makes sense to do business with you. I will recommend your guides to my friends and acquaintances. Thank you for your work!
I liked everything. We had a nice time. Polina patiently waited for the pensioners who were lagging behind. Interesting story. Thank you
We were very lucky with our guide Polina. A very positive, knowledgeable and loving person. From the Amsterdam train station to the cheese factory in Volendam there was a feeling of celebration and an interesting adventure. The speed of movement (accessible even to very elderly people) made it possible to enjoy and be impressed by the wonderful architecture and life of the inhabitants of the towns. Many thanks to Polina!
We had a guide Polina, just a super guide! I haven't met such professionals for a long time. An excellent storyteller, very polite and tactful.
But it seemed that the excursion was not worth the money (It is very short. However, everything in Amsterdam is insanely expensive, so most likely it’s just pennies for them.
The excursion is suitable for everyone, except children, it seems to me.
