Volendam

Its rather isolated location and the character of its inhabitants, have given Volendam a very specific atmosphere. It's a fishermen's village, and the bustling harbour area with the many boats are still a major attraction today. From the 1880s it was a popular dwelling place for artists, who found that the town seemed hardly touched by time and captured its characteristics in lots of different paintings and other works of art. Volendam's traditional costume is one of the best known examples of ancient clothing in the country. Only a handful of people wear it in their daily lives today, but as the locals have recognized its value for tourism you will probably still run into it here or there.

In the Netherlands, Volendam is famous for its singers. There's an extensive Dutch music scene here and several of the most popular Dutch singers originate from this village. This music is known as the palingsound, literally "eel sound", a reference to the village's heritage as a fishing village. In the 1960s, the Cats was a popular group and in the 1970s BZN took over as the new flagship group. In 1995, BZN performed a duet with the ten year old Jan Smit, who quickly became a celebrity in his own right and is now the leading singer of the village. You can find posters and merchandise of him across town.

1 VVV tourist information office Volendam, Zeestraat 37, ☏ +31 299 363 747. The tourist information office is very helpful. It has lots of information on sights, activities and lodging options. (updated Jun 2020)

By road, the N247 will take you to the municipality of Edam-Volendam from Amsterdam or Monnickendam. To get to Volendam centre, exit the N247 where it connects to the N517, which will lead you there. The N247 connects to the A7 just before Hoorn. Alternatively, the N244 connects Volendam to Purmerend and connects to the A7 there.

Bus lines 110, 112, 118 and 373 connect Volendam to Amsterdam. Lines 113 and 213 run to and from Purmerend.

In summer, a ferry connection between Volendam and the peninsula of Marken every 30 to 45 minutes.

A great way to get to Volendam is by bike. There are many cycle routes that will take you there:

From Purmerend train station - Volendam Cycle Route (45 or 37 km).