Information about Volendam

Volendam, the pearl of the former Zuiderzee, is a famous old traditional fishing village on the IJsselmeer. Thousands of tourists come here from all over the world to enjoy the authentic atmosphere, the small streets and the view of the harbor where boats sail and arrive to Marken. Volendam is a village you must have visited once in your life. On De Dijk are numerous restaurants, terraces and stores to buy souvenirs and browse; and in one of the stores you can have your picture taken with a traditional Volendam costume. In the quiet streets of the Doolhof, you will imagine yourself going back in time a hundred years. Volendam is known not only as a fishing village but also for its music and costumes.

The location and surroundings of Volendam

Volendam is located in North Holland on the IJsselmeer lake, right next to Edam, both places forming the municipality of Edam-Volendam. Today's Volendammers live in brick houses. But until the early 20th century, it was a different situation, which is still evidenced by the small wooden houses you find in the Doolhof. If you walk or bike along De Dijk, you have a continuous view of the IJsselmeer. The area around Volendam consists of meadows and marshes with an abundance of meadow birds, ducks, geese and swans. You can reach Volendam by car or by bus. There is no train station in the village.

What to do in Volendam

Being located on the shores of the IJsselmeer, Volendam offers excellent recreational opportunities. This is a wonderful place for walking, cycling and various forms of water sports. You can swim in the lake or in the subtropical swimming pool Waterdam. Bicycles and boats can also be rented in Volendam. The most famous festival in Volendam is the four-day fair in the first weekend of September. In June it is time for the Volendam weekend, the most atmospheric weekend with many people in traditional costumes and with demonstrations of traditional crafts. Many activities take place during this weekend, such as eel-smoking competitions, sailing races, a fair and market, acrobatic performances and a beautiful art tour organized by the Maze. There are also many performances by local bands in the numerous pubs in Volendam.

Monuments

While in Volendam, you can visit several monuments. The former fish auction is a rare and well-preserved monument, built mostly of wood, dating back to 1934. The Visafslag is a well-known meeting point, centrally located in the harbor area. The wooden belfry is a simple belfry with a wedding bell from 1771, located on the harbor in the middle of the old center of Volendam. If you want to see the best places in Volendam, you can follow the city walk from the Freebee Map in the brochure, which you can also follow via our mobile website. Then you can be sure that you have seen everything there is to see in Volendam

Art and culture

When it comes to art and culture, there is plenty to see in Volendam: The Volendams Museum, which is also home to the famous cigar band house, and you can see that the village has been home to an international colony of artists since 1875. The museum organizes regular exhibitions with different themes; Palingsound Museum, featuring a centuries-old music collection, with photographs, trophies, musical instruments and record covers of "eel sounds," typical Volendam music by the Cats, B.Z.N., Leftside, Maribel and Jan Smit, among others. In Hotel Spaander you will find an impressive collection of paintings. Painters from the artist colony who visited the hotel often paid for their stay by donating one of their paintings.

Shopping in Volendam

Volendam is not only a village full of nostalgia, but also a wonderful place to store. In the center and on and around De Dijk you will find a large number of stores. From jewelry store to supermarket, from drugstore to souvenir store, from clothing store to home furnishing store; and furthermore, there is the Woonboulevard, where you can enjoy interior design stores, on an area of over 30,000 m2. The stores on Volendam's harbor are open seven days a week. The village also has two shopping centers: De Stient and Van Havenhof.

Eating Out In Volendam.

In Volendam you can also enjoy a delicious lunch, cozy dinner or a nice drink. On De Dijk you will find several good restaurants and cafes. As you would expect from a fishing village, you can enjoy many fresh fish dishes of first-class quality. Take the time to walk past the restaurants and check out their menus, and you will realize what a surprisingly wide selection there is. At each restaurant you can enjoy delicious cuisine. In addition to De Dijk, of course, there are several other areas with restaurants and cafes.

Nightlife in Volendam

For a fun night out, head to De Dijk in Volendam, where you will find numerous pubs, bars and cafes open until dawn. Volendam is home to many Dutch celebrities whom you might run into on a night out. Elsewhere in the village, there are also many places to go out.