Volendam is a beautiful picturesque fishing village in The Netherlands. It is located right on Markermeer lake, northeast of Amsterdam, and has a lovely harbor full of Dutch ships and fishing boats. Volendam has the true fishermen's town atmosphere and it's the closest to an old "traditional" Dutch village you could find. It is lovely just walking around the town and seeing all the colorful authentic little houses. It is like walking through a real-life version of a painting. Truly a wonderful village to explore!
Check out the TWD YouTube video of Volendam here or scroll down to the bottom of this page.
There is so much to learn here about the Dutch culture from back in the day, from the traditional Dutch clothing and wooden shoes to everything about Dutch cheese. Not only that, there is so much food to taste and discover! If you're a cheese lover definitely pay a visit to The Cheese Factory Volendam to try all the amazing cheese. Obviously the local seafood is a must! There are many seafood vendors in town that offer the freshest fish. A must-try are the local delicacies like smoked eel, soused herring topped with onions and pickles, kibbeling (fried cod), and smoked mackerel. The kibbeling is your safest choice if you aren't that adventurous. Haha.
If you love sweets they have bakeries there that sell decadent waffles with delicious toppings. Woltje's Backerij is one of the best bakeries in town! They sell the famous freshly made Dutch "stroopwafels"! Traditional style but also chocolate dipped stroopwafels with a variety of toppings! Toppings like caramel fudge, hazelnut, M&M's, and more. Stroopwafels like that are hard to find! Plus they show you how to make them! There's also stroopwafel liqueur available to taste. If you can't make it to Volendam but you'd like to experience and enjoy fresh stroopwafels that are made right in front of you, read my previous post about the Albert Cuypmarkt in Amsterdam here.
Volendam is a great place for a day trip for tourists as well as locals! The lovely harbor and Volendam's authentic Dutch character is unlike any other place. The ultimate souvenir is a picture of you and your friends/family in traditional Dutch costumes (Foto De Boer is a popular place for these pictures). It is so much fun and definitely great for laughs! Volendam sure is a wonderful place to visit.
Picturesque Volendam
The most well-known fishing village in The Netherlands.
Volendam Food
Delicious local seafood, Dutch cheese and sweets.
