Extra information for your visit to the Volendam Marken Express

Public transport to Volendam

Take the bus of E.B.S to Volendam at the rear side of the Central Station. Every 15 minutes, a bus to Volendam will depart. You can buy a ticket in the bus or use your OV-chip card.

More information and departure times http://www.ebs-ov.nl

Route to Volendam

Drive in direction Amsterdam on the A1 (Hilversum/Amersfoort), A2 (Utrecht) of A4 (Schiphol/Den Haag). Take the ring road by keeping to direction Zaandam/Zaanstad. Keep on the ring road and the ring road exit Volendam. From there it is 15 kilometers to Volendam.

Are you coming from the center of Amsterdam? Take the IJtunnel which leads straight to Volendam. There is a Van der Valk Motel near the last exit direction Volendam, from where it is two kilometers before you enter Volendam via a small roundabout (turn right). Take the main road (Julianaweg) until you see the VVV office, and you have arrived in the center of Volendam.

Public transportation to Marken

Take the bus of E.B.S to Marken at the rear side of the Central Station. Every half hour, a bus to Marken will depart. You can buy a ticket in the bus or use your OV-chip card.

More information and departure times http://www.ebs-ov.nl

Route to Marken

Drive in direction Amsterdam on the A1 (Hilversum/Amersfoort), A2 (Utrecht) of A4 (Schiphol/Den Haag). Take the ring road by keeping to direction Zaandam/Zaanstad. Keep on the ring road and the ring road exit Volendam. From there it is 10 kilometers to exit Monnickendam. Take this exit and drive straight on until you exit Monnickendam again. Follow the levee for 10 kilometers until you arrive on Marken.

Parking on Marken

Visitors of Marken can park in only one way. Immediately when you enter Marken, you see a large parking lot on your left side. Visitors must park here, it is not possible to drive on. A tourist tax is charged per vehicle and the number of visitors. See table below for more information.

Parking in Volendam

A visit to the shipping company Volendam Marken Express could also begin per car. In Volendam are various places to park your car. The blue zone applies on many places, and can vary from 1.5 hours to 3 hours. There is also a possibility to park the car without time limit, but you do have to walk a bit.

Traffic regulation on the levee in Volendam

From 11.00 to 23.00, you can leave the levee from Art Hotel Spaander at the whole hour and half hour for ten minutes, and at a quarter to and a quarter past the hour you can enter the levee from the Noordeinde. Pay attention to the electronic pole, which allows only one vehicle to pass at a time and comes back up after each vehicle. From 19.00 you can leave freely from Art Hotel Spaander, but for entering from the Noordeinde, the traffic regulation applies to 23.00. Between 23.00 and 11.00, traffic is possible without any restriction.

Parking Marinapark Volendam

Parking lot Marinapark (close to the center, at the beginning of the levee). When you enter Volendam on the N517, you keep to the Julianaweg after the first roundabout. After about 300 meters, you can see the driveway to the Marinapark on your right side. At the beginning of the parking lot you can park for 1.5 hours, and further down the lot without restrictions (free parking).

Parking lot Zuideinde Volendam

P-Zuideinde parking lot, follow P-route centrum and straight on to the P-Parellelweg (zip code 1131 DM), down the Dijk (free parking). This is a very large, free parking lot, and suitable for busses and touring cars.

Parking lots Centrum Volendam

Follow the P-signs-Centrum on the Julianaweg. On the Zeestraat, you see two parking lots:

P- Amvo (free parking) (Not possible during carnival)
P- Winkelcentrum Havenhof (paid parking)

In the center of Volendam, a blue zone applies. Attention! This varies from half 0.5 hours to 1.5 hours.

Must See & Do Volendam

Volendam was founded in the fourteenth century. It became a beloved spot for fishermen and farmers to settle. Today, the harbor and the levee of Volendam are still tourist attractions. On the one hand you see the fishing boats which still generate the main share of the income, and on the other hand there are the traditional wooden buildings and houses.

1. Get lost and discover artistic Volendam

Do you really want to get to know Volendam? Get lost in its alleyways. Discover old districts, streets, and authentic houses. Imagine yourself in the typical old fishing villages characteristic of the former Zuiderzee and the present day IJselmeer. Let yourself be inspired to beauty, like the painters who have been coming there since 1880. Many painters discovered Volendam as a source of inspiration for their works. Leedert Spaander befriended these painters, and in his house he created a place to work. Later, they opened a hotel as a meeting place for artists from all over the world. In Art Hotel Spaander, an exchange of ideas took place, of which the paintings hanging there still bear witness. Visit this unique hotel and be inspired!

2. Take a photo in traditional attire

A photo in traditional attire is as characteristic as the village and is an absolute must when visiting Volendam. Visit Fotograaf Volendam to take the photo! You can also make a quick Volendam-photo, or a karaoke video with you singing the greatest hits of Volendam. Enjoy! And you will be going home with the best memento.

3. Experience Visit the Volendam Museum and/or Volendam

Learn about the history and folklore of Volendam in the Volendams Museum. In this museum you can enjoy the lifelike and authentic displays of the daily life in earlier times. View authentic film material, or marvel about the many works of art made of Volendam by visiting artists. A real piece of Dutch authenticity can be found here.

In the Volendam Experience you experience the illustrious history of Volendam in the most modern way. Enjoy holographic shows, or defy the Zuiderzee in 1916 with the Oculus Rift, the way to experience the real authentic Volendam.

4. Learn how the Volendam ‘Palingsound’ came to be

In the Palingsound museum. 100 years of music development has been captured in images here. The musical nature of Volendam has generated many hits. Discover how Volendam got its unique sound, and how they have managed to score so many hits!

5. Eat fish or a waffle on the Dijk

When visiting the most famous fishing village of the Netherlands, eating a fish on the Dijk is a must. Enjoy the freshly caught fish while looking out of the Markermeer. It hardly gets any better.

If fish is not your thing, but you still want to eat something good on the Dijk? Visit Woltjes Bakery. Besides watching a demonstration in waffle baking, you can taste a range of ‘stroopwafels’.

6. Make the passage to Marken on the Volendam Marken Express

From the very pleasant and hospitable Volendam to authentic Marken; that is really worth a passage. Enjoy the Gouwzee and the view of both villages. Imagine yourself in traditional Marken and visit the lighthouse, or enjoy a lovely lunch/dinner. Want to know what more you can do in Marken? We have listed the Must See and Must Do for you.

7. Visit the beer brewery and the Cheese Factory

Learn everything about Volendam bier in the Bierbrouwerij. Enjoy the beer tasting during the tour, and make sure you are still steady on your feet when you leave the brewery! For a slice of cheese to go with your drink, you can visit the Cheese Factory. This interactive attraction teaches everything about the making of cheese. An experience you do not want to miss.

8. Enjoy the atmosphere in the harbor

The harbor of Volendam is one of the best known in the Netherlands. Not without reason, numerous paintings have been made of the village. Enjoy the beautiful vistas and visit the harbor of Volendam.

In short, there is plenty to discover in Volendam. Come and enjoy all the beauty and wonder the old harbor has to offer and book an arrangement with Volendam Marken Express.

Must See & Do Monnickendam

The historical harbor village of Monnickendam has had a fishing industry since the Middle Ages. Monnickendam already got its city rights in 1355. He who dares to call the cozy, fairy-tale-like Monnickendam, with its historical houses, canals, and old harbor, accidentally a village, can be sure of a history lesson. During this time, various ship builders and smokehouses were founded, of which some are still operational. When visiting Monnickendam, the following highlights are a must.

1. The Speeltoren of Monnickendam

When visiting Monnickendam, a visit to museum the Speeltoren is a must. Located in the center of the town, near the historical harbor, the Speeltoren houses the oldest still functioning carillon in the world. But there is more to see: learn everything about the history of the old villages, the reconstruction of the Waterland landscape, or discover Monnickdam as it was in earlier times.

2. A stroll in the harbor

Monnickendam is known for its many houses with gables, the nature reserve Hemmeland, and it is the home port of many ships of the Bruine Vloot, traditional sailing ships such as botters and cutters. Make a stroll in the harbor of Monnickendam, and enjoy all the nautical on display.

3. Grote or Sint-Nicolaaskerk

The Grote or Sint-Nicolaaskerk is the most important church of Monnickendam. The church has been a national monument since 1967. In the church, multiple important people from Monnickendam are buried, such as marine officers. Construction of the church already started in 1400. Visit the special Gothic building on the edge of the old center of the town.

5. De Waegh

Waegh is an old Dutch world for weigh house. There already was a Waegh building in Monnickendam in 1382. De Waegh as destroyed by a fire in 1666. The current Waegh dates from 1668, and was raised from the remnants of the old building. De Waegh was the economic center of the city, and had two functions: the Waegh building (inside) and the Beurs (outside under the awning). The building was used for weighing and trading of butter, cheese, and grains. The original scales are a nice detail from those days. The upper hall served as meeting space for the city council, which consisted of four mayors and various council members.

4. Sail on the Gouwzee and Markenmeer

The Volendam Marken Express takes you to and from Monnickendam. Sailing on the Gouwzee is a must when visiting Monnickendam. From the water, you have an amazing view of the authentic still life on the banks of the Gouwzee. Monnickendam completes the triangle with Volendam and Marken. So, if you want to experience a day of real Old Holland? Monnickdam must be included.

About the Zuiderzee

A remarkable story about the fight against the water

It is a piece of water which embodies both the pride and pain of the Netherlands. Until 1932, the Zuiderzee was an inland sea. Fun fact: before that time, we used to talk about Amsterdam aan Zee, Volendam aan Zee, and Marken aan Zee. Large flooding and disasters would ready the Dutch for the biggest battle they ever thought: the battle against the water.

Before 1916:

Amsterdam, Marken, Volendam and Monnickendam are coastal towns on the Zuiderzee, which is about 6,000 square kilometers in surface. On the bank of the Zuiderzee, fishing and trade communities arise. This area is nowadays called the Old Harbors.

1916:

Flooding disaster hits the Netherlands. On January 13 and 14, fate strikes. A storm surge raises the water level in the Zuiderzee, while excessive melt water in the main rivers of the Netherlands also ends up in the same Zuiderzee. The result is breaking of the levees in a dozen of places at the Zuiderzee. The death toll is limited, but fear has struck deep.

1918:

The Zuiderzee-bill is passed. The results of the Flooding Disaster two years before have readied the Dutch: the sea has to be contained, no matter the consequences for fishermen and seamen.

1932:

The Netherlands take on the battle with the water, particularly the turbulent sea. The Afsluitdijk between Den Oever (Noord-Holland) and Zurich (Friesland) is completed. The 32-kilometer sea wall spells the end of the Zuiderzee. The area below the Afsluitdijk is called the IJselmeer. The water is brackish, instead of salty. This has big consequences for the fishing community.

1940:

A start is made with the draining and impoldering of the future twelfth province of the Netherlands: Flevoland. Before 1940, almost the entire area consists solely of water.

1953:

This year is synonymous for ‘De Watersnoodramp’. A combination of a western storm and spring tide causes a disaster in the south of the Netherlands in the night January 31 to February 1. The Afsluitdijk passes its first major test. In the south of the Netherlands 1836 people die, 100,000 people lost their homes, and 200,000-hectare land is flooded, but in the area of the former Zuiderzee, damage is limited to a minimum.

1957:

The construction of the levee to Marken. The island of Marken is turned into a peninsula, connected to the main land by the Zeedijk. Provisioning by ice sailors in winter is no longer necessary. The tight community of Marker becomes more accessible to outsiders.

1976:

The Houtribdijk between Enkhuizen and Lelystad is finished. Marken and Volendam are no longer on the IJselmeer, but on the Markermeer. The intention is to gain more land in the Markermeer. Marken will lose its island status, and become part of a larger, depoldered area.

1986:

The Netherlands officially get their twelfth province. Flevoland, to the west of Marken, has been entirely “gained“ on the water. An ingenious project of impoldering leads to 1,500 square kilometers of extra land in the Netherlands.

2003:

It is officially decided that no more parts of the Markermeer will be drained. Marken will remain a peninsula.

Present:

The area around the Gouwzee consists of the authentic villages of Marken, Volendam, and Monnickendam. Fishing is still big in this area, but tourism is also a large source of income. The ferry service of Volendam Marken Express makes a visit to the triangle around the Gouwzee a real experience.

Tour operators & Agents

We have special tariffs for tour operators and partners. Do you plan on coming here with groups more often? Become our partner. As soon as you are registered, you can make your own bookings in our system on the trips of your liking.

For more information call 0299 363331  or mail to r info@markenexpress.nl