Day trip from Amsterdam Volendam and Marken
Two former fishing villages on the Markermeer lake, linked by a 30-minute ferry, about 25 minutes by bus from Amsterdam Centraal.
Is Volendam and Marken worth a day trip from Amsterdam?
Go for Marken. Volendam is the warm-up.
Go, and plan the day around Marken. Volendam's harbour front is a strip of souvenir shops and fish stalls that you will have seen in 45 minutes. The ferry is the good part: the Volendam Marken Express crosses in 30 minutes, sails daily, and drops you in a village of green wooden houses with far fewer people. A MeerPlus day ticket at € 13.50 covers all the buses and the ferry is € 10 one way. The whole loop takes five to six hours. Sailing times change through the year, so check them before you leave Amsterdam.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 25 minone way · MeerPlus
- Transport
- Bus 316
- Self-guided cost
- € 23.50–30MeerPlus bus day ticket + Volendam Marken Express ferry, one way (€ 10) or return (€ 16.50) · MeerPlus day ticket
- Tour price
- From € 35Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 5–7 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- None
- Best time
- Apr-Oct, on a dry dayDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth a full dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Volendam and Marken
- 01
The Volendam dyke and harbour
A harbour front of fish stalls, costume photo studios and souvenir shops, lined with old fishing boats. Walk it in 20 minutes, then drop into the lanes behind the dyke, called the Doolhof.
- 02
The ferry crossing
Thirty minutes across the Markermeer on the Volendam Marken Express, with an open top deck. Sit outside if it is dry: you see both villages from the water and the long dyke of Marken.
- 03
Marken village
Green and black wooden houses built on mounds and stilts against floods, around a small harbour. An hour covers the harbour, the church quarter and the narrow paths between the houses.
- 04
The walk to the lighthouse
The white lighthouse called Paard van Marken stands at the eastern tip of the island. It is about 2.5 km each way along the dyke, 35-40 minutes on foot, with sheep and open water throughout.
How to spend the day
Take bus 316 from the bus station behind Amsterdam Centraal at about 9:30 and reach Volendam around 10:00. Walk the dyke, eat something at the harbour, then catch a ferry around 11:15. You are on Marken by 11:45. Give the village and the walk out to the lighthouse two hours. Bus 315 takes you back towards Amsterdam; aim to leave Marken by 15:00.
Volendam and Marken in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustThis is the season the trip is built for. The ferry runs every 45 minutes, the top deck is pleasant and the lighthouse walk is dry. Volendam's dyke is jammed between 11:00 and 15:00, when the coach tours stop for lunch. Go to Marken first by bus 315 and take the ferry back to dodge the worst of it.
Winter
December to FebruaryThe ferry says it sails every day, but times are reduced and bad weather can cancel crossings, so check on the morning. Marken in winter is nearly empty and many of its shops are closed. The lighthouse dyke is cold and exposed. Go only on a dry, calm day, and keep it to four or five hours.
How crowded it gets
Very busy- Busiest
- May-Sep, 11:00-15:00 on the Volendam harbour front
- Quietest
- Before 10:30 and after 16:00; Marken at almost any time; November to March
The crowd is concentrated on 400 metres of Volendam dyke. Step one street back and it thins out. Marken absorbs visitors better, and almost nobody walks out to the lighthouse, so that is where to spend your time.
How do you get to Volendam and Marken from Amsterdam?
Bus + ferry
- Travel time
- 25 min to Volendam
- Cost
- € 13.50 day ticket + € 10 ferry
- Departs from
- Amsterdam Centraal bus station (IJ side)
Bus 316 goes to Volendam. Buy the Zaanstreek-Waterland day ticket from the driver or pay by contactless card. The ferry leaves the Volendam harbour every 45 minutes in summer. From Marken, bus 315 runs back to Amsterdam, so you do not need a return ferry.
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 8 hours round trip
- Frequency
- Daily
- Cost
- From € 35
- Departs from
- De Ruijterkade 153, behind Amsterdam Centraal
The coach tour adds Zaanse Schans and Edam to Volendam and Marken, with a cheese tasting and a clog demonstration. It costs little more than doing two villages alone, but you get short stops and a fixed timetable. The ferry is an optional extra.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
A windproof jacket even in July, because the ferry deck and the Marken dyke are colder than Amsterdam. Wear walking shoes for the lighthouse path. In winter add a hat and gloves, since there is no shelter out there.
What to eat
Fish is the reason to eat in Volendam: smoked eel, fried kibbeling, raw herring and shrimp from the harbour stalls, eaten standing. Marken has only a handful of cafes around the harbour, so eat before the ferry or carry a sandwich for the lighthouse walk.
What you will spend
The fixed costs are the € 13.50 day ticket for the buses and € 10 for the one-way ferry, or € 16.50 return. Both villages are free to walk. The small museums, the cheese and clog demonstrations and the costume photos are optional extras.
How to get the most out of the day
- Do the loop one way only: bus out to one village, ferry across, bus back from the other. You do not need the return ferry ticket.
- Bus 315 from Marken back to Amsterdam runs less often than bus 316 from Volendam. Note the departure times when you step off the ferry.
- Edam is ten minutes beyond Volendam on the same bus 316 and the same day ticket. Its cheese market is held on summer Wednesdays.
- The right-hand side of the ferry leaving Volendam gives the better view of the Marken harbour as you arrive.
How long do you need in Volendam and Marken?
Plan 5–7 h on site, plus 25 min of travel each way from Amsterdam.
When is Volendam and Marken closed?
None. Best time: Apr-Oct, on a dry day.