Lallie

I posted this earlier today, however don't see it on the site so am trying again.

Have any of you visited Volendam? If so what do you recommend to do or see? What was good or bad? Will we be able to see or do much in one day? Thanks for your advise.

flygirl

it is a cute little Dutch town. pleasant to walk around in, but quite small. the waterfront walk is like a typical little seaside town. some shops, some restaurants, but not a lot. are you staying at the Best Western? it is right on the water and is very nice. my room had a great view & balcony.

are you staying there, or where? Gouda is up the road, too. (How-da. the cheese. not pronounced Goo-da).

it's a cute town to walk around with your camera - very quintessential Dutch.

are you driving?

PalQ

Volendam is a small town with not much to do except sit at the gaggle of cafes surrounding the picturesque old port. Except for walking the compact old town and its cutesy lanes, a few hours here will suffice. Most people come to Volendam because they go to Marken across the bay. Marken is an outdoor museum of old fishing houses preserved as they were ages ago. Locals even dress up in old Dutch garb so this is like walking into the Holland a centry ago. Marken, once an island but now tethered to the mainland by a causeway, is very famous and to some it may be a tourist trap but it's really a neat place on the shores of the former Zuider Zee, now an inland lake. Marken and Volendam, and nearby Edam, were once all thriving fishing villages but are now surrounded by a filled in Zuider Zee. From Amsterdam you can take frequent buses to Marken, then take frequent boats to Volendam and return from there by bus to Amsterdam. Or from Volendam, walk along the lake a few miles to Edam, the third of a trio of idyllic old ports, from where you can bus back to Amsterdam.

flygirl

http://www.bestwestern.nl/spaander/

if you are curious

Lallie

Thanks for the information. We will be in Amsterdam.