Volendam

Volendam dates from 1357, when the people of Edam dug a shorter canal to the Zuiderzee and built their own harbour there. The old harbour was dammed, which gave the village its name, thought to derive from “full dam”. Farmers and fishermen settled here, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the fishing village drew artists. The women’s traditional bonnet and the colourful wooden houses by the harbour are still its best-known sights.

The Volendam Museum shows clothing and paintings from 1850 to 1950, and Hotel Spaander displays more than 1,300 works created in Volendam. Local specialities include smoked eel and fried fish. Allow half a day. The narrow lanes get crowded during holidays and at weekends, so try to come early or in the evening. Bus 316 runs from Amsterdam, and the journey takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes.