Volendam sits on the IJsselmeer, a half-hour bus ride north of Amsterdam, and it still looks remarkably like the fishing village it once was. Wooden houses painted green and white line narrow streets, and a handful of older residents still wear traditional dress — the women in pointed lace caps, the men in baggy wool trousers.
The harbour is the heart of town. Fishing boats bob alongside the boardwalk, fishmongers sell herring and smoked eel straight off the boats, and the waterfront terraces fill up on sunny afternoons. Behind the harbour, quieter backstreets lead to the Volendam Museum and small shops selling wooden clogs and local cheese.
Most visitors come for a day trip, and that is honestly enough. Walk the harbour, try the smoked fish, take the ferry to Marken, and you have had a good day. But if you linger into the evening, you will find a surprisingly lively bar scene for a town this size — Volendam has produced more than its share of musicians, and the locals like going out.