Visiting Volendam, Netherlands: Top Sights on Foot
Things to Do in Volendam: Museums, Churches and Fishing Heritage
Volendam is a traditional fishing village on the western shore of the Markermeer, in the municipality of Edam-Volendam in North Holland. Its museums, wooden churches and music history reveal the character of the village beyond its waterfront atmosphere. Neywo has a free audio guide for Volendam with 7 narrated places, available in 11 languages.
What to See in Volendam
The main sights in Volendam tell the story of a community shaped by fishing, religion, local traditions and music. They are also included in Neywo’s self-guided walking tour, which links several of the village’s most distinctive places.
Palingsound Museum
The Palingsound Museum explores Volendam’s music scene from 1905 onwards. It follows the development of local music and the rise of palingsound, a style that became particularly prominent in the 1960s.
The name means “eel sound”, connecting the village’s musical identity with its fishing traditions and famous eel. The museum is a small, central place to visit if you want to understand why Volendam became associated with this distinctive Dutch sound.
Mariakerk
The Mariakerk, or Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, stands out for its modern architecture. Instead of side aisles, the church has a simple rectangular hall, creating an open interior.
One of its most notable features is the Stations of the Cross: fourteen stained-glass windows created by Joep Nicolas in 1963. Outside, the brick-and-concrete tower stands separately from the main church building, while the presbytery is connected through an intermediate section.
Stolphoevekerkje
The Stolphoevekerkje is also known as the Stolpkerk or Hervormde Kerk. Built in 1658, it has the unusual form of a stolphoeve, the square farmhouse style found in this part of the Netherlands.
The building is made entirely of wood and has a vaulted ceiling decorated with the coats of arms of Holland, West Friesland, Edam and Volendam. Inside, look for the hexagonal pulpit, the iron baptismal arch near the baptismal gate and the organ, whose pipes come from different periods and include some dating back to the eighteenth century.
Volendams Museum
The Volendams Museum presents everyday life in the village between 1850 and 1950. Its permanent exhibition focuses on traditional Volendam costume and period interiors, including four rooms along the Botterstraat.
Two rooms are authentic living rooms; the others recreate a shop and an inn. The interiors include both the appelbloesem style and smooth wood decoration. The museum also covers the local fishing industry, with ship models and a replica of the foredeck of the VD 222.
Paintings and sculptures by artists who visited Volendam add another perspective, showing how the village attracted creative visitors and inspired their work.
Sint-Vincentiuskerk
The Sint-Vincentiuskerk is Volendam’s Catholic church dedicated to Saint Vincent. It has formed part of village life since 1860 and remains one of the town’s long-established religious landmarks.
Maria van het Water
Maria van het Water, or Our Lady of the Water, is a small chapel reflecting Volendam’s connection with the sea and its Catholic heritage. Its quieter scale offers a different atmosphere from the village’s larger churches and busier central areas.
More Volendam Experiences
Volendam’s identity is closely tied to its fishing past. The village’s traditional costume, local dialect and seafaring history remain important parts of its character, while its music tradition gives that heritage another expression.
Volendam is part of the municipality of Edam-Volendam, which also includes the historic town of Edam and the former municipality of Zeevang. Edam lies about three kilometres north of Volendam, and the wider municipality includes villages such as Kwadijk, Middelie, Oosthuizen, Schardam and Warder.
For a broader trip through the province, Volendam can be combined with Amsterdam or other destinations in North Holland, including Zaandam, Haarlem and Alkmaar.
Explore Volendam with Neywo
Download Neywo and explore Volendam with a self-guided audio walk. The app includes 1 walking tour covering 1.71 km in about 49 minutes, with 5 narrated stops: the Palingsound Museum, Mariakerk, Stolphoevekerkje, Volendams Museum and Sint-Vincentiuskerk.
As you walk, each story plays when you reach the place it describes. Follow the route at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.
Places with an audio guide in Volendam
6 places in Volendam with a Neywo audio guide. Each one starts telling its story as you reach it.
Self-guided tours in Volendam
1 tour in Volendam, free in the Neywo app. Each stop tells its story as you reach it.
- Walk
Volendam: Eel Sound, Wooden Churches and Fishermen's Rooms
A short stroll through the old fishing village that Dutch painters and pop stars made famous. Step into a 1658 wooden church built like a farmhouse, a museum of fishermen's parlours and costumes, and the small museum that explains why Volendam music is called eel sound.
Palingsound Museum · Mariakerk · Stolphoevekerkje · Volendams Museum · Sint-Vincentiuskerk (Volendam)
Open this tour: Volendam: Eel Sound, Wooden Churches and Fishermen's Rooms
Walk Volendam with Neywo
Neywo turns Volendam into a self-guided audio tour. Stories arrive as you reach the place they belong to, and the route reshapes when you wander off it.
