A day spent exploring the charming farms and scenic natural views found throughout Waterland could be enough. Add to it some stops along the way at the three most famous villages of Marken, Edam and Volendam and you’ve got yourself a seemingly perfect day.

Located within about an hour and half from the city by bike, Marken, Edam and Volendam give the perfect insight into the historical Dutch countryside. Some parts seem to be even frozen in time, equipped with drawbridges and cheese making demonstrations.

The first stop along the way was Marken, a small former island off the coast that is currently home to about 1,800 residents. In earlier times, it was a harbor for whaling and herring fishing, though natural conditions made it virtually abandoned until 1957, when engineers built a causeway to connect the island to the rest of Waterland. Then, it began to be inhabited again, especially with a focus on tourism.

Visiting today, you can see that the village has maintained its unique charm. Formed with the local conditions, especially the temperamental tides, the homes were built in small clusters upon hills otherwise known as werven. You could easily spend a few hours wandering through the small neighborhoods, molded by the fairy-tale like cottages, narrow streets and small, lightly flowing streams.

One of the locals recommended we eat at the harbor area, which has many restaurants. In retrospect, I would have chosen to eat in a less touristy location, as the only options were relatively expensive (6 euros for a small roll with cheese).

About a 45 min bike ride up the coast we reached the town of Volendam. This was the original location of the harbor of the nearby village of Edam, but in 1357 the residents of Edam built their own harbor through a shorter canal. The old harbor in Volendam was then dammed and filled in for land use, giving it its name “filled dam”. It was even an artist retreat in the 20^th century for artists such as Picasso and Renoir.

Visiting Volendam today, it was immediately welcoming. The promenade was lined with souvenir shops, cafes to enjoy local Dutch food and even a huge cheese shop with live demonstrations in cheese making.

After about 20 minutes, however, we realized that this was an absolute tourist trap. Of course not trusting our intuition, we stopped at a waffle shop to get a “traditional Dutch waffle”. Though delicious, it cost 7 euros! For one waffle. I’m not joking. Though Volendam was a really scenic stop, especially situated right on the water, it had a feeling of lacking substance.

Unfortunately, we had to get our bikes back to the shop in time and therefore were unable to visit Edam, which appears to be the real charm of the area and though touristy, gives the visitor a more authentic feel according to recommendations. Plus, Edam is famous for its cheese, typically wrapped in red or yellow wax.

On my next visit to Amsterdam I will definitely be making the effort to take a trip to Edam. I can just picture it now… winding through the cobblestone streets, stopping briefly to savor the delicious cheese or perhaps visit the Edam Museum, a 400 year old residence that gives a glimpse of what old canal homed used to look like.

[Wikipedia: brands], [Wikipedia: Volendam], [Edam Wikipedia], [Rick Steves]

Featured image from Dennis Jarvis via Flickr.