Edam is what happens when a name becomes more famous than a place. The cheese you buy in supermarkets worldwide has almost nothing to do with the small canal town north of Amsterdam, which today is a quiet residential place of about 7,000 people with a proper old centre of gabled houses, three churches, and a canal system that feels like a scaled-down Amsterdam. The cheese market runs Wednesday mornings in July and August only — the rest of the year it is just a town, which is the appeal.
This suits people who want a picturesque Dutch small town without Volendam's tour-bus crowds. Edam is 20 minutes' walk from Volendam and the two are often combined into a single day, but Edam rewards an overnight — the evening light on the Damplein is beautiful and the town is genuinely dead by 9pm in the good way. Not for anyone wanting nightlife or variety — there are maybe six restaurants and three of them are hotel dining rooms. Cash-heavy at some small places, especially the cheese and bread shops.
Where to stay in Edam
Damplein, Voorhaven, and Spui are the streets with the best atmosphere — expect $90-$160 for a room in a canal house. Hotel De Fortuna spread across five old canal houses is the character option. Cheaper stays edge into the modern outskirts and lose the point. Almost every hotel is small (5-15 rooms) so book three weeks ahead in summer. No hostels — this is not a backpacker town.
Hotels in Edam
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Things to do in Edam
- Wednesday cheese marketKaasmarkt, July and August only, 10:30am-12:30pm. Free. Smaller and more low-key than Alkmaar's, with actual local cheese-makers rather than pure re-enactment. The Kaaswaag (cheese weigh house) has a small museum, $4.
- Grote Kerk (Sint-Nicolaaskerk)Grote Kerkstraat, one of the largest three-aisled churches in Europe when built. Free, open afternoons April-October. The stained glass from the 1600s is the reason to go. Closes 5pm.
- Boat trip on the Edam canalsRederij Doorluchtig from Damplein, $12 for 45 minutes, small boats, seasonal April-October. Better than any Amsterdam canal cruise because the boats actually fit in the small canals.
- Edams Museum on DampleinDamplein 8, $6, in a 1540 merchant's house with a floating cellar (built on peat, it moves with the water table — genuinely). Local history, cheese trade, and the giants and dwarfs of Edam legend. 45 minutes.
Getting there & around
Start at Damplein, walk north along Voorhaven — the working harbour with its lifting bridge and the Kwakelbrug — around to Spui, back through Achterhaven past the Speeltoren (the leaning bell tower), and finish via Grote Kerkstraat past the Grote Kerk. The whole thing is 45 minutes at Dutch pace, an hour if you stop to photograph everything.
Bus 314 or 316 from Amsterdam Centraal to Edam bus station (Singelweg), 35 minutes, every 15 minutes, $6.50. The centre is a 7-minute walk from the bus stop. From Volendam, bus 316 continues on, 8 minutes, or walk 20 minutes along the dyke. No train station. From Schiphol, 75 minutes with a change at Amsterdam Centraal. Parking on the outskirts is free; central parking is metered and limited.
Questions answered
Edam or Volendam — where should I stay?
Edam is quieter, more residential, and prettier at dusk. Volendam is more picturesque in the classic postcard way, has more restaurants, and better ferry access to Marken. If you want to sleep, Edam. If you want more evening options and are visiting Marken, Volendam. They are 20 minutes apart by foot.
Is the cheese market worth planning a trip around?
No — it is small, brief, and only runs July-August Wednesday mornings. Nice if your schedule matches but do not build a trip around it. The town is worth visiting any time between April and October regardless.
Nearby areas
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