Edam gave its name to the round, red-waxed cheese sold worldwide, but the town itself sees a fraction of the visitors that nearby Volendam does — which is exactly its appeal. Canals, historic merchant houses and a working town center that still feels genuinely Dutch rather than shaped primarily around tourism.
The cheese market
Edam holds a traditional cheese market on Wednesday mornings during the summer months, with cheese carriers in period dress and the ceremonial weighing traditions still performed for visitors — a smaller, more low-key version of the more famous Alkmaar cheese market, worth timing a visit around if your dates allow it.
Outside the Wednesday market, Edam is simply a quiet, pretty town to wander — don't feel you need to time a visit around the market specifically if your schedule doesn't allow it.
What's worth seeing beyond the cheese
- The Grote Kerk — a large Gothic church with notable stained glass, out of proportion to the town's small size, a legacy of its wealthier trading past.
- The canals — smaller and quieter than Amsterdam's, genuinely pleasant for an unhurried walk with far fewer people than the capital.
- Edams Museum — a small local history museum inside a merchant's house, including a genuinely unusual floating cellar.
Combining it with Volendam
Edam sits close enough to Volendam that combining both into one day is straightforward — Volendam for the livelier harbor and seafood, Edam for the quieter historic center. This pairing works especially well if Marken and Volendam alone felt too crowded on a previous visit.
Getting there
Direct buses run from Amsterdam to Edam in around 35 minutes with no transfer required, making it one of the easier and lower-effort day trips on this list.
This guide is reviewed and updated as part of our weekly refresh, including current cheese market dates.