Bus Edam, Volendam, and Marken
Hello, I saw a regular bus line that departs from Amsterdam to do the Edam-Volendam-Marken route. My question is if with that bus, you can, with a single ticket valid for 1 day (€21), stop in each town, visit it, and take the next bus to go to a different town, or if the bus only allows a round trip to the same town.
I wanted to visit all three towns in one day, is it possible or too tight?
Thanks
Hi Aroa,
To visit Edam, Volendam, and Marken with the €21 ticket per person you mentioned, it's enough. Throughout the day, you can hop on and off the EBS buses that travel through the Waterland area as many times as you want. The only thing you must remember is to swipe the card each time you get on and off a bus.
What you're actually buying is not a round-trip ticket for a specific bus or line, but a chip card called the Amsterdam Waterlands Day Ticket that allows you to hop on and off EBS buses, which is a Dutch public transport company operating different lines in the Waterland region, to which Edam, Volendam, and Marken belong.
We used three different lines, 314, 315, and 316. It might seem complicated, but when you buy the card, they give you a map with the lines, and everything is straightforward. The buses from the EBS company are red and are taken at the back of Amsterdam Central Station. You have to go through the entire station, but you won't get lost; they are red and have an RNET sign.
Since the towns are not very large and the journeys between the different towns are short, you don't need all day to see them, although you do spend a large part of the day because it's normal to stop for lunch in one of them. To give you an idea, we usually take things very leisurely 😎; we left Amsterdam in the morning at 9:00 AM and returned to Amsterdam at 4:30 PM.
The only thing not included with the Amsterdam Waterlands Day Ticket is the ferry journey between Volendam and Marken. Although Marken is on an island, you can get there by road with EBS buses passing through the town of Monnickendam, which I also recommend including in your route. We chose to take the bus to Marken because that day the weather wasn't great, and we also had to wait for the next ferry, which has a low frequency and runs every hour and a half.
Anyway, I would say that if it had been a clearer day, we would have taken the ferry from Volendam to Marken because we had the I Amsterdam Card, which, besides museum entry and transportation through Amsterdam's public transport network, also includes the round trip between Volendam and Marken by ferry.
By the way, take a look at the I Amsterdam Card because we saved quite a bit of money. It all depends on what you want to visit; it's very advantageous if you visit several museums.
I've gone on a bit, but I hope I've answered your question. The entire Waterland area is very beautiful; we loved it.
Best regards.
Thank you so much, Félix, you've been very kind with your prompt response. You explained everything perfectly. You've been a great help. Just one last question, do you think it's worth buying the ticket online, or is it better to get it at the station on the day we decide to go?
The website indicates the route and bus numbers you mentioned in your response. I suppose it just prints as a voucher, and I'm not sure if it needs to be exchanged at the station for the chip card you mentioned.
Thanks for your kindness.
Hi Aroa, we bought it in Amsterdam. If it were something else, I would recommend buying it online because you could save money or because you reserve for a specific day, but if you ultimately have to exchange it there to get the chip card, for the little you might save given it only costs €21, I would say it's not worth buying it in advance. Keep in mind that it's a normal bus service; it's just that, as it's a route used by tourists, it has this option so you can hop on and off at your leisure during a day in the different towns.
Best regards and have fun.
With that bus, you can visit all the little towns. There are plenty of buses running frequently and at all hours. I arrived two days ago from there and toured everything using public transport.
At the top of Amsterdam Central Station, there are screens indicating the letter of the stop and the schedule. You go to the corresponding letter, and you'll see it there.
In the towns, the buses also drop you off nearby. We visited Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken.
And if you go during tulip season, I recommend Keukenhof and renting a bicycle. It’s spectacular.
Instead of the €21 card, we got the 3-day Amsterdam Travel Regional card. The red one is a bit more expensive but you can use it for absolutely everything: trains, buses, trams, buses to small towns. We bought it at the airport, at the exit where the buses are.
