A small town of about 7,400 people on the shore of the Markermeer, Edam gave its name to the round, red-rinded cheese exported all over the world since the Middle Ages. A town since 1357 and once a thriving port, it has kept a compact centre of canals, drawbridges and merchants' houses, far quieter than neighbouring Volendam. People come for the cheese weigh house, the town museum and, in summer, the Wednesday cheese market. Bus 316 links Amsterdam Centraal to Edam in about 35 minutes; the centre is easily explored on foot in half a day. The cheese market runs from early July to mid-August, and the Edams Museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from April to October (€8).
Highlights
The Kaaswaag
The cheese weigh house, built in 1778 on the Jan van Nieuwenhuizenplein, recalls the days when local farmers came here to sell their cheeses; the commercial market ended in 1922. Its façade bears painted panels and the town's coat of arms. Today the building houses a cheese shop with tastings and a small display on cheesemaking, open in the warmer months.
Canals, drawbridges and the Speeltoren
The centre is best explored on foot along the canals, crossed by small white drawbridges such as the Kwakelbrug. Above the rooftops rises the Speeltoren, the carillon tower of the former Kleine Kerk and the only part of that church still standing. The Damplein, the heart of town, is lined by the town hall and by the merchant's house that holds the museum.
The summer cheese market
Revived for visitors in 1989, it takes place on Wednesdays from 10:30am to 12:30pm in front of the Kaaswaag: in 2026, from 1 July to 19 August, with an evening market on Saturday 8 August. More than 90 volunteers in traditional dress re-enact the arrival of the cheeses by boat, the weighing and the hand-clap bargaining. The market is free.
The Edams Museum
Spread over two buildings on the Damplein, the Coopmanshuys merchant's house (Damplein 8) and the town hall (Damplein 1), it tells the story of the town. Its best-known feature is the floating cellar of the Coopmanshuys, which rocks on the groundwater like a boat. From 1 April to 31 October, both buildings open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4:30pm; from 1 November to 31 March, only the Coopmanshuys opens, on Saturdays and Sundays. Admission €8, €5.50 for ages 13 to 17, €3.50 for ages 6 to 12, free with the Museumkaart. With steps and steep stairs, the buildings are not wheelchair accessible.
The Grote Kerk
The great church of St Nicholas keeps some thirty stained-glass windows donated in the early 17th century, after the fire of 1602. It is closed to the public until April 2027, except for special events: you can see the outside while walking along the canals.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Prices checked in October 2026. Edam combines easily with Volendam and Marken: the same bus 316 stops in Volendam, a few minutes away. For a cycling or bus route through the villages of the area, see our guide to Waterland, and to compare with the big Friday market, our page on the Alkmaar cheese market.
How to get there
EBS bus 316 from Amsterdam Centraal (via Broek in Waterland, Monnickendam and Volendam), several departures an hour, about 35 minutes to Edam bus station, then a ten-minute walk to the centre. Pay with a contactless bank card. By car, use the car parks on the edge of the largely pedestrianised centre. Kaaswaag: Jan van Nieuwenhuizenplein 5, 1135 WT Edam. Edams Museum: Damplein 1 and 8, 1135 BK Edam.
Opening hours
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