Edam/Volendam/Marken

Marken is to my opinion worth a visit. Volendam is more a tourist trap, I wouldn't spend too much time there, nevertheless some like the place. Fun to do is let taking a picture there in traditional clothing and a nice souvenir for taking home. Edam is adjacent and easy to combine. Didn't visited yet but the open air museum in lovely historic Enkhuizen is worth to consider, well to combine with Hoorn.

The area with cute hamlets and villages like Durgerdam, Ransdorp, Zuiderwoude and Broek in Waterland just north of Amsterdam is worth to explore with a bike or e-bike. On the way to Marken or Volendam is Monnikendam worth a stop.

At this moment much of the COVID restrictions in the Netherlands are lifted, however stay well informed in the meanwhile.

We visited all three towns on the same day by taking the local bus from Amsterdam with a 10€ all day ticket in 2018. I found all three towns had something unique or charming that I loved but not for the reasons I’d originally planned. We went to Edam first for the historic cheese market but after watching it for an hour or so we wandered a few streets away to quiet small alleys and unique shops. Highly recommend wandering in this town. Our next town was Volendam where we were less impressed with the crowded harbor area but loved the Volendam Museum. We were the only people visiting that day but the volunteers were so helpful and loved sharing more stories from their town’s history. The last town we visited was Marken and I loved wandering the small village looking at the colorful, beautiful houses that were bedecked with orange flags for Kings Day and lots of lines of laundry flapping in the breeze. All three towns were unique and I’m glad we spent the day visiting each one and taking away more than we’d hoped for.

Thank you both! We had planned on visiting Geithoorn because it looks so beautiful and thought Marken might just be more of the same, and while I love beautiful scenery, don't want to repeat just because we have some extra time--lots of other things to do and fit in. We had definitely planned to do Edam. Didn't want to regret skipping Marken but wondering about doing Monneckendam instead, since it seems less touristy?? Thanks again, this info is invaluable in wrapping up our planning!

Geithoorn because it looks so beautiful and thought Marken might just be more of the same

No, they are very different. I prefer Giethoorn, personally, for the canals and canalside houses. I don't think there;s much in the town and I love it. I have heard that lots of overseas tourists used to visit it, but I haven't seen that. I don't know what covid will have done to the tourists.

Marken is very nice and has stores but not my fav.

Giethoorn is very beautiful and unique, so agree visiting this place too.

I have visited it last June during a weekday around noon and due to COVID there were no crowds at all and not so much foreign and hardly any overseas tourists. My host said that this is very unusual as the place is around that time of the day already overrun by daytrippers. So best will be visiting Giethoorn early in the morning or at the end of the day when the tourbuses and so most of the daytrippers are gone.

Worth staying a night in or close to Giethoorn like in hamlet Dwarsgracht or Wetering, just an idea, no experience. Ask if they have bikes for exploring the area.