Marken Things to Do

One of the first, if not the first souvenirshop of the Netherlands. Take that in mind when you walk here, otherwise you will just honour it as another souvenirshop.

It's the history of the shop that counts!

Everything for sale like Delft Blue, Clogs, Orange thingd, windmills and of course the more modern souvenirs.

Marken is at sea level so the original inhabitants built their houses on man-made hills called ‘werven’ (werfs). Not all houses could be built on werfs, so to protect them from water, the houses were built on stilts. Now that flooding is much less likely, this space has been filled in and is used as a new ground floor. Notice though that there are still stairs up to the original main entrance of each house.

Marken has a pretty harbour. Once an important fishing harbour it now also caters for the leisure craft as well.
The harbour is surrounded by pretty green houses. Once they were fishermen's cottages, but are now mostly tourist shops and restaurants.

Around the small harbour, you'll find a few restaurants where you can have real Dutch pancakes, for instance. When the weather is nice, you can sit outside as well, but pay attention here. The restaurants you might notice in the first place, only have very small terraces, they are not allowed to put the chairs on the street. Since the entrance is rather high, I wouldn't recommend anyone with a wheelchair going in here. But when you look a little bit better, you'll see a restaurant with a nice terrace as well, where you won't have to sit like beans in a tin...
The webadress I add here, is of the Royal Dutch rescue society, which has a rescue-boat in the harbour.

If you like to combine two major sights in Holland on one day this ferry get you from Volendam to Marken and vice versa. Either on footh or bike it's yours to decide!

Marken Lighthouse is situated a good walk away from the village.
The present tower was built in 1839 and was declared a national monument in 1970. It stands some 51m high.

Marken is perhaps best known for its traditional green houses, which are still found in abundance in the village. Thay are mostly made of wood and are often tightly grouped together.

near the main car park is a clog makers where you can see the traditional clogs being made.
They are still worn by some of the older people in the sticks.