Marken Island is the day trip you had been looking for during your visit to Amsterdam. It’s super close to the capital, easy to reach and has a lot to discover. It may be practically an island, however, it is connected to the mainland, so you won’t necessarily need a ferry to go there.
To be precise, Marken is a village in Waterland, a province of the northern part of Holland and is 23 km away from the Dutch capital. You can reach it by almost all means of transport, such as car, bus, ferry or even bicycle – as me and my friends did. While on route to the village, we weren’t fully aware of the distance from Amsterdam, so it took us about 3 hours on our bikes till I saw those picturesque fisherman houses I was checking on my feed the night before. However, I can say that the road to Marken was unexpectedly beautiful, even if I couldn’t walk for a week afterward.
Our starting point was the center of Amsterdam on a Sunday morning during mid-June, where we rented some bicycles for the day. After a tour of the city, we decided to take a ride to Marken. Once we were outside the center, the buildings gradually disappeared and were replaced by small houses and long streets. At a glance, the only thing I could see was endless green fields and a lot of… cows! Honestly, it felt like a gouda cheese logo was coming alive and is one of the most beautiful memories I have from this trip.
We quickly stopped at Broek in Waterland (another cute village) and continued straight to Marken. As mentioned, the island is connected to the mainland through an almost 2 km road.
Once we reached Marken, we immediately felt the peaceful vibe of the place, even though it is a tourist attraction. The sunny weather was perfectly displaying the pastel colors on the wooden houses and was creating a breathtaking image to the visitor’s eye.
Apart from this main attraction, the village offers plenty of things to do. You can take a walk towards the harbor and the lighthouse (Paard van Marken) or even visit the Marker Museum which focuses on the history of Marken, including the fishing heritage of the area.
The village also offers a number of restaurants in its center or at the harbor for its visitors, so make sure to taste their delicious cuisine and enjoy the view during your visit.
Looking back, I can definitely say that Marken completed my excursion to the Netherlands in the best way. The destination was as important as the road to Marken and I can say that it was totally worth it! In case you want to spend one of your days away from the typical attractions of Amsterdam make sure to visit Marken.
