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Alkmaar

A great town in the heart of North Holland

The historic centre has around 400 monuments and is a perfect location to enjoy the historic atmosphere, but also to shop; you'll find the most interesting shops in Alkmaar. In the Langestraat and Laat you will find the bigger and well known store chains. But don’t miss out on the smaller stores and boutiques in d’Oude Stad (Old City). Alkmaar also has a large number of restaurants, many with cosy outdoor seating. Enjoy wonderful museums and events during your stay, such as Kaeskoppenstad.

Welcome to the vibrant Alkmaar, where there is more (to the eye) than you can take in. A city full of courtyards, canals, dozens of terraces and of course the world famous cheese market. But there is more to explore!

 

Below you will find just some of the wonderful attractions and activities Alkmaar has to offer.

Nederland

Are you planning on visiting Alkmaar? Then of course you should not miss the famous Alkmaar cheese market Fridays on the Waagplein, but Alkmaar is also a wonderful city to visit on any other day.

Shopping

In the homely and characteristic streets of the old town you can stroll and shop. It is full of cozy cafes, smaller shops and local boutiques. In the “Langestraat” and “Laat” you will also find stores of many well-known retail chains. Are you ready for a snack or a drink? There is enough choice here!

Discover the surroundings

Are you in Alkmaar for more than one day? Then take a discovery tour to the green landscape. Visit the famous Schermer Mills and the picturesque villages of Graft and De Rijp. In Graft you will find “Bram and Aagie” – the smallest (sweets) shop in the Netherlands.

Cultural history

Alkmaar also offers a special cultural history. From the canals to the beautiful and old “Waaggebouw” or from the “Grote Kerk” to the several windmills in the area. Would you like to discover everything yourself? Then you can pick up a map with city walks at the VVV (Tourist Office) or  simply take part in a guided city tour.

Attractions

Tourist Information

Tourist Information


When you visit Alkmaar, VVV Alkmaar will ofcourse be the place to start your visit. They love to tell you what cannot be missed when you visit our beautiful and monumental Cheesecity. You will find them in one of Alkmaar's greatest icons, the Weighing building.

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Waagplein 2, Alkmaar, Nederland

Distance from harbor

500 m, 5 min

From april - september, the famous Cheesemarket takes place on Fridays, right in front of the Alkmaar Tourist Information!

City WALK

City WALK

Want to find out everything about the Alkmaar town centre? Discover the best spots in Alkmaar during a walk through the town, alone or with a guide.

Take a 'city walk' through the ancient town centre on foot. This can be done in the following ways:

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Houttil 26, Alkmaar, Nederland

Distance from harbor

300m, 4 min

300m, 1 min

Get directions with background information at Alkmaar VVV (tourist information) on the Waagplein. For children there is a city walk with a 'hunting game'.

Canal Boat tour

Canal Boat tour

The Verdronkenoord, the Luttik Oudorp, the Oudegracht, the Lindegracht ... the Alkmaar canals are like a painting. The best way to enjoy all this is by boat; They leave every hour from the Mient.

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Mient, Alkmaar, Nederland

Distance from harbor

450m, 5 min

400m, 1 min

Distance to port: walking distance - also for people with reduced mobility Accessability: less than five minutes' walk from the port

Courtyards

Courtyards

Discover a real Alkmaar Treasure: hofjes. A hofje is a historic small inner courtyard surrounded by houses. This page explains more about the famous courtyards that can still be found through Alkmaar. When you are in Alkmaar, then you cannot miss the courtyards. In the Sonoy courtyard, you can enjoy one of the terraces, or browse through the little boutique shops. Residents still live at the other courtyards.

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Ritsevoort 2, 1811 DN Alkmaar, Nederland

Distance from harbor

750m, 10min

1km, 4 min

Visiting a courtyard? The following are open for viewing: - The Hofje van Splinter (from 1646) on the Ritsevoort - The Wildemanshofje (from 1714) on the Oudegracht

House with the bullet

House with the bullet

By far the most important date in Alkmaar's history is October 8, 1573. This is the day when the brave people of Alkmaar defeated the Spanish army in the 80-year war. The famous 'House with the bullet' in the Appelsteeg still reminds us of the fierce battle.

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Appelsteeg 2-5, Alkmaar, Nederland

Distance from harbor

600 m, 5 min

5 min walk from the ship

Cheese Market

Cheese Market

What’s more Dutch than a traditional Cheese Market? Alkmaar has the most famous, biggest and oldest one! You can enjoy this traditional event from April to september, every Friday from 10:00h to 13:00h, on the Waagplein in the centre of Alkmaar.
Experience the Cheese Market in the evening, which is held on every Tuesday nights in July and August, from 19:00h till 21:00h.

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Waagplein, Alkmaar, Nederland

Accessability: The cheese-market is accessible to wheelchairs.

Distance from harbor

350m, 4 min

350m, 1 min

750m, 3 min

Dutch Cheesemuseum

Dutch Cheesemuseum

The Dutch Cheese Museum was founded in Alkmaar in 1983. It is located in the historic Waaggebouw, which overlooks the cheese market. In the museum you will find lots of interesting information about cheese: its history, production methods and the cheese trade. To discover the true story of cheese, you really need to visit the Dutch Cheese Museum!

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Waagplein 2, Alkmaar, Nederland

Accessability: also for people with reduced mobility

Distance from harbor

500 m, 5 min

750 m, 3 min

Walking distance

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar / Municipal Museum

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar / Municipal Museum

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar is a great place to share your enjoyment of art, culture and history. As well as the permanent displays, the museum stages temporary exhibitions several times a year with a diverse programme of events and activities. Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar is an ideal venue for families with children and a great place to spend an afternoon. Looking together is much more fun.

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Canadaplein 1, Alkmaar, Nederland

Accessability: The museum has easy access for the disabled. There are two wheelchairs

Distance from harbor

500m, 5 min

Grote Sint Laurenskerk

Grote Sint Laurenskerk

The Grote Sint Laurenskerk is the largest and most popular monument of Alkmaar. The church is open and free to visit all summer and on several weekends. Weekly, thousands visit the church amounting to over 70.000 visitors a year. The medieval church is a basilica built in Brabantian gothic style and houses two extraordinary organs: the Van Covelens and the Van Hagerbeer/Schnitger organs, which are still played during various concerts throughout the year.

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Koorstraat 2, Alkmaar, Nederland

Accessability: The church is wheelchair accessible

Distance from harbor

500 m, 5 min

The church has limited opening hours. During Spring and Summer (end of March - September) the church is usually open to visitors

National Beer Museum The Boom

National Beer Museum The Boom

Beer has been the most popular alcoholic beverage in these parts of the world for a few thousand years. But how is it brewed? What exactly is malt and why is yeast so important? You can find out all about it when you visit De Boom National Beer Museum in Alkmaar. This unique museum - appropriately housed in a former brewery - introduces you to the tools, equipment and machines which have played a key role in the production of this ‘golden brew’ in the past two centuries.

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Houttil 1, 1811 JL Alkmaar, Nederland

Accessability: Also accessible for people with reduced mobility

Distance from harbor

500 m. 5 min

750 m, 3 min

walking distance less than five minutes' walk from the port

Beatles Museum

Beatles Museum

You don't have to go to Liverpool for a trip to a Beatles museum, the Alkmaar Beatles Museum is even bigger than its little brother in England. Beatles fanatic Azing Moltmaker collected an impressive collection of Beatles items. He even had the Alkmaar Beatles museum grow into the world's largest Beatles museum.

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Pettemerstraat 12A, Alkmaar, Nederland

Accessability: walking distance - also for people with reduced mobility

Distance from harbor

600 m, 5 min

less than five minutes' walk from the port

Museum BroekerVeiling

Museum BroekerVeiling

Museum BroekerVeiling is not just a museum. In Broek op Langedijk you can find the oldest sail-through auction in the world. This is where the Dutch auction (also called a clock auction or open-outcry descending-price auction) originated in 1887. 

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Museumweg 2, Broek op Langedijk, Nederland

Accessability: A boat trip and a visit to the auction, all parts of the museum program are fully wheelchair accessible.

Distance from harbor

9 km, 15 min

Museum Mill Schermer

Museum Mill Schermer

The Museum Mill in Schermerhorn is one of the eleven remaining polder mills in the Schermer that 400 years ago dried the polder. The Museum Mill is open to the public every day from 1 April to 1 November. Questions about how the mill works? The miller will gladly explain it to you.

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Noordervaart 2, Schermerhorn, Nederland

Distance from harbor

10 km, 15 min

10 km, 15 min

The Museum Mill is open to the public from April 1st to November 1st.

To the beach

To the beach

Strand Egmond aan Zee and/or Bergen aan Zee

Do you want to combine your city trip with a beach holiday?  That’s possible in Alkmaar! Egmond aan Zee and Bergen aan Zee are only 10 kilometres away from the centre of Alkmaar. You can easily take the bus from Alkmaar Central Station tot he beach or you can rent a bike and start a lovely bike ride to the coast.

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C.F. Zeiler Boulevard 4, Bergen aan Zee, Nederland

Distance from harbor

12 km, 20 min

Harbour