Bergen
Artists' village on the edge of the dunes, with galleries and Museum Kranenburgh.
Route by public transport ↗
Cheese, a famous siege and some of the oldest organs in the country.
3 museumsOn Friday mornings, cheese is still carried and traded on the Waagplein, as it has been for centuries. But Alkmaar is more than cheese. In 1573 the town held out against the Spanish army: "Victory begins at Alkmaar."
Alkmaar is approx. 35 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal. From the station you walk into the old town in ten minutes, with canals, almshouse courtyards and the Grote Kerk. The Weigh House holds the Dutch Cheese Museum; from April to September, the cheese market fills the square in front on Friday mornings. Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar shows the town's Golden Age and, of course, the siege of 1573. Beer lovers have the National Beer Museum in an old brewery by the canal. Come on a Friday in season, or around 8 October, when the town celebrates its Relief.
One day, four moments. How to get the most out of your visit.
Six places to complete your museum day.
Cheese porters in white with straw hats carry the cheeses on wooden barrows to the Weigh House. Inside is the Dutch Cheese Museum.
Golden Age paintings, the story of the 1573 siege and changing exhibitions.
In the old De Boom brewery, see how beer used to be made. With a tasting room.
A large late Gothic church with two famous organs, including the Van Covelens organ of 1511, one of the oldest playable organs in the Netherlands. Open in summer and for concerts.
Behind unassuming gates lie quiet courtyards with gardens, such as the Hof van Sonoy.
A boat trip through the canals shows the town from the water, past warehouses and the old ramparts.
Buy your tickets online and plan the rest of your day around them.
All museums in Alkmaar. Click a museum for the route.
Alkmaar sits between the dunes and the polders of North Holland. Sea, artists' villages and windmills are close by.
Artists' village on the edge of the dunes, with galleries and Museum Kranenburgh.
Route by public transport ↗Windmills, wooden houses and crafts on the river Zaan.
Route by public transport ↗The largest Wadden island, with dunes, sheep and Ecomare.
Route by public transport ↗Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl ↗.
Alkmaar has hotels and B&Bs for every budget, most within walking distance of the Waagplein. By bus you reach the sea at Bergen or Egmond in half an hour. By train you are quickly in Amsterdam, Haarlem or Den Helder, where the ferry to Texel leaves.
Restaurants, shops and hotels near the museums, picked for museum visitors.