Alkmaar

Walking tours

Explore Alkmaar on your terms with this self-guided audio tour, accessible on your smartphone! Immerse yourself in the beauty of this historic city at your own pace and in your preferred language. The historic center of Alkmaar is easy to explore by foot, it is the perfect city for an audio tour. You will be amazed at the many special stories hidden behind the medieval facades, courtyards, cobbled streets and picturesque canals. Stories that are carefully collected for you. Let yourself be taken along the world-famous Cheese Market, the imposing St. Laurens Church and the Mill of Piet, but also along hidden courtyards and convivial medieval streets and alleys. Learn all about the history of Alkmaar during this city walk and how the bravery and determination of the people of Alkmaar made them the first city in the Netherlands to defeat the Spanish forces in 1573. We have carefully crafted the most beautiful walking route for you and gathered more than 34 captivating and interesting stories. You'll pass by all the well-known landmarks but will also be surprised by new discoveries and hidden gems. Explore Alkmaar's rich history, embrace its vibrant present, and be delighted by its captivating legends and stories. Whether you're embarking on a solo adventure, enjoying a romantic city stroll with your partner or exploring the city with friends or family, our self-guided audio tour caters to all preferences. Plus, you'll receive a nice discount when you do the tour with companions.

Discover Alkmaar at Your Own Pace! Explore Alkmaar with a self-guided WhatsApp tour on your smartphone. Visit landmarks like the Cheese Market, The Waag, and the House with the Bullet, while uncovering the stories behind the highlights and finding hidden gems. Follow a historic route through the city and learn about its famous sights as you explore at your own pace. Start and stop the tour whenever you like, avoiding large crowds. Enjoy secret tips as you discover Alkmaar’s rich history! How does it work? 1. Purchase the tour and receive a ticket via Get Your Guide in your mail or on the app. 2. The link to start your tour is included in your ticket. 3. Start and stop whenever you like, avoiding crowds. Bonus: Get secret tips as you dive into Alkmaar's rich history!

Visit Alkmaar's traditional Cheese Market - the oldest in the Netherlands! On this 2.5-hour small group walking tour, you will learn all about Alkmaar's most well known attraction: the Cheese Market! Also wander through Alkmaar's medieval center and along pretty cobbled streets and picturesque canals. Watch the traditional way of trading cheese how it was done centuries ago. Spend approximately 45 minutes at the Cheese Market which is ample time to see everything. While you are there, learn all about the market's history and listen to your guide explaining what is happening in front of you! If you feel like it, you can try a variety of Dutch cheeses and even buy some to bring home with you. Then, walk through the cobbled streets of Alkmaar and along its picturesque canals. Stop at the Molen van Piet (Piet's Windmill) for the perfect Dutch photo opportunity! See some of Alkmaar's most famous buildings such as the Grote Sint Laurenskerk (Great St Lawrence Church), the Stadhuis (City Hall) and the Waag (the Weigh House). On this tour you will get an insight into Dutch culture and way of life through the eyes of a foreigner living in Alkmaar, as your tour guide originally stems from Canada.

Explore Amsterdam’s most famous landmarks and hidden treasures at your own pace with an audio guide app on your smartphone. Go beyond the typical routes and dive deeper into Amsterdam’s rich history by listening to 21 exciting stories. Discover secret churches, oldest buildings, wartime narratives, and architectural wonders for an authentic experience of the city's cultural richness. Learn the history of Amsterdam and the significance of the places we visit. Stay engaged with interactive quizzes at each stop, encouraging deeper involvement with the culture of Amsterdam. Follow a guided map for effortless navigation, allowing you to start, pause, or repeat sections as per your preference.

8.30 :Pick up from your hotel in Amsterdam. We drive to the flower fields close to the small Keukenhof gardens known as The Poldertuin 9.30 :A stop at the flower fields to make beautiful pictures! 9.45: Poldertuin spring flower gardens in Anna Palowna. Visit to a beautiful spring garden! We’ll spend one hour here to enjoy all the spring flowers. 10.45: We’ll head to the Schermer, one of the largest regained land areas in Holland filled with windmills! In the 17th century, the lake Schermeer was drained by 52 mills, resulting in the Schermerpolder. A unique piece of water management from the Golden Age. 11.30: We’ll visit the Museum Mill which you can see from top to bottom. You’ll see how the mill works and how people used to live in mills. 12.00: a drive on the dikes through regained land of the Schermer passing Esther’s (guide) family windmill and idyllic small villages. 12.15: A visit to De Rijp which was once a busy fishing village famous for its herring fleet and whalers. However, after the surrounding sea got drained the Rijp found itself encircled by land. Jan Adriaanzoon Leeghwater, the famous hydraulic engineer was born here. Free from mass tourism, De Rijp is a beautiful village to visit. 12.30: Lunchtime. You can choose where you want to have lunch. As locals, we know a lot of nice places. Whether it’s at a local fish restaurant or a traditional Dutch pancake restaurant, just tell us your preferences and we’ll arrange it for you. 13.30: The Beemster. We’ll drive through the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Beemster with its regained land known as Polders. A system of roads, plots, farms, and canals was carefully planned across the polder after the Beemster Lake was drained. We’ll see the beautiful farmhouses and the green meadows. 14:45 Cheese tasting and Wooden shoe craft demonstration. At the cheese farm of Henry Willig we will have a Gouda and Edam cheese tasting. They are in the top 10 of the world cheesemakers. If you are a cheese lover… you are in cheese heaven! They have 30 flavors and design the cheeses specifically for travel. Always wanted to know how a clog is being made? Join the wooden shoe craft demonstration and find out. You can even try or buy a pair of wooden shoes! 16:00 - Return to your hotel in Amsterdam

Explore the beautiful Zaan area on a boat at your own pace. Start the journey at the main dock of the Zaanse Schans. Get on a boat and hear the explanations of the friendly staff to sail safely. After the introduction, you can either sail north, towards the scenic village of Wormerveer or south towards Zaandam. In both ways, you will come across multiple bars and restaurants on the water. Don't miss the chance to park the boat and go for a drink. In case you decide to go north, you will arrive at the Uitgeester Lake after Wormerveer. This is a beautiful widespread lake, where you can easily go for a swim. You can also visit Alkmaar, known as the Dutch city of cheese with a traditional market held every Friday.

The charming town of Alkmaar is compact, walkable and historically rich, with a beautiful medieval center. On this small group tour, enjoy walking through the cobbled streets and along picturesque canals as your guide tells you all about the town's history. Walk 3-4 km through the medieval center and see some of Alkmaar's most important and historic monuments such as the Grote Sint Laurenskerk (the Great St. Lawrence Church), the Stadhuis (City Hall) and the Waag (Weigh House). Learn all about the history of Alkmaar and how the strength and the determination of the townspeople managed to defeat the Spanish forces in 1573. Stop at the Molen van Piet (Piet's Windmill) for the perfect Dutch photo opportunity. You will also get an insight into Dutch culture and way of life from a foreigner's perspective. You will not only see some of Alkmaar's most iconic monuments, but you will also wander off the beaten path and see the real Alkmaar.   Join a small group tour and enjoy a more personalized experience.

Tick another item off your bucket list and experience the beauty of Spring in the Netherlands! What could be more Dutch than cycling along fields of tulips? You can expect to cycle approximately 20km on this small group tour (through mainly flat countryside), depending on the weather and the field conditions.  You will have ample opportunities to stop and take photos of the flowers before heading back to Alkmaar. Being in a small group tour ensures that you can cycle at a pace that is comfortable and guarantees a much more personalized experience!

Since the Netherlands has so much water to offer, there is a possibility to almost fish anywhere! And since our boat is on a trailer. We are able to drive everywhere in the Netherlands! Capt. Patrick is here to chase some fish with you and to make sure you have a blast doing it. You'll be using techniques like bottom fishing, trolling, jigging, and spinning, depending on what you're going after. As part of their 8-hour trips, you can target species like Pike, Perch, Zander, seabass and seatrout according to the current season and weather conditions. Only legal species will be caught during the trip, and you can keep what you catch. The Dusk till Dawn's philosophy means being able to do something 24/7, and that's exactly what they do, search for fish and enjoy the great outdoors every day. For Captain Patrick is all about the chase, looking for adventure, and discovering nature. A new day brings a new opportunity to find what's biting and connect with the wild. Your adventure begins on board an 18' Oienbaat performance fishing boat that can fit a maximum of 4 anglers. The boat is fitted with an ice box. The price of your trip includes all the rods, reels, and terminal tackle you'll need for a productive day on the water. As for fishing licenses, everything will be taken care of by the captain, so you don't have to worry about it. Kids are welcome aboard. Book your trip now and hit the water with Dusk Till Dawn Fishing Experience.

This tour runs every Friday in August and September. We start our guided tour with a approx. 45 min drive to Alkmaar. On our way you will enjoy the views of the typical Dutch country side. Arriving at Alkmaar we will take a canal Cruise through the city of Alkmaar, which will take about 1 hour. We then continue our tour to the Alkmaar cheese market. Witness the centuries-old cheese trading rituals at the Alkmaar Cheese Market, where history comes to life. After this you will have some free time in Alkmaar to have lunch (not included) or go souvenir shopping. After enjoying beautiful Alkmaar, we continue to Henri Willig Cheese Farm. Where you'll get the explanation of how Dutch cheese is made, you can taste cheese and you even get to see the actual farm with their Jersey cows. Note: In Alkmaar we have an open boat canal cruise, if bad weather conditions, we will visit a windmill instead of taking the canal cruise.