Sights in Alkmaar – around the city by boat and on foot

There are several ways to discover a city. On foot, by bus, by bike … The sights in Alkmaar can ideally be experienced on foot or by boat. I tried both options and can’t really decide which I liked better.

Discover Alkmaar by boat

Alkmaar is criss-crossed by countless waterways. So it makes perfect sense to discover the sights by boat.

Our tour starts about 2.5 kilometers outside the city at a mill. But before we got on the boat, we were allowed to explore the mill.

Visit to a windmill

The Ambachtsmolen from 1632 is classified as a lace mill/ground sailor. They were built with the aim of pumping out water in the surrounding area. In 1941, several mills in the region were shut down. From then on, this mill only served as a residential building. Despite several attempts to preserve the mill, when the current owner Han Kuijpers took over, much of it was beyond repair. He painstakingly replaced the defective parts with faithful replicas. This work will certainly never end, but in the meantime you can admire the workings and technology.

Han Kuijpers now lives in the mill with his wife and invited us on a little tour. The rooms are small and very cozy. I discover lovingly selected decorations in every corner and I immediately feel at home. I could live here too!

We climb the steep stairs up to the “roof” of the mill. It’s like being in a small museum. Memories of the time when the mill was still in operation. Finds from the region that tell of life there. Groups of children come here from time to time and learn what it was like to live in the region around Alkmaar.

And they also learn how a mill works. I have to admit, I was also very impressed by the huge wheel, the mighty beams and cogwheels. What a sound it must be when the blades of the mill turn and the wood creaks.

Han Kuijpers loves and lives his life as a mill owner, and you can feel that when he talks about life there. Every year on National Mill Day and in September on Open Monument Day, you can find out more about him and his mill. Or you can book a tour with him.

Boat trip

For us, however, we took a boat in the direction of Alkmaar. Not just any boat, but an old boat that was used to transport coal around 1930. This type of boat is very flat and makes it possible to pass under the city’s very low bridges.

But be careful! You still have to keep your head down and sometimes, especially when the water is a little higher in the canals, it’s better to lie flat on the bench.

As soon as we had cast off from the jetty, the “boating” relaxation factor set in for me. The sun on my face, a warm cup of tea in my hand … we could have gone for hours for all I cared. It couldn’t get boring, there was so much to discover.

Before we even reached the Alkmaar city area, we passed windmills, houseboats, small dykes on which cyclists rode and every now and then we saw a water bird.

Finally, we reached the city area. We criss-crossed the city via several canals. And it was as it so often is. As soon as you see something from a different perspective, you think “I haven’t seen it yet” and then a little later “that’s right, I cycled past it”. I really enjoyed seeing the city and especially the sights of Alkmaar in a completely different way.

For us, the trip ended in Alkmaar. We got off at a bridge and visited Sweets&Antiques to enjoy cake and tea.

Discover Alkmaar on foot

A city tour through the alleyways of the city is of course also a wonderful way to see the sights in Alkmaar.

The advantage of a guided tour is that you get a lot of information in a very short time and may even get a tip or two about restaurants or stores. A self-guided tour, on the other hand, is more flexible and some small stores tempt you with things to buy. My tip: After the guided tour, simply continue strolling through the city and visit the sights, restaurants and stores in Alkmaar.

Places of interest in Alkmaar

What should you not miss when you are in Alkmaar? Here are the sights that I liked best. If you are looking for tips on restaurants, you can find them in our article “Enjoy a delicious meal in Alkmaar”.

Alkmaar cheese market

The cheese market is definitely the most famous and most important attraction in Alkmaar. From the end of March to the end of September, the world-famous cheese market takes place in the city every Friday from 10 am to 1 pm. Hundreds of wheels of cheese lie on the Waagplein, impressively carried by members of the Cheese Carriers’ Guild on massive wooden stretchers to be weighed and taken to the sales trolleys.

A cheese spectacle not to be missed. In our article “Say Cheese – the cheese market in Alkmaar” you can find out more about the schedule and tradition of the event.

Waaggebouw (cradle building)

The beautiful Waaggebouw is located directly on the Waagplein. The building dates back to 1390 and was originally a hospital for poor travelers and the sick. You can still get a glimpse of the church’s function by looking at the high windows.

Standing in front of the impressive façade on the water side, several elements catch the eye. The inscription “S.P.Q.A. Restituit Virtus Ablatae Jura Bilancis” means something like “Bravery gave back to the Senate and the people of Alkmaar the right of cradle that had been taken away”. It commemorates the successful defense against the Spaniards in 1573. As a thank you, the city was given back the Wiege right in 1573 and the house was converted into the Waaggebow. The scales are still located on the first floor of the house today. Whenever the cheese market takes place, the doors open and you can watch the weighing masters at work.

I find the large picture on the front of the building and the white tower, which looks very retro due to the color scheme, very striking. The carillon at the top of the tower regularly plays beautiful melodies.

If you walk around the building, you will find the Alkmaar Tourist Information Office and the Cheese Museum at a side entrance.

Grote Sint Laurenskerk

An impressive church dating from 1470 (start of construction). Today the church is used as an event venue. If there are no events taking place, you can visit it free of charge at certain times.

My tip: this is where you will find the largest window in Europe, which has been beautifully glazed since 2023. If you want to know more about it, I wrote about it in detail in the article “Grote Sint-Laurenskerk – from church to event attraction”.

Stadthuis (City Hall)

What a beautiful building! The Alkmaar town hall was built between 1509 and 1520. A large staircase leads from the street to the second floor of the building. There is a small door under the staircase. Behind it, on one side, the condemned to death sat and waited for their execution. Sometimes they had to wait there for a very long time, as the executioner came to the town twice a year in those days. On the other side, the “normal” prisoners served their sentences.

Vismarkt (fish market)

Today, the Vismarkt can almost only be guessed at. In the 16th century, lively trade took place here. On one side of the market, traders sold fish from the sea. On the canal side were the stalls for freshwater fish. The traders hung baskets in the canal in which the still-living fish swam. On the roof of the building on the canal side, the former use can still be seen very clearly today. There are two figures there – a fisherman and a fisherman’s wife carrying a huge fish.

To this day, it is said that there was always a stork at the fish market on market days. It is said to have been in the service of the town and even wore a chain of office. Its wings were clipped so that it could not fly away. Its job was to eat the fish waste.

Molen van Piet (Piet’s mill)

The mill is actually called Molen De Groot. However, as the current miller’s surname is Piet and the mill is now run by the fourth generation of the family, hardly anyone still knows it by its original name.

The tower mill dates back to 1769 and used to produce flour, but is now used as a residential building.

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar

The museum is one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands. During a visit to the museum, I learned a lot about the history of the city and saw some wonderful paintings. There are numerous works by Dutch artists from the 17th century and works from the so-called Berger School.

Holland’s Cheese Museum

The cheese museum is located in Waaggebow. Here you can not only learn all about cheese production, but also about the famous cheese market in Alkmaar. The interactive exhibition is designed to be interesting for all ages.

National Beer Museum

How do you brew beer? What goes into a beer? What makes Dutch beer special? These and other questions about beer are answered for visitors to the beer museum. Anyone who has a dry throat at the end of the visit from so much information should moisten it with a beer tasting in the tasting room in the cellar.

House with the cannonball

In my opinion, the best view of the Waaggebow is from the small bridge in the Kooltuin, which crosses the Luttik Oudorp. However, there is another building here that you should pay a little attention to. The blue wooden house is called “Huis met de Kogel”. In 1573, Alkmaar was besieged by the Spanish. They repeatedly fired their cannons into the city.

According to one story, a cannonball flew through the window of the house of basket weaver Jan Arendszoon. The bullet only shattered a chair, the people present remained unharmed. The bullet was attached to the house as a reminder of this miracle. You can still see it there today.

Stadsboerderij De Hout – the “secret” sights in Alkmaar

After a strenuous stroll through the many sights of Alkmaar, the Stadsboerderij beckons. You can relax on benches in beautiful green surroundings.

Several animal enclosures invite you to observe the local wildlife. A perfect place for a break.

The tours took place as part of a press trip to Alkmaar.