Alkmaar - Excursions & Informations

Alkmaar is a city located in the province of North Holland, about 45 km from Amsterdam. The city is known as the cheese capital of the world. More than 1000 historical monuments, magic canals and windmills, a number of unique museums, a huge variety of cozy cafes and restaurants with large terraces, as well as various shopping centers and shops make the city very attractive for tourism.

From the history of Alkmaar

The first mentions of Alkmaar were found in tenth century manuscripts. In 1254, the village received the status of a city. Its oldest part lies behind a sandy dam that protected Alkmaar from floods in the Middle Ages. The rest is a polder - a low-lying stretch of coastline reclaimed from the sea for the needs of the Dutch. The seemingly calm city has a heroic past. He was the first in the Netherlands to resist the Spaniards: in 1573, the Duke of Alba was unable to achieve surrender from the besieged Alkmaarians. Since then, this triumph of the national spirit has been called with the loud word "victory".

A little later, the city became famous as the birthplace of first-class cheese. Wanting to attract even more merchants, in 1824 the administration raised funds for the construction of the Nordholland Canal. The calculation turned out to be wrong: merchant ships sailed past Alkmaar, without stopping in his shops. In the 70s of the XX century, the city changed its priorities and began to focus not only on the production of cheese and beer, but also on tourism. Alkmarans did not lose here, and every year the popularity of the city among travelers is only growing.

Where to eat

• De Vlaminck: Voordam 2, 1811 MA Alkmaar, The Netherlands
• SOEPP: Hekelstraat 31, 1811 BL Alkmaar, The Netherlands
• Bagels & Beans: Koorstraat 29 | 1811 GM, 1811 GM Alkmaar, The Netherlands

Attractions Alkmaar

• Grote Kerk (Church of St. Lawrence)
• Cheese market on Vah square
• Beer Museum
• Cheese museum
• City Museum

Shopping in Alkmaar

• Cheese Market: It can be visited from April to September and is open on Fridays in the morning. Dozens of varieties of cheese can be purchased on the square.
• Van Haren store: offers visitors branded bags at attractive prices.
• The Sting Shopping Center: Only womenswear boutiques. There are frequent sales in the mall.

More information You can find at the Official site of Tourist Board of Netherlands.