Playable historic organs, a windmill museum and an extensive polder landscape reveal different sides of Alkmaar and the surrounding towns. In the city centre, art, churches and cheese-making traditions take centre stage; in De Rijp and Schermerhorn, museums and buildings tell stories of seafaring and water management. The Eilandspolder covers 1,950 hectares, a quarter of which is water. It lies between Graft, De Rijp, Noordeinde, Grootschermer, Schermerhorn and Driehuizen, and is protected as a Natura 2000 site. This gives you plenty of options for a visit shaped around local history, technology or landscape.
Windmills and maritime history
In Schermerhorn, the Museummolen is the middle of three windmills. It is open to visitors from 1 April to 1 November; seasonal opening dates may change. Inside the mill, you can see how a water-powered mill works and how the Schermerpolder was created 400 years ago by draining the Schermeer. The visitor centre and mill yard are wheelchair accessible, but the mill itself is not. Check the accessibility information again before your trip.
Museum In ’t Houten Huis in De Rijp offers a different perspective on the region’s history. It is housed in an 18th-century wooden building and covers herring fishing, whaling and shipping. Nautical charts, ship’s logs and prints give these subjects a tangible connection; the museum also explores the history of whaling on Schermereiland and its seafarers. If you would rather explore the village on foot, the six-kilometre Dorpswandeling De Rijp takes you past monuments, photogenic canals and historic façades.
De Rijp’s town hall also tells the story of the village: Jan Adriaenszn Leeghwater designed the building, which illustrates the village’s importance in the 17th century. The city centre, De Rijp and the Westerhoutkwartier are designated protected townscapes. In the Oudorperpolder, you will also find Nieuwburg, a national archaeological monument.
Art, churches and cheese-making traditions in Alkmaar
At Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, old and modern art sit alongside major temporary exhibitions. The permanent collection includes works by artists from the Bergen School, including Else Berg, Mommie Schwarz, Leo Gestel, Dirk Filarski, Arnout Colnot, and Piet and Matthieu Wiegman. The museum brings art and history together, so you can shape your visit around a collection, an exhibition or the works of these artists.
Grote Kerk Alkmaar offers several different discoveries side by side: two historic, playable organs, the vaulted-ceiling painting “The Last Judgement” and Fiona Tan’s artwork “Het Grote Raam”. The “De Grote Zerk” app provides information about the 1,755 tombstones on the church floor. On the free interactive VerhalenVangers tour, visitors use a tablet to complete tasks and discover stories about the building and its treasures.
The Dutch Cheese Museum is housed in the Waaggebouw, overlooking Waagplein. The cheese market takes place there every Friday from April to October; seasonal dates may change, so it is worth checking the dates before your visit. The museum explores the history of cheese-making and Dutch rural life through historic artefacts and paintings. A viewer using augmented reality technology lets you experience the cheese market in the museum all year round. Alkmaar’s annual calendar also includes Alkmaars Ontzet, celebrated every year on 8 October and one of the city’s oldest traditions. The programme varies from year to year.
On foot between city and polder
The walking routes in Alkmaar each have a different focus. The 3.5-kilometre Stadswandeling Alkmaar leads through the old city centre; the 4.5-kilometre Monumentenwandeling passes the city’s most important monuments. “Kunst op Straat” covers six kilometres and takes you to notable artworks, poems and other creative expressions in public spaces. On the 3.2-kilometre “Vrouwen van Alkmaar” route, you can discover stories about women who shaped Alkmaar. The Elfendeurtjesroute adds 26 elephant doors at special locations and in city-centre shop windows to these urban walks.
The Eilandspolder offers a different scale and set of routes for exploring the landscape. The seven-kilometre “Door de Eilandspolder” route starts in De Rijp and follows well-accessible paths through the nature area. “Haring en Hennep” is 14 kilometres long and passes through villages such as Grootschermer, Noordeinde and De Rijp. The 20-kilometre Alkmaar–Noordeinde walk runs from Alkmaar via a ferry crossing to De Schermer and the Eilandspolder; check the timetable when planning your trip. A speed limit of six kilometres per hour applies on the waterways of the Eilandspolder. Before setting out by boat, check the current municipal boating rules.
Land van Leeghwater lies east of Alkmaar and can be explored by bicycle, boat, SUP board or on foot. In the Eilandspolder, SupSchermer offers SUP lessons and tours through De Schermer and the Eilandspolder; the offering may change. The excursions described here offer different ways to explore: short themed city walks, hikes through the polder landscape and activities on the water.
Discover more destinations: Koedijk, Alkmaar, Oudorp, Schermerhorn, Stompetoren, Driehuizen, Zaanstad, Haarlemmermeer.
Back to the regional travel overview: North Holland.
