Alkmaar

Worth seeing in and around Alkmaar

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   AFAS Stadion

   AFAS Stadion is a stadium in Alkmaar, Netherlands. It is used for football matches and is the home stadium of AZ Alkmaar.

   2.4 km · stadium in Alkmaar, the Netherlands · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Noordhollandsch Kanaal

   The Noordhollandsch Kanaal is a canal originally meant for ocean-going ships. It is located in North Holland, Netherlands.

   900 m · canal · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Egmond Abbey

   Egmond Abbey or St. Adalbert's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation, situated in Egmond-Binnen, in the municipality of Bergen, in the Dutch province of North Holland.

   7.4 km · Benedictine monastery in Bergen (North Holland) · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Alkmaarderhout

   Alkmaar Zaanstreek kmaːr ˈzaːnstreːk]), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football.

   1.5 km · football stadium · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Waag

   The Waag building is a National monument listed building on the Waagplein in Alkmaar in the Netherlands. On this square Waagplein every Friday from April till the second week of September, the famous cheese market is held.

   200 m · listed building in Netherlands, site of annual cheese market · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk

   Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk is a Reformed Protestant church in Alkmaar, Netherlands.

   400 m · church in Alkmaar · Wikipedia
7. 07
   J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse

   The J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the North Sea coast near Egmond aan Zee, in the municipality of Bergen, North Holland, in the Netherlands. The foundation of the lighthouse, shaped like a tomb, is the official Dutch memorial to Jan van Speyk, a hero to the Dutch people.

   8.8 km · lighthouse in the Netherlands · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Hortus Bulborum

   Hortus Bulborum is a Dutch foundation that conserves historic cultivars of spring flowering bulb- and tuber crops. The collection garden of the foundation is located at the Zuidkerkenlaan in Limmen, North Holland, Netherlands, near the historic city of Alkmaar.

   8.6 km · Botanical garden of historical ornamental bulb plants in Limmen, North Holland, The Netherlands · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Sportpaleis Alkmaar

   The Sportpaleis Alkmaar is a velodrome and multisport indoor arena in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. The original velodrome, which was built in 1964 and made of concrete, was renovated in 2003.

   2.3 km · velodrome in Alkmaar, the Netherlands · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar

    Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar is a city museum located in the center of Alkmaar on the Canadaplein. The museum is devoted to presenting and preserving the cultural history of Alkmaar and the surrounding region.

    400 m · municipal museum of Alkmaar, North Holland, Netherlands · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

The old city of Alkmaar is approximately an oval, south-east of the station. It is about 1 km from east to west, so everything is within walking distance. Shops and public buildings are concentrated in the western part, nearest the station, the east and south are residential. There is one shopping centre just outside the old city, Noorderarcade, accessible by footbridge across the North Holland Canal.

From Wikivoyage: Alkmaar, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

The things to do in Alkmaar are primarily to see the old city, to play a wonderful collection of pinball machines (Friday nights only!), to walk or cycle in the surrounding countryside, or to go to the beach (see 'Go next', below). Although the canals in Alkmaar are sometimes narrow, and the bridges low, there is also a canal boat ride.

From Wikivoyage: Alkmaar, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Almost all bars serve food and the town offers a wide range of restaurants, almost all of which in walking distance from the city center. varying from Dutch to Thai, from Chinese to Russian and Eastern European, from Spanish to Indonesian and from Greek to Scotch. Restaurants are typically open from around 17:00 to 23:30. Abby's Restaurant, Ritsevoort 60. +31 72-511 1111.

From Wikivoyage: Alkmaar, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Alkmaar

Airports

Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), 36 km · Rotterdam The Hague (RTM), 78 km · Groningen Eelde (GRQ), 134 km

Stations

Alkmaar railway station, 800 m · Heerhugowaard railway station, 6.4 km · Alkmaar Noord railway station, 1.5 km · Heiloo railway station, 5 km

• Rotterdam → Alkmaar

  81 km · quickest by road, 1h 58m · €10–14
  GuideToday
• Groningen → Alkmaar

  138 km · quickest by road, 2h 53m · €17–24
  GuideToday
• Eindhoven → Alkmaar

  142 km · quickest by road, 2h 44m · €16–23
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Alkmaar

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Alkmaar. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Alkmaar – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.