Alkmaar Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
municipality in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands
About Alkmaar
Alkmaar is on the 'peninsula' of Holland, north of Amsterdam and Haarlem. In the Middle Ages, this was a region of lakes and marshes, lying behind the coastal dunes. (The medieval coastline was different: the sea began north of the line Medemblik - Schagen - Petten). In the last 800 years, the region behind the dunes was reclaimed from lakes and the sea - often several times, as land was flooded again and again. The polders around Alkmaar are among the oldest in the Netherlands. The small Achtermeer, south of Alkmaar, was the first recorded drainage of a lake by windmills, in 1532. Alkmaar began as a small settlement on higher ground, a natural sand ridge (old beach line). The oldest towns and villages in the County of Holland were built on these ridges, or at the edge of the dunes: Alkmaa
Top Attractions in Alkmaar
Explore the best things to see and do in Alkmaar:
- ★Alkmaar's oldest house
- ★De Molen van Piet
- ★Fietspoint Stoop
- ★Het Hooge Huys
- ★Hof van Sonoy
- ★Hollands Kaasmuseum
- ★Kaasmarkt
- ★Kano
Alkmaar Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 12 sections including: