The small city of Alkmaar is famous for one thing: its cheese. Since 1622, people have flocked from all over Europe to visit the famous Alkmaar cheese market to buy and sell huge wheels of Gouda, Edam, Maaslander, and Leerdammer cheese, and many more local varieties. Many of the 17th century traditions remain in place, with cheese carriers wearing traditional costumes and following quaint protocols such as the Cheese Father’s Roll Call. Against the backdrop of the historic cobbled streets and canal-facing houses of the city centre, visitors could be forgiven for thinking they had wandered back in time. Outside of the cheese season, Alkmaar is just like any other vibrant Dutch city–friendly, cultural, and beautiful, with a lively nightlife scene–centred around the cheese market, of course.
Location: Alkmaar–Built from cheese
There’s no getting away from it–this is the city that cheese built. Many of the street names and notable buildings are cheese-themed, and the market represents a popular meeting point in the city centre. It is easy to get around Alkmaar on foot or by bike, and regular trains connect the city with Amsterdam (just 40 km to the south), Utrecht, Eindhoven, Maastricht and The Hague as well as many other Benelux and German destinations.