Dutch Cheese Tasting in Alkmaar and Edam: A Visitor's Guide

Two Noord-Holland cheese towns, two very different days out — here is how to plan both around a comfortable hotel base.

Alkmaar: the Waagplein and the Friday Market

Alkmaar's cheese market runs on the Waagplein, the square behind the weighing house, from early April to the end of September. Traders arrive around 10:00 and the spectacle — porters carrying curved wooden barrows between rows of Edam and Gouda — winds down by about 12:30. Go at 09:30 if you want a spot at the front rail without elbows in your ribs. The market is free to watch; guided tastings inside the Waag cost a modest entry fee and last roughly 45 minutes, with several cheeses to compare side by side.

The town itself rewards the rest of the morning. Walk the Luttik Oudorp canal, look at the 16th-century Waag, and cross to the Molen van Piet, a working windmill on the Clarissenbolwerk rampart that grinds grain and gives a clean view over the rooftops. Alkmaar is 35 minutes by direct train from Amsterdam Centraal and about 45 minutes by car via the A9. Stay overnight and you get the 08:00 light on the canals before the coaches arrive — the reason I would book a room near the station or the old centre rather than day-tripping from Amsterdam.

Edam: Smaller, Slower, and Best on Wednesday

Edam's market is a deliberate contrast. It runs on Wednesday mornings in July and August only, in the shadow of the St. Nicolaaskerk, and it is small enough to see properly in an hour. There is a cheese-weighing demonstration on the Kaaswaagplein and a market of farm stalls selling wheels you can actually taste before buying. Prices for a small wheel of mature Edam at the farm stalls sit roughly where they do in Alkmaar, so buy whichever town you are in rather than hauling cheese around the province.

Getting to Edam takes planning. There is no train station; buses from Amsterdam Noord's Noord metro stop take about 25 minutes, and the drive from Alkmaar is roughly 35 minutes across the N247. That makes Edam a natural half-day add-on, not a base. In the afternoon, walk the Dam and the Schepenmakersdijk, then take the short path along the Zeevang polder dyke — flat, quiet water meadows, herons, and almost no one. Skip the bus tour and do this on foot.

Where to Sleep and When to Go

Alkmaar is the practical base for a cheese-themed trip. It has direct trains to Amsterdam and Haarlem, a walkable centre with hotels on and around the Canadaplein and the Verdronkenoord canal, and restaurants that stay open in the evening outside high summer. Edam has a handful of small guesthouses but closes down early. Book in Alkmaar and use the money you save on a taxi back from a late dinner. June and September are the sweet spot: both markets running, fewer coach groups, and hotel rates below the July–August peak.

If you want one night elsewhere, Volendam and Monnickendam are ten minutes from Edam by bus and offer harbour views and smoked fish, though rooms fill fast in summer. Avoid trying to do both cheese markets on one day; the Wednesday Edam morning finishes just as the Alkmaar area opens up for lunch. A two-night stay — Wednesday in Edam, Friday in Alkmaar — is the itinerary I would book, and it leaves Saturday for the beach at Egmond aan Zee, 20 minutes by bus from Alkmaar station.

What to Skip, and Practical Detail

Skip the cheese shops on the main tourist drags in both towns; the farm stalls at the markets and the specialist shops one street back sell better cheese at similar prices and let you taste first. Skip the photo-fee cheese-carrying re-enactments in Alkmaar if you are on a budget — the free market view is the same. Do bring a cool bag if you are driving; cheese does not enjoy a warm car boot, and most shops will vacuum-pack a wheel for you at no charge.

Both towns are compact and flat, so walking is the way to get around, and both have cobbled surfaces that are awkward with a suitcase — drop bags at the hotel first. Cash is useful at market stalls, though most accept cards. The Alkmaar tourist office on the Waagplein has free town maps and a printed market calendar. Book accommodation early for the first Friday of the month, when the market draws the biggest crowds, and check the market's own website before travelling since dates can shift.

Questions, answered

Can you visit both cheese markets in one day?

Not comfortably. Edam's Wednesday market finishes late morning, and while Alkmaar is about 35 minutes away by car, you would arrive after the main Alkmaar spectacle. Do Edam on Wednesday and Alkmaar on Friday instead.

Is Alkmaar or Edam better as a hotel base?

Alkmaar, clearly. It has a direct train to Amsterdam, more restaurants open in the evening, and a wider choice of rooms around the old centre. Edam is a lovely half-day visit but quiet after dark, with limited accommodation.

When is the best month for a cheese trip to Noord-Holland?

June and September. Alkmaar's market runs April to September; Edam's is July and August only. June and September give you both, with smaller crowds and lower room rates than the July–August peak.

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