Alkmaar by motorhome: canals, cheese and a parking ticket

I had paid the parking meter in Alkmaar. We got back to the motorhome and found a 35 € parking fine anyway. From what we understand, the ticket was missing from the windscreen. We’d spent a pleasant few hours wandering between canals and cheese shops. The city had added an extra charge to the outing. I would have preferred a piece of gouda.

Alkmaar is located in North Holland, north of Amsterdam. We walked through the shopping streets, looked at the cheeses, and compared the atmosphere to a small Amsterdam. Before arriving there, we also took the bikes along the coast. I’m telling you about these two moments while keeping the seaside scenes in their place.

If you’re bringing a motorhome from the UK, compare a North Sea ferry with a Channel crossing and the onward drive. Enter the full vehicle dimensions, including accessories, when checking crossings. For a visit without the motorhome, compare the route through Amsterdam and the onward NS train to Alkmaar.

Our arrival in Alkmaar, after two days of work and wind

During this Dutch stop, we spent two days working in the motorhome. The weather wasn’t great, and there was a lot of wind. When we finally took out the bikes, we were mostly happy to leave the screens and look at something other than video editing. We decided to go and look at the scenery we had been passing on the road.

We passed by horses and fields of flowers. Not all were in full bloom: some had little colour, while others seemed to be between two crops. Then we came across a much more colourful field and stopped. This difference is noticeable in the episode; it reminds us that a photo of tulips does not describe all the fields of a region at the same time.

The route also takes us near the dunes and the North Sea. These images come from our coastal stop before visiting the centre of Alkmaar. The beach is not in the middle of the city, and the film does not allow for each stop to be named with certainty. For your own outing, choose a marked coastal route. Our footage doesn’t give a reliable track to follow.

We particularly enjoyed the separate cycle paths: it was nice not to feel surrounded by cars all the time. I joke about letting the Tour de France peloton go ahead of us. We were clearly not there to beat a time. Still, plan for the return: with the wind, a pleasant distance out may require more effort in the other direction.

What to see in Alkmaar: the canals, the alleys, and the Waag

The next day, we head to the centre with cheese on our minds. On the way, a movable bridge makes us wait for the passage of boats. Waiting for the boats becomes part of the outing: the road traffic has to share the route with them.

In the old town, we move between shops, canals, and small streets. Caroline stops in front of the flowers, then we look at the cheese shop windows. Later, facing the water, we try to describe the place. “A mini-Amsterdam” comes up in the conversation, with the facades, the bridges, and that impression of a city easier to explore at our own pace.

Once you’ve parked, the centre is easy to explore on foot. I would recommend choosing the Waagplein as a landmark, then walking around the canals and returning through the shopping streets. Look at the facades and street corners: just following the signs would miss part of the landscape.

The Waag weighing house and the cheese trade

The Waag is the former weighing house, located on the Waagplein. This building explains why cheese has a working history here: their trade required measurements, controls, and organisation. The market organiser indicates that Alkmaar had a cheese scale in 1365, then four in 1612.

The large building at the edge of the square and its museum extend the walk if you want to understand this trade. These are ideas for your visit; our footage mainly shows the streets and a cheese shop. The museum helps to complete what we observe in the shops and in the square.

Grote Sint-Laurenskerk and the historic centre

The Grote Sint-Laurenskerk, to the west of the old centre, serves as another landmark for planning the walk. It is located near the Stedelijk Museum. You can therefore keep this area for an indoor visit, especially if you want to complement the canals with local history. Check the opening of the church, which also hosts events.

Alkmaar is also associated with the resistance during the Spanish siege of 1573. The withdrawal of the army and the liberation of the city are celebrated during Alkmaar Ontzet, on October 8. This gives context to the references to victory that you may encounter during your visit, without confusing this historical celebration with the cheese market.

The Alkmaar cheese market: coming on the right day

The official cheese market takes place on the Waagplein on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from the last Friday in March to the last Friday in September. Evening editions on Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. are announced in July and August. Check the seasonal calendar for your trip before booking a night for this event.

The wheels are arranged on the square, and then the traditional operations of control, transport, and weighing are presented. You can find gouda and edam here: “cheese from Alkmaar” refers to the place of trade, not to a unique recipe that must bear the name of the city.

We visited cheese shops, but I won’t tell you about a morning at the market that our film does not show. If the porters and weighings are the main reason for your visit, aim for a market day. The rest of the week, the streets and shops retain their interest, with a different pace and number of visitors.

Inside the cheese shop

In the shop, the wheels fill the shelves and counters. There are different colours, wedges being cut and small pieces on offer. Our images show this moment, then we talk again about the next destination and its cheeses. The visit gave us enough material to continue the conversation long after leaving the shop.

To choose, ask about the type of milk, ageing, and preservation during transport. A cheese bought to be eaten in the following days and a piece meant to travel for several weeks are not prepared in the same way. In a motorhome, especially check the cool space before filling the bag; the pretty wheel won’t enlarge the refrigerator.

We also say we ate once during this part of the trip, without clearly naming an address or dish in this passage. That isn’t enough for me to recommend a particular restaurant. For your meal in Alkmaar, choose according to the daily menu and your budget, or keep a purchase from the cheesemonger for a simpler break.

Parking in Alkmaar: our fine and what to check

Before the urban visit, a passerby had already warned us about parking near the coast. She spoke of a risk of a fine; we decided to leave. We return to a known spot, then plan the outing into Alkmaar. That doesn’t give us an overnight spot to recommend, or tell us whether parking there is allowed today.

On the way back from the city, I explain how we found the 35 € fine despite having paid. I try to contact the tourist office, but the site I access does not work. Its error page with a piece of cheese instead of a zero still amuses us. I can appreciate the joke and prefer to keep my 35 €; the two go together.

Today, start with the parking information from the municipality. Check the height, length, zone, duration, and required registration method. Some payments are linked to the number plate; others require another proof. Our mistake back then does not describe all current parking metres.

For the night, look for a site or area explicitly intended for motorhome reception. The municipality reminds that camping outside designated areas is prohibited and may have exceptions. A car park usable during the visit is not enough to decide where to sleep. Our motorhome applications help find leads and check before settling in.

How much time and what budget to plan?

I would keep at least half a day for the streets, canals, and shops. If you add the cheese market or a museum, a day avoids rushing. The coastal bike ride requires its own slot: wanting to fit it around a market morning quickly takes away time for breaks.

The budget mainly depends on the night, parking, meals, and paid visits. The 35 € from our fine belongs to the travel story, not to the expenses to plan today. For a hotel stop, the availabilities below concern Alkmaar; they do not replace a search for a site for Édouard.

Quota RapidAPI dépassé (limite par minute/mois). Réessayez plus tard.

For the season, spring can offer blooming fields, and summer more days for biking, but the wind was already part of our plan without being invited. Check the forecasts before a big loop, then adjust the distance. For the market, the event dates take precedence over a simple weather average.

Getting to Alkmaar and continuing in the Netherlands

From Amsterdam, the train is an option to come without moving the motorhome; check the NS schedules to Alkmaar. By vehicle, prepare access to the chosen parking before entering the old streets. The bike then serves for trips compatible with your accommodation and itinerary.

Our stay in Amsterdam during TwitchCon tells a different atmosphere, with several days of camping and the movements of a capital. The area of Emmeloord and Ramspol allows understanding the polders and the place of water in the landscape. These destinations require distinct trips; none is a neighbourhood of Alkmaar.

Landmarks for visiting the centre of Alkmaar

The map locates the Waagplein, the church, the museum, and the train station. It doesn’t turn our old parking place into a recommended overnight stop.

PS: next time I’d happily come home with cheese. I can manage without another souvenir under the wiper.