Help: Alkmaar, Gouda, or Giethoorn?
May 6th, 2008 | 12:29 PM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,605
Likes: 0
Alkmaar has the 'cheese market' demonstration on Fridays... but you need to find your spot at the square by 9am if you want to see anything or take good photos. It starts at 10am but the crowds will pile in by 20-30 minutes before that.
http://www.kaasmarkt.nl/welcome.asp?lang=0
http://www.kaasmarkt.nl/welcome.asp?lang=0
May 6th, 2008 | 12:56 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,351
Likes: 0
Weather is looking good. You good combine Alkmaar cheese market with a beach trip-Bergen aan Zee or Egmond aan Zee are close by.
Or you could go to Giethoorn then have a bike ride (or a boat ride!!)round the area.
I'd probably go for Giethoorn and hire a boat but it depends how confident you would be. You can hire a small electric (Fluister-whisper) boat for €15 an hour €50 for 4 hours and various prices in between for other time scales. www.zwaantje.nl/uk.giethoorn.html is one comapny that does this.
Or you could go to Giethoorn then have a bike ride (or a boat ride!!)round the area.
I'd probably go for Giethoorn and hire a boat but it depends how confident you would be. You can hire a small electric (Fluister-whisper) boat for €15 an hour €50 for 4 hours and various prices in between for other time scales. www.zwaantje.nl/uk.giethoorn.html is one comapny that does this.
May 6th, 2008 | 02:02 PM
#6
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,605
Likes: 0
If you want to go to Alkmaar the night before, we stayed at the Amrath Hotel Alkmaar for 112€ for a nice twin-bed room with shower, TV, minibar, kettle and 'balcony'. We walked from the train station in about 7 minutes... 'old town' is a nice walk across the canal, also about 5-10 minutes. It was formerly under Best Western but not listed with them anymore.
http://www.amrathhotels.nl/hotel/alkmaar
We took a 'countryside' walk around a polder area called Oudorp. If you locate this on a Google satellite map, you can see 4 windmills alongside a wide canal. We walked from Alkmaar into this area, had a light picnic, took photos, and came back thru the polders (there are paths). Spent a couple hours doing this - it was very nice.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Alkmaar
http://www.amrathhotels.nl/hotel/alkmaar
We took a 'countryside' walk around a polder area called Oudorp. If you locate this on a Google satellite map, you can see 4 windmills alongside a wide canal. We walked from Alkmaar into this area, had a light picnic, took photos, and came back thru the polders (there are paths). Spent a couple hours doing this - it was very nice.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Alkmaar
May 13th, 2008 | 02:43 PM
#7
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 522
Likes: 0
Looks like I'm too late on this, but Alkmaar is a wonderful city! The first time, my daughter and I went for the cheese market, but IMO, it was so crowded it wasn't really worth the bother.
It is however a beautiful city and if you like to shop, it's paradise. I personally don't care for Amsterdam, but Alkmaar, I could return every year and be happy.
It is however a beautiful city and if you like to shop, it's paradise. I personally don't care for Amsterdam, but Alkmaar, I could return every year and be happy.
