Alkmaar Cheese Market and Dutch Windmills Half-Day Trip from Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Discover two of Holland's most famous icons - windmills and cheese - on this 4.5-hour morning tour from Amsterdam. You'll gain insights into the traditions of cheese-making, visit a cheese market and visit the well-known windmill village of Schermerhorn.

Your first stop is the historic village of Alkmaar, where you will gain fascinating insights into old Dutch market life. At the cheese market, you'll see cheese-carriers wearing traditional costumes as they set out the cheeses on the cobblestone square. Bidders continue to buy the cheeses in the traditional way by clapping their hands. With a stern clap, the deal is sealed and men in white uniforms carry the wheels of cheese to a 14th-century Weigh House to tally the bill.

After your visit to the cheese market you'll take a drive to the photogenic village of Schermerhorn with its famous old windmills. On the way back to Amsterdam you'll travel via the medieval town of Edam to visit a cheese factory, where the cheese is still made in the traditional way.

USD $45.81

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Robert E G	September 2011
The trip was very worthwhile and seeing the Netherlands county was wonderful. It would have been even better if lunch was included so for anyone contemplating this very worthwhile trip, take enough money to purchase something to eat. The windmills where particularly interesting and the history talk (short) very informative.

Review by: Carl R	September 2011
quaint village, adequate guide, but a mob scene at the the cheese market

Review by: Debra S	July 2011
This was a very good tour. My only disappointment was that the market was crowded so I couldn't see the market square as well as hoped.

Review by: frank a	July 2011
A nice excursion, very interesting.

Review by: Robert W	June 2011
I have already e.mailed you, as I had excellent help when I was taken ill. Your driver was superb._br/_ The trip was very well organized and my grandson and I really enjoyed it. We will certainly use your company again..

Review by: Paula J	June 2011
great tour guide, she was amazing, speaking in english, german, french, and spanish. Caotic in getting on the bus initially (on Damrak) at the tour facility.

Review by: Jonathan H	May 2011
Excellent guide and tour however there were huge crowds at the cheese market so that made it somewhat difficult to enjoy. It was more fun at Alkmaar to step away from the crowds and explore the side streets of the town for a little while. There was an extra charge at the Schermerhorn Windmill of €3 per person. It seems like this should be included in the price of the tour because there is not much to do at this stop if you don't pay the €3 to go inside. However going inside the windmill is well worth the €3 and was a highlight of our trip.

Review by: Julie R	May 2011
Good half day trip. The market is interesting to see, although extremely crowed with tourist since it is only held one day a week. plenty of good Dutch food booths to sample local fare.

Review by: Nancy A	May 2011
It was so exciting to see this.

Review by: Gregory J	May 2011
This was a great trip. It was nice to see some of the countryside and learn about the windmills, ponders, and such. The cheese market was fun and the town of Alkmar interesting. Lots of shops and booths set up for the market. Souvenirs were much cheaper here than in Amsterdam. This was definitely worth the price.

Review by: Dorothy T	May 2011
If you have time, the cheese market is quite a nice place to visit. The atmosphere was really nice.

Review by: Wendy S	November 2010
Fantastic day out. Would have liked more time to explore town, but a unique tradition well worth seeing.

Review by: Jocelyn H W	August 2010
The tour director was informative and personable. But he did not escort us to the center of the town where the marketplace was so crowded. It would have been better to get there earlier in the day. We enjoyed visiting the cheese farm very much.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
Loved it!

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	April 2010
What a great tour! Tour guide was friendly and informative, windmill fields were beautiful and there is just the right amount of time to walk around and see the cheese market and grab some amazing local food. The cheese factory tour at Edam was also particularly enjoyable. If we come back we'll go again for sure!

Review by: Ravi M, United Kingdom	April 2010
Excellent Value for money. Cheese Market is amazing and Alkmaar is worth visiting even otherwise. Guide was very good. Although Windmill visit may not be of interest to all people.

Review by: Ravindra M	April 2010
Excellent Value for money. Cheese Market is amazing and Alkmaar is worth visiting even otherwise. Guide was very good. Although Windmill visit may not be of interest to all people.

Review by: Paul L, United Kingdom	September 2009
We attended the last market of the season at Alkmaar, September 4th. For visitors this is a fascinating sight. There are excellent explanations in many languages. Also allows great opportunities to take photographs. The working windmill enables the visitor to understand how people lived. You view a film prior to going to the windmill. You will see the mechanics first hand through a glass floor. This is the third time we have done this trip. I think that says it all.

Review by: Michael W, United States of America	May 2009
I thought the Alkmaar cheese market was interesting and the town of Alkmaar well worth seeing. I wish I had more time to explore there. Also, the cheese farm was a great opportunity to try some of the cheese you see in shops before you buy, which I did!

Review by: Elena F, Russian Federation	May 2009
It was great. Especially I liked Alkmaar town - maybe some more free time there would add value.

Review by: Sue M, United Kingdom	May 2009
Excellent guide, very informative and friendly. Glad that I went.

Review by: Thomas S, United States of America	May 2009
It was very interesting, but the crowds made it difficult to see at the cheese market.

Review by: Mark W	May 2009
It was a great trip, but sadly the tour operators have made it a rushed affair. It would have been nice to have more time in Alkmaar in order to sample the great restaurants and characteristic shops. Unfortunately, no sooner are you off the coach than it's time to get back on again.

Review by: Anonymous, Russian Federation	August 2008
It was wonderful.

Review by: Ericka M, Australia	August 2008
Tour was absolutely brilliant and worth the money.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	August 2008
Interesting to see the selling process at the cheese market. Good photo opportunity. A tip, go to the right of the clock tower, there are fewer people.

Review by: Charles D, United Kingdom	June 2008
Great guide who worked hard and gave a lot of detail. Good trip.

Review by: Edith D, Canada	May 2008
Excellent tour. Guide was very good.

Review by: Judi S, Australia	May 2008
The market and windmill visit were very interesting.

Review by: Elke B	May 2008
The market and windmill visit were very interesting.

Review by: Emily F	September 2007
Other company's buses arrive at least 15 minutes before us. We had to stand far, far away at the loading end of the cheese market. Very hard to see what was going on. The windmills were nice even with 3 Euro charge.

Review by: Colin F, United Kingdom	August 2007
A very good morning tour.

Review by: Edina C	July 2007
This trip was a good way to fill our last half-day in Amsterdam. The Cheese Market was small but entertaining, at least enough so for the amount of time that we had there to roam around. There were rather interesting photo ops, and for cheese lovers, the trip to the cheese farm is absolutely rewarding. To go into the Schermerhorn Windmills costs an extra €3 per person. It was worth it. There were great photo ops there also, though when we were there the tulip blooming season was already over. The guide was entertaining and well-spoken, and the tour filled our time satisfactorily. The service was professional. I have no qualms recommending it.

Review by: Michael H	May 2007
This was a quaint touristy event. Viator is great.

Review by: Judyth G	May 2007
The trip got started late and we had very little time at the cheese auction. The guide never told us about the Cheese Museum which we found on our own and was fascinating. The second stop was at a windmill which you could only see if you paid. The guide did not know but our Museum Cards were valid. The "cheese factory" was a fake. There was no tour, merely a lady who spoke for 3 minutes about how cheese is made. We learned more at the Cheese Museum.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2006
I had done the trip during a previous vacation and this time I could really appreciate the Alkmaar trip better. I recommend you go before the Dutch children get their vacation, this way you can really enjoy the show. The windmills are always interesting to see over and over again. More during sunny days !!