The cheese market on Alkmaar's Waagplein is the best-known market of its kind in the Netherlands, and it is genuinely worth seeing, as long as you know what you are looking at and where to stand. Here is how the morning works.
When it takes place
The market traditionally runs on Friday mornings through the season, roughly from spring until the end of September, and lasts about three hours from mid-morning. Extra evening markets are sometimes held in high summer. Dates and times do shift, so check the current season on the market's own website before you plan a day around it. Watching is free.
What actually happens
The square fills with rows of round yellow cheeses laid out on the ground. Buyers walk between them, cut a plug from a cheese, crumble it, smell it and taste it, judging fat content and moisture by hand. Then comes the handjeklap: buyer and seller haggle by clapping hands together, one price at a time, until the final clap seals the deal. It is fast and it looks like a ritual, because it is one.
Once a lot is sold, the cheese carriers take over. They work in pairs, carrying a wooden barrow slung on shoulder straps, loaded with a stack of cheeses that can weigh well over a hundred kilos. The bouncing half-run they use is not showmanship, it is the way to move that weight without stopping.
The coloured hats
The carriers belong to a guild divided into companies, and each company has its own hat colour. If you watch for a few minutes you will see the pairs keep to their colour, and the barrows and the scales match. It is the easiest detail to spot and the one most visitors miss entirely.
The Waag
The building behind it all is the Waag, the weigh house. It began as a chapel and was converted when Alkmaar was granted weighing rights, which is why it does not look like a market building. Its tower has a carillon, and on the hour mechanical figures ride out. Inside is the Dutch Cheese Museum, which is small and answers most of the questions the market raises.
Where to stand
Arrive at least half an hour early. The centre of the square is roped off and the front row along the barriers fills first. The edges near the weighing area give you the best view of the carriers coming and going, and the café terraces on the Waagplein are worth the price of a coffee if you would rather sit. Bring patience for crowds; this is a popular morning.
Alkmaar after the market
The market ends before lunch, and the town it happens in is worth the rest of the day. Alkmaar has canals, the Grote Sint-Laurenskerk, and a strong local memory of 1573, when the town held out against a Spanish siege, an event still marked every October. A city game is an easy way to fill the afternoon: you follow a route of puzzles through the old centre and each stop explains what you are standing in front of.
Never done one? Read how to play, it takes two minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need tickets for the cheese market?
No. The market is free to watch from the square. Some organisers sell seated grandstand places separately.
How long does it last?
About three hours in the morning. You do not need to stay for all of it, half an hour gives you the trading, the carrying and the weighing.
How do I get to Alkmaar?
By train from Amsterdam in roughly half an hour, then about ten minutes on foot from the station to the Waagplein. Driving on a market morning means parking on the edge of the centre.
Is it good with children?
Yes, if they can see. Children at the back of a deep crowd see nothing, so arrive early and get them to the front, or watch from a terrace.
Is Alkmaar worth a full day?
It is. The market takes the morning; the canals, the church and the old streets easily take the afternoon, especially with a route to follow.
Can we come as a group?
Certainly, and an afternoon activity keeps a group together once the market has packed up. See the options for companies and groups.
Make a day of it
See the market in the morning, then stay and walk the town it belongs to. Want help choosing a game for your group? Get in touch. Planning more Dutch stops? Our guide to things to do in Deventer is a good next one.
