As well as all the wonderful things to see on a visit to Amsterdam, there are some great opportunities for day trips from Amsterdam. Catching a train from Amsterdam’s Centraal Station to the Alkmaar Cheese Market seemed like a great idea, however, when I told our teenagers that we were going to see some ‘cheese rolling’ they rolled their eyes and didn’t look too excited. Read on to find out if they enjoyed this traditional Dutch experience….
The Alkmaar Cheese Market is a traditional Dutch cheese market held on Friday mornings in the historic town of Alkmaar, offering an entertaining day trip from Amsterdam where visitors can watch costumed porters in white uniforms roll and carry giant wheels of cheese across the square in a lively spectacle dating back to 1593.
Easily accessible by direct train from Amsterdam Centraal, it pairs perfectly with nearby attractions like Zaanse Schans windmills for a quintessential Dutch cultural experience full of market atmosphere, cheese tastings, and historic charm.
Whilst there are other towns in the Netherlands which host cheese markets, the Alkmaar Cheese Market is the oldest, largest and most well-known. The first set of cheese weighing scales in Alkmaar date back to 1395, although the market itself started sometime later in the 1500s or 1600s (no-one is certain of the date), so you will be watching a piece of history at the Alkmaar Cheese Market.
We took a train from Amsterdam Centraal Station directly to Alkmaar. The trains leave regularly (every 10 minutes or so) and the journey to Alkmaar takes around 35 minutes. When you arrive at Alkmaar train station, then follow the signs into town – cute metal ‘cheese triangle’ signs in the pavement.
The Alkmaar Cheese Market takes place in the main square or Waagplein which is a 15-minute walk from the train station passing beautiful buildings, an open-air market and souvenir shops en-route.
Try not to get too distracted on the way to the cheese market as your main goal is to get to the Waagplein early to get a good spot to see cheese rolling and all the activity in the market square. You can always shop later when you return to the train station!
The first cheese market of the season at Alkmaar takes place on ‘the last Friday of March’ and continues every Friday until ‘the last Friday of September’ each year. In addition to this, during July and August there is an evening cheese market in Alkmaar on Tuesdays from 7.00pm until 9.00pm.
On Friday mornings the official timing of the cheese market is from 10am until 1.00pm, however there is lots of activity in the Waagplein before 10.00am, so arriving early will enable you to watch the set up and get a good place at the barriers.
Trucks bringing the cheeses to market start arriving from 7.00am. 30,000 kilos of Edam and Gouda are then unloaded from the trucks and set out in lines across the market square. Cheese Carriers arrive at 9.30am, followed by the Cheese Father (Head of the Cheese Carriers) at 9.45am. The Cheese Father ensures that everyone is correctly assembled and fines anyone who is late. The market officially starts at 10.00am when the Cheese Bell has been rung.
From 10.00am, the judges assess the quality of the cheeses on offer (drilling a sample, tasting them and assessing the holes in the cheese). If they are happy with the quality, then the price for the cheese is negotiated.
Next the cheese rounds are carried on a barrow by two Cheese Carriers to the scales to be weighed – the barrows carry up to 100 kgs of cheese so it is definitely a two-person job to carry them.
What you see in the market square is a captivating spectacle unfolding in front of the you – the square is a hive of activity with cheese being rolled between Cheese Carriers, thrown onto barrows and carried back and forth across the square.
There are strict rules and traditions in relation to who does what, and when as the day unfolds. The Cheese Carriers are all members of a Cheese Carriers Guild and wear traditional outfits – white top and trousers with a straw hat coloured in line with the company they are representing (red, yellow, green or blue). Try and spot the Cheese Father who has an orange hat and silver topped can!
At the end of the market the cheese is carried to the lorries and thrown up onto the transport to be taken away. You may want to stay right until the end, or you might have had enough after an hour. Either way, you will have seen something very traditional and special.
You can take the opportunity to get weighed on a set of the old scales in the Waag and then get your photograph taken with one of the Cheese Carriers. A souvenir of your weighing session includes a certificate with your weight on it (if you want that!).
As well as restaurants in the town of Alkmaar, there were lots of food trucks and stalls available on market day, so we grabbed something to eat for lunch – yes, grilled cheese sandwiches!
I bought a bauble for the Christmas tree from one of the stalls which reminds me of our trip to Amsterdam when it comes out for the tree each December.
The Alkmaar Cheese Market was a fun place to visit for the morning and it definitely left an impression on the children. They have never seen anything like it before and may never see anything like it again!
A trip to Alkmaar Cheese Market can easily be combined with a visit to the windmills at Zaanse Schans, making a full day trip from Amsterdam.
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