Discover Alkmaar with the Walk the City app

Alkmaar, the cheese city of the Netherlands, is known for its cozy canals, historic buildings and, of course, the world-famous cheese market. But Alkmaar has so much more to offer than just cheese! We explored Alkmaar using the app Walk the City. This app takes you on an interactive city walk, where you visit special places in Alkmaar offline while reading interesting stories and background information.

Start for cultural spots

The walk began at Canadaplein, a cultural square with theater De Vest, the Stedelijk Museum, the library and the imposing St. Laurens Church. The app immediately gave us an insight into the history of these buildings. So we learned more about the collection of the Stedelijk Museum, the architectural styles of the Sint Laurenskerk and the lively atmosphere of Langestraat and Koorstraat across the street, where you can now store and enjoy a bite to eat and a drink.

We continued our route, with the app revealing more and more details about the Sint Laurenskerk. But also about the oldest courtyard in Alkmaar, still inhabited, and the oldest house in town.

Familiar sights are not skipped

A little later we came to the Victoriepark, where part of the old city wall has been preserved. Of course, we could not miss the Molen van Piet, an iconic sight in Alkmaar. We walked on to the Hofje van Splinter, where we could enter the peaceful courtyard garden through the front door. We also passed the café where Rudi Carrell once took his first steps on stage. And of course De Oudegracht with its beautiful facades was not skipped.

Besides the Stedelijk Museum, we also passed the Beer Museum and, of course, the Waag with the Cheese Museum, where the famous Alkmaar Cheese Market is held.

The (inner) harbor area was also visited

We passed through Kennemerpark and from Baangracht we had a nice view of the Waagtoren. We visited the Wildemanshofje and came to the marina, where there used to be a bustling harbor with a peat market, breweries and saltworks. This while the app constantly informed us about the piece of history of the particular part of the city and made us consciously look around at the buildings and architecture.

Cozy squares and terraces

The cozy squares of Alkmaar were also visited, of course. We came upon the Platte Stenenbrug, full of inviting terraces, and the Oude Vismarkt with its historic fish banks. Throughout the walk we passed well-known and lesser-known buildings, squares and canals, each with its own story told by the app.

Special stories

The app also shared interesting details, such as the story of a wooden house that was hit by a shower of bullets during the Siege of Alkmaar. We passed by the Kooltuin, where a castle used to stand and a cozy cafe can now be found.

Finally, the app led us back to the Canadaplein, where our walk began. This city walk with Walk the City was not only a fun way to explore Alkmaar, but also gave us a lot of interesting background information about the city and life in the past.

Clear walk at your own pace

The walk was about 5 kilometers long. Of course, how long the walk is depends on your own walking pace and how often you linger somewhere to admire something. We ourselves went for a cup of coffee with a nice piece of apple pie in between.

In short, an interactive and educational way to discover Alkmaar with special places and well-known highlights in one walk. Definitely recommended to explore a city this way.

Credits photos: OpstapmetLisa