Walking in Alkmaar and surroundings
Are you curious about the inner city of Alkmaar? Step into history and discover the most beautiful spots of Alkmaar during a pleasant city walk, either solo or with a guide. Do you love peace, space and nature? The region around Alkmaar offers plenty of walking opportunities, from the serene Schermer and the charming Graft to the picturesque De Rijp and the beautiful Eilandspolder. On this page you will find the most beautiful walking routes in and around Alkmaar.
Walking in Alkmaar
Do you love walking? Alkmaar offers beautiful routes for every season! Explore the city with an experienced guide during a city walk or start your adventure in the surroundings of Alkmaar. Discover below more about the walking routes that start from Alkmaar and the most beautiful walking routes in the Alkmaar area.
Go on your own or get inspired at the Alkmaar Store / VVV for the best tips and routes!
Walking routes from Alkmaar
City walk Alkmaar
3.5 kilometers
Take a city walk and discover the old city center of Alkmaar on foot. This can be done in the following ways:
- Pick up a route description with background information at the VVV Alkmaar on Waagplein. For both adults and children there is a city walk with a treasure hunt.
- Book a guided tour through Alkmaar at the Alkmaar Store / VVV.
- Or check out Gilde Alkmaar or Cicerones for various guided tours.
- Book directly with a guide, such as Alexandra from Stadsgids Alkmaar or Mariska from Local Guide.
- Download the free Routabel app to get the city walk digitally.
Monuments walk
4.5 kilometers
Did you know that Alkmaar has hundreds of monumental buildings? Take a walk along the most important monuments in Alkmaar. Think of monuments such as the Grote Kerk, the Molen van Piet, the Volksbadhuis, the Visbanken, the Accijnstoren and other beautiful monumental buildings.
On RouteYou.com you can download the complete route, based on the information of the Municipality of Alkmaar.
Sculpture walk Alkmaar
2 or 3.5 kilometers
In cooperation with Stadsgids Alkmaar we have mapped out a walk through the city center of Alkmaar along various sculptures and monuments.
For quiz lovers/children we have prepared a question at many of the sculptures. This way you also learn something about the city! You are guaranteed to come home with new information about Alkmaar.
Art on the street
6 kilometers
The Art on the Street route is 6 kilometers long and takes you along special art objects, poems and other expressions of creativity on the streets of Alkmaar. Discover them during this walking route.
Download the free Routabel app to get the walk digitally.
Women of Alkmaar
3.2 kilometers
History books are often dominated by stories about influential men, but of course there are also plenty of stories to be found about the women of Alkmaar! There have been brave, courageous, beautiful, smart, funny and even criminal women who made the city what it is today. During this walk you will discover everything about them!
Rondje overdie
3.5 kilometers
Children from groups 7 and 8 of the Wegwijzer in Nieuw Overdie created a walking route during an internship at Woonwaard and Van Alckmaer: ‘Round Nieuw Overdie’.
During their internship they took photos of nature in the neighborhood under the guidance of house photographer Roger. Everyone was allowed to choose their three best photos, laminate them and they were given a place on the walking route.
Walk the round yourself once and discover Nieuw Overdie.
The Elf Doors Route
Walking with the whole family is fun too. Especially in Alkmaar! There is a special elf doors route.
The route creates a fairy-tale moment for children and adults. In the city center of Alkmaar you will find the famous ‘elf doors’ at special places and in different shop windows. In the center of our city no less than 26 special elf doors are hidden.
Let yourselves be enchanted by this fairy-tale route.
Treasure hunt ‘the Alkmaar code’
In Alkmaar there is a fun route where you can solve questions while taking a nice 1.5 hour walk through the city center. If you answer the questions correctly, you can crack the Alkmaar Code. Available at the Alkmaar Store / VVV in the Waag building.
Pavestone walking route
5 kilometers
You may have already noticed them, the colored tiles in Alkmaar. Alkmaar Sport has created various paving stone routes of 5 kilometers. In and around the city center of Alkmaar you will find the red, blue and yellow routes and in De Rijp you will find the orange route.
The 5 kilometer long walking routes lead you through all of Alkmaar and are routes that are normally walked during the evening four-day marches. The routes can be picked up at any point!
Wooded Alkmaar route
5.6 kilometers
Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland has mapped out a green city walk through Alkmaar of 5.6 kilometers.
This city walk goes through the Oosterhout park, via the ramparts of the historic city center, to Westhout and the Alkmaarder Hout.
Stadswandeling Alkmaar
5 kilometres
Take a city walk and discover the old town of Alkmaar on foot. It’s possible to do this in many different ways: get a route description with background information at the VVV (tourist information centre) Alkmaar on the Waagplein (for children there is a city walk with a treasure hunt). Or book a tour with a guide through Alkmaar at VVV Alkmaar or Gilde Alkmaar.
Kunst op straat
6 kilometres
The ‘Art on Street’ route is 6 kilometres long and takes you past exceptional art pieces, poems and other expressions of creativity on the streets of Alkmaar. Discover them all on this walking route.
Walking in rural Alkmaar
Alkmaar - Noordeinde
20 kilometers
From Alkmaar you take a small ferry to De Schermer and the Eilandspolder, also known as the Land van Leeghwater. A mix of farmland and marsh culture and, because of the great diversity of meadow birds, a true paradise for nature lovers. Enjoy the peace during this walking tour.
Land van Leeghwater
18 kilometers
The walk through the Land van Leeghwater goes through the unique watery lowlands. This area was drained in 1635 by hydraulic engineer Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater. Thanks to his efforts we can now enjoy this beautiful landscape on foot.
It is a large round through the beautiful and unique villages around the Eilandspolder. You will also pass the centuries-old Schermer windmills that helped with the reclamation. At one of these mills you can even take a look inside.
Haring en Hennep route
14 kilometers
Between Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Hoorn and Purmerend lies a peat meadow area: the Eilandspolder, the historic green heart of the Land van Leeghwater. Because of the many dikes, paths and bridges you can discover the Eilandspolder area.
This route takes you through this nature reserve and along the surrounding villages, such as Grootschermer, Noordeinde and De Rijp.
Prefer a shorter route? Then choose the ‘Through the Eilandspolder’ route, which we also highlight on this page.
Door de Eilandspolder
7 kilometers
This walking route goes through the Eilandspolder nature reserve. The route starts in De Rijp and gives you the perfect opportunity to enjoy the peace. The many walking paths make the area very accessible.
Not finished walking yet? The Eilandspolder is part of the ‘Herring & Hemp’ route that we highlighted earlier on this page. In that case you extend the route with another 7 kilometers through beautiful and unique villages within the Land van Leeghwater.
Village walk de Rijp
6 kilometers
Fancy a village walk? The beautiful and picturesque ‘Alkmaar’ village De Rijp has, besides nice shops and photogenic canals and façades, a whole lot of monuments! A description is available at the VVV in the small Town Hall.
Tip: also deviate from the route once and walk into a little street, this village keeps surprising.
Do you want to know more about De Rijp, the monuments and the Land van Leeghwater? Then also pay a visit to the Museum in ’t Houten Huis.
Walking in the Alkmaar region
Do you like walking in nature? You can also find those routes in the Alkmaar region! Walk through the green Eilandspolder or for example through the villages De Rijp and Grootschermer. Or walk the other way from Alkmaar, for example towards the coast. About the walking routes you can find in the Alkmaar region, you can read more below! Which route do you choose?
De Rijp en Graftdijk
12 kilometres
On the De Rijp and Graftdijk route, you will walk through the historic villages, where you will find a lot of cultural history. There are also plenty of opportunities to take a break at one of the catering establishments.
Egmond route
10 kilometers
The Egmond route is about 10 kilometers long. The walking route passes some inspiring places in Egmond. Here too you will find various hospitality venues where you can stop for a snack or a drink.
Heiloo walking route
6.5 kilometers
The Heiloo walking route is about 7 kilometers long. The route passes special places in Heiloo. Feel free to take a break at one of the hospitality venues you come across along the way.
Stad van de Zon
7 kilometers
Discover the ‘City of the Sun’ during a 7 kilometer long walk. Stad van de Zon is a district that aims for an equal distribution of consumption and its own generation of energy.
More walking routes
Fancy another beautiful walk in the municipality of Alkmaar or do you want more inspiration? Then take a look here:
- Route.nl Tip: walking route 325021 along the old Eilandspolder and 754511 over the nature trail.
- Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland Tip: the wooded Alkmaar walking route.
- VVV.nl Tip: Mijzenpolder and Tea Gardens route.
- Routeyou.com Tip: Alkmaar monuments walk (extra nice during open monument day!).
- The free Abellife app Tip: the tea gardens walking route through Alkmaar and Oudorp.
