Alkmaar Cheesemarket & windmills

In historical Alkmaar you will be given an insight into old Dutch market life. At the cheese market, with the cheese carriers in their historical costumes, you can get a real sense of ancient market life. Watch as the cheeses are piled high on the cobblestone square at Alkmaar Market. Learn about the old Dutch market way of life, where bidders traditionally compete by clapping their hands and with a stern clap the deal is sealed. Once a buyer has finished, men in white uniforms carry the wheels of cheese to a 14th century Weigh House to tally the bill. After the visit to the cheese market drive to the village Schermerhorn with its famous old windmills. On the way back to Amsterdam travel via the medieval town of Edam to visit a cheese factory where the cheese is still made the traditional way.