Alkmaar walking tour: Siege history and hidden stories
A cannonball from 1573 is still lodged in a baker's wall, and this tour takes you straight to it.
This self-guided walking tour of Alkmaar follows the Siege of 1573 that turned the tide of the Eighty Years' War, with audio narration in English, offline maps and GPS navigation through 12 stops. Download the VoiceMap app using your ticket code, then walk the route at your own pace: no guide, no fixed schedule. The tour passes the 14th-century Waag (the weighing house of the cheese trade), the cannonball embedded in a private home, the statue of Truus Wijsmuller who rescued Jewish children, and ends at Sonoy's Courtyard, a seized convent. Most stops are viewable from the street. Entry fees to museums and buildings are separate.
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Step-by-step itinerary
Self-guided walking tour of Alkmaar
- Start at the 14th-century Waag
- Pass by Waagplein cheese market
- See cannonball lodged in wall
- View wide bridge and Truus Wijsmuller statue
- Walk past historic fish market
- Pass by synagogue site of Cornelis Drebbel's home
- Walk through park from city defences
- Pass Alkmaar's city-wall windmill
- See almshouse founded in 1646
- Pass late-Gothic church
- Walk through Canadaplein square
- View City Hall façades and cells
The experience
Start at De Waag, the weighing house that anchored Alkmaar's cheese trade in the 1600s, then follow the route of the Spanish siege that gave the city its motto. The walk moves through twelve stops over roughly an hour to two hours, depending on how long you linger. You'll pass the cannonball still wedged in a house wall from 1573, cross the unusually wide bridge where the town pillory once stood, and see the statues of fish market workers beside the 16th-century galleries. The audio guide tells you what happened at each place and why it matters to the city's story: the ramparts that became a landscape park, the windmill built in stone in 1769, the almshouse founded for unmarried women in 1646.
The tour includes Cornelis Drebbel, the local inventor who built the first navigable submarine and tested it under the Thames, and Truus Wijsmuller, known as the Mother of 1001 Children for organizing Kindertransports to rescue Jewish children during the war. You'll walk past the synagogue that now stands on the site of Drebbel's home, hear how the fish market kept its catch "fresh" in the canal with mixed results, and pass through Canadaplein, named for the Canadian soldiers who liberated the city in 1945. Most attractions are visible from the street. Entry to the church, museums, windmill and other buildings requires separate tickets and is not included.
Download the VoiceMap app on your phone before you arrive, enter the ticket code from your confirmation email, and the tour downloads for offline use. You get lifetime access to the audio, maps and GPS data, so you can walk the route again whenever you return to Alkmaar. The app guides you turn-by-turn through the city, and you set your own speed: pause to photograph the cannonball, sit in the park, or spend extra time at any stop. Wheelchair accessible, suitable for all fitness levels, and open to strollers and service animals.
What’s included
- The VoiceMap app for Android and iOS.
- lifetime access to the tour in English before and after your booking date.
- offline audio, maps and GPS data.
- directions to the starting point at De Waag.
- flexibility to walk at your own pace with no fixed schedule or guide.
Before you book
Prices and times updated today
Operated by VoiceMap Audio Tours
Is this one for you?Start at De Waag in the city center with just your phone and the downloaded app, so you don't need a car, a guide or advance knowledge of Alkmaar's layout. The GPS directions work offline, which matters if you're arriving by train or staying without transport. You navigate the twelve stops entirely on your own terms, pausing or backtracking whenever the story catches your interest.
Top questions
What is the cannonball in the wall, and why is it still there?
During the Spanish siege of Alkmaar in 1573, a cannonball smashed through a basket maker's home but somehow hurt no one. The cannonball remains lodged in the wall of this private house, and the audio guide tells the story of the siege and this near miss as you pass by the building.
Can I go inside the Waag and the other historic buildings on the tour?
Most stops on the tour are viewable from the street or the outside only. Entry to the Waag, the synagogue, the church, the windmill, the almshouse and other buildings is not included. If you want to go inside any of them, you'll need to buy separate admission tickets at each site.
Who was Truus Wijsmuller, and where do I see her on the tour?
Truus Wijsmuller, known as the Mother of 1001 Children, organized Kindertransports to rescue Jewish children during the war. Her statue stands on the Doeleplein bridge, an unusually wide span that was once a market square and the site of the town pillory, and the audio guide explains her story as you pass.
How long does the walking tour take?
The tour covers twelve stops and takes roughly one to two hours depending on your pace and how long you spend at each location. You control the speed entirely: pause whenever you like, and the GPS directions guide you through the city at your own rhythm.
Do I need to download anything before I arrive in Alkmaar?
Download the VoiceMap app on your phone before you travel, then enter the ticket code from your confirmation email once you arrive. The tour downloads for offline use, so you don't need mobile data or WiFi to walk the route and hear the audio guide.
What is Cornelis Drebbel, and why does the tour mention him?
Cornelis Drebbel was a local inventor who built the first navigable submarine and tested it beneath the Thames. The synagogue now stands on the site of his former home, and the audio guide tells his story as you walk past the building.
Alkmaar walking tour: Siege history and hidden stories
1h–2h · EN
from € 9.07 per person