Rick Steves Says These Two Cities Near Amsterdam Sample The Best Of The Netherlands' Cheese Culture
Edam. Gouda. Leyden. Boerenkaas. Maasdam. Delft Blue. Cheese is perhaps as synonymous with the Netherlands as windmills, clogs, tulips, Van Gogh, the Dutch Golden Age, and pot-smoking backpackers. And when considering the country's cheese scene, Amsterdam may be the city that first springs to mind, with cheese shops clinging to street corners and even a cheese train bar in the De Pijp neighborhood. But for travel guru Rick Steves, a self-described "cultural chameleon" who eats and drinks as the locals do, it's the cities of Edam and Alkmaar that should demand any cheese lover's attention.
Edam, considered by many (including Steves) to be one of the best day trips from Amsterdam, is a classically Dutch town laced with canals and known for its lovely 17th-century architecture and cobblestone streets. Its namesake cheese is a semi-hard variety, similar to a mild cheddar, and is the second-most exported Dutch cheese after Gouda. Edam is also versatile, working well as a burger or sandwich filler, paired with a glass of wine and frozen grapes, or melted over a baked dish.
Alkmaar, 35 minutes north of Amsterdam by train, is another charming, canal-threaded city, with eclectic museums dedicated to Dutch history, beer production, and even The Beatles. It's also the Netherlands' cheese capital, home to the country's best cheese museum and a vibrant cheese market that dates to the late 16th century. By 9:30 a.m. on Friday from March to September, as many as 2,400 cheese wheels, weighing a total of nearly 67,000 pounds (30,000 kilos), are arranged on the cobblestones of Waagplein, the square where the market takes place. It's the place to be if you find yourself in Alkmaar on a spring or summer weekend.
Where to eat cheese in Edam?
Edam isn't just known for cheese today. Stretching back to the Dutch Golden Age, when the Netherlands grew into one of the world's wealthiest empires, Edam was a prosperous port town on the shores of the Markermeer, with much of that prosperity owing to cheese exports and the town's weekly cheese market. Travelers can still visit the cheese market square, which hosted the market for more than three centuries. Every Wednesday in summer, the market returns with theatrical, period-style flair, and plenty of samples of local cheese. The 18th-century Kaaswaag, where cheese was once weighed, also remains open and now functions as a museum.
If your visit doesn't align with the Wednesday market, consider stopping by Wijn en Kaasspeciaalzaak Edam (Specialty Cheese Shop Edam), housed in an old-world building in the town's historic center. Alongside Edam cheese and wines to pair with it, you can buy varieties from Henri Willig's farm, which has been producing Gouda for more than half a century. The Alida Hoeve cheese farm and clog factory, on the outskirts of town, is also open to the public. It's a great place to sample local cheeses in a pastoral Dutch setting.
Where to eat cheese in Alkmaar?
Alkmaar's cheese market is legendary, attracting thousands of visitors to the storied Waagplein each year. Boats stacked with cheese wheels drift along the canals while people dressed in klederdracht (traditional Dutch clothing) play accordions on the street. A bell rings to signal the opening of the market, and inspectors begin testing the cheeses before they're carried in barrows to the weighing house. While tourists watch with rapt attention, emcees explain what's in the middle of the square, and before long, the inspectors start handing out samples. Stalls surrounding Waagplein sell many different types of Dutch cheese, as well as other local specialties like miniature pancakes. True, there is more to Alkmaar than cheese, but you really don't want to skip its most iconic market.
The city also boasts excellent cheese shops. Kaas van Daan, which has a 4.8-star rating on Google and was voted the Netherlands' best cheesemonger in 2022, is a good place to start sampling — whether you're in the mood for characterful boerenkaas from the Daan Jong farm or creamy Beemster cheeses. The shop has joined with a bakery, butcher, greengrocer, and pastry shop, making it easy to create a pretty epic picnic spread. And this being Gouda country, you'll find delicious Gouda in shops across Alkmaar, including Alkmaarse Notenbranderij, Smit's Boer & Goed, Jelmer's Cheese Shop, and The Cheese Storage. Part of the joy, of course, is walking Alkmaar's historic streets to see which cheesemongers you discover for yourself.