Every Friday morning from April to September, something unusual happens in a small city in North Holland. Men in white uniforms and brightly coloured straw hats carry enormous rounds of cheese across the cobblestones. They jog with purpose, wooden sledges loaded with up to 80 kilograms of cheese. The city is Alkmaar, and this is just Friday.
The cheese market has run here since at least 1365. For more than 650 years, the same ritual has repeated every single week. It still draws a crowd.
What Actually Happens When the Bell Rings
The market opens at 10am in the Waagplein — the square in front of the Waaggebouw, Alkmaar’s weigh house. The bell rings and trading begins.
Buyers move through rows of cheese stacked on the cobblestones. They press each round, tap it, smell it. When a buyer and seller agree, they seal the deal with a handshake — a rhythmic hand-slap called a “handjeklap.” This custom goes back centuries and still closes every deal today.
The whole market closes at 12:30pm. Then the square empties quickly, and Alkmaar returns to its quiet self.
The Carriers and Their Coloured Hats
The most distinctive figures at the market are the kaasdraagers — the cheese carriers. They belong to four guilds, each wearing a different colour ribbon on their hat: red, blue, yellow, or green. Each colour controls one section of the market square.
Carriers work in pairs, using a specific jogging step designed to keep the cheese steady. They deliver each load to the Waaggebouw, where an official weigher records the weight. The weight sets the final price. Nothing about this process has changed significantly in four centuries.
Participants take these roles seriously. Many have held them for years. Some for decades.
The Building at the Heart of It All
The Waaggebouw is impossible to miss. It stands at the end of Langestraat, where the canal meets the old market square. The city adapted it from a Gothic chapel in 1582, adding the red shutters and clock tower you see today.
For centuries, the Dutch weighed and taxed goods here. Cheese, butter, salt — anything traders sold in the city passed through these doors. Today the building houses a small cheese museum, but on Friday mornings the real action is outside in the square.
Want to understand Dutch cheese beyond the market? Our guide to Dutch cheese explains why you should skip the tourist shops and find the real thing.
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Going Beyond the Market Square
Watching the market is free. But Alkmaar offers more than the Friday ritual.
The cheese museum inside the Waaggebouw is worth thirty minutes. The story of how Dutch cheese became a global export in the 17th century is genuinely surprising — tied directly to the VOC trade routes and the Dutch Golden Age. Entry costs around €5.
The canals behind the square — Bierkade in particular — are quiet and beautiful in the early morning. Walk along the water before the crowds arrive, then grab a coffee at one of the canalside cafes before heading to the square.
If you’re planning a broader trip through the Netherlands, the Start Here guide covers the best places and stories worth knowing about before you arrive.
Getting There and Planning Your Visit
Alkmaar is 45 minutes from Amsterdam by direct train. The station is a ten-minute walk from the Waagplein. Trains run frequently from Amsterdam Centraal — no advance booking needed.
Combine Alkmaar with nearby North Holland towns for a full day. Volendam and Edam are close by and the area rewards a full day of wandering.
When does the Alkmaar cheese market take place?
Every Friday from 10:00am to 12:30pm, from the first Friday in April through the last Friday in September. The market does not run in winter.
How do I get to Alkmaar from Amsterdam?
Take a direct train from Amsterdam Centraal — the journey takes about 45 minutes. The train station is a ten-minute walk from the cheese market square at the Waagplein.
Is it free to watch the Alkmaar cheese market?
Yes — watching from the square costs nothing. The cheese museum inside the Waaggebouw charges a small entry fee of around €5.
What do the different hat colours mean at the market?
The cheese carriers belong to four guilds. Each guild wears a different ribbon colour on their hat: red, blue, yellow, or green. Each colour controls a specific section of the square.
The bell rings at 10am. The carriers take to the square. They seal the deals with a handshake. Alkmaar has run this same scene every Friday for longer than most countries have existed — and it shows no sign of stopping.
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