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The North: Cheese Market, Wadden Island and Friesland
From Amsterdam, you head to Alkmaar with its cheese market, held Fridays from early April to early September, then from Den Helder, a 20-minute ferry ride to Texel. Via the Afsluitdijk, you continue to Leeuwarden and Groningen, and on your return south, to the water village of Giethoorn.
6 stops
Why This Route?
For travelers keen to explore the Wadden Sea, Frisian cities, and serene waterscapes, beyond cheese and canals.
Hidden Gems
- De Slufter on Texel, a salt marsh behind the dunes
- Prinsentuin in Groningen, a Renaissance garden in the city center
- Weerribben-Wieden National Park around Giethoorn, quieter by canoe than on the main canals
Itinerary
Stop 1 • 1 Night
Amsterdam
Rich in culture and history. routes.tagDescriptions.stadt and routes.tagDescriptions.museen.
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and by far its most visited destination: a city of 165 canals and almost 1,300 bridges, whose 17th-century canal ring has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2010. Here, Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" hangs in the Rijksmuseum, along with the world's most famous Van Gogh collection, and here stands the Anne Frank House.The city originated in the 13th century on a dam in the Amstel and is located on the IJ, a former sea inlet. With approximately 936,000 inhabitants, it is the country's largest city; however, the government and parliament are situated in The Hague, about 60 kilometers away.
9 Sights
5 Restaurants
Art, Museums and Festivals
MuseumsThe three major art museums are located next to each other on Museumplein: the Rijksmuseum with Rembrandt's "The Night Watch," the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum for modern art. Additionally, there are the Anne Frank House on Prinsengracht, the Museum Het Rembrandthuis, and the Joods Museum.Festivals and MarketsKoningsdag: On April 27, the city celebrates the King's birthday with flea markets and street parties; many wear orange.Pride Amsterdam: The highlight is the Canal Parade on the canals, held on the first Saturday in August.Albert Cuyp Market: The weekly market in De Pijp is the city’s most famous.RemembranceOn May 4, the Netherlands commemorates WWII dead. After the Royal Palace's bell strikes on Dam at 8 PM, two minutes of silence are observed nationwide.
Stop 2 • 1 Night
Alkmaar
Rich in culture and history. routes.tagDescriptions.stadt.
Alkmaar is the cheese city of the Netherlands: Cheese has been traded here since 1622, and from April to September, guild cheese carriers carry the yellow wheels across the market square on Friday mornings. The city is located approximately 50 kilometers northwest of Amsterdam between the North Sea and the IJsselmeer.The old town, with its canals, the 14th-century Weigh House, and the Late Gothic Laurenskerk, is compact. Alkmaar is proud of October 8, 1573, when the Spanish besiegers surrendered during the Eighty Years' War – a day still celebrated annually. The city has a population of around 112,000.
Käsemarkt freitags von Anfang April bis Anfang September
4 Sights
3 Restaurants
Cheese Market and Town History
The Cheese MarketWhen: Friday mornings, from the first Friday of April to the first Friday of September, starting 10 AM with the bell's ringing.The Carriers: The Cheese Carriers' Guild dates from 1593. Four groups of seven carriers, in red, green, blue, and yellow hats, bring the cheese wheels to the Waag, led by the “Käsevater”.Also: The Dutch Cheese Museum in the Waag.Alkmaar 1573During the Eighty Years' War, Spanish troops besieged the city. The defenders held out, flooding surrounding polders; on October 8, 1573, the besiegers surrendered. Since then, the city bears the epithet “Alcmaria victrix” – the Victorious – and celebrates this day annually.
Stop 3 • 2 Nights
Texel
Dreamy beaches. Stunning nature and outdoors and routes.tagDescriptions.familie.
Texel is the largest of the West Frisian Islands and belongs to the province of Noord-Holland; from Den Helder on the mainland, the car ferry crosses in about 20 minutes. You come for the approximately 30-kilometer-long sandy beach on the west coast, the dune belt of the Duinen van Texel National Park, and bike tours between seven villages.
Fähre ab Den Helder, etwa 20 Minuten
4 Sights
3 Restaurants
Museums and History
The Ecomare brings together a natural history museum and an aquarium with a sanctuary for seals and birds. In Oudeschild, the Museum Kaap Skil tells the story of shipping and wreckers. At the northern tip stands the climbable Eierland Lighthouse.A dark chapter in the island's history is the uprising of Georgian auxiliary troops against the German occupation in April and May 1945, in which approximately 3,000 people died, including 117 civilians.
Stop 4 • 1 Night
Leeuwarden
Rich in culture and history. routes.tagDescriptions.stadt and routes.tagDescriptions.museen.
Leeuwarden, Ljouwert in Frisian, is the administrative capital of Friesland province in the northern Netherlands and was European Capital of Culture in 2018. You come for the leaning tower Oldehove, the Fries Museum of Frisian art & history, and the Keramikmuseum Princessehof, birthplace of graphic artist M. C. Escher.
4 Sights
3 Restaurants
Museums and Frisian Traditions
The Fries Museum houses around 170,000 objects on Frisian art, culture, and history. The Princessehof, a building from 1693, is home to a ceramics museum of national importance; the graphic artist M. C. Escher was born in this house in 1898. The dancer Mata Hari (1876–1917) is also among the city's well-known personalities.Connected with Friesland is the Elfstedentocht, an approximately 200-kilometre-long ice-skating race past the eleven Frisian cities. It only takes place when the canals freeze over – most recently in January 1997.
Stop 5 • 2 Nights
Groningen
Rich in culture and history. routes.tagDescriptions.stadt and routes.tagDescriptions.museen.
Groningen is the capital of the eponymous province in the north of the Netherlands, about 75 kilometres west of Leer in East Frisia. Come for a university city with a car-free centre around Grote Markt and Vismarkt, for the Martinikerk with its tower, and for the Groninger Museum, whose 1994 building was co-designed by several designers.
4 Sights
3 Restaurants
Museum, Music and Festivals
The Groninger Museum exhibits modern and contemporary art, fashion, and design in a 1994 building, co-designed by Alessandro Mendini, Michele De Lucchi, Philippe Starck, and Coop Himmelb(l)au. Forum Groningen unites a library, cinema, and the Storyworld Museum (comics, animation, video games).Two festivals are known beyond the city: Eurosonic Noorderslag, an annual pop festival with a music conference and showcase program for European music, and the theater festival Noorderzon.
Stop 6 • 1 Night
Giethoorn
Stunning nature and outdoors. routes.tagDescriptions.familie and Route highlight.
Giethoorn ist ein Wasserdorf in der Provinz Overijssel im Nordosten der Niederlande, am Rand des Moorgebiets De Wieden. Du kommst für die Fahrt mit dem Boot: Das Dorf zieht sich rund acht Kilometer an einem Dorfkanal entlang, den zahlreiche Querkanäle und Holzbrücken kreuzen.
2 Sights
2 Restaurants
6 stops
Route Summary
Duration9 Days
Stops6 Places
TypeMixed
Best Time to GoMay–September