Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Besides the city of Alkmaar, the municipality also comprises the villages of Koedijk and Oudorp; these once separate villages are now all linked together by the suburban sprawl of buildings that arose between the late 1970s and early 1990s. During this time, the population of Alkmaar almost doubled.
Alkmaar's cheese market is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. The cheese market traditionally takes place every Friday morning between April and October. It is one of only four traditional Dutch cheese markets still in existence. The traditional fare of this cheese market are those cheeses made in the local area, as opposed to the well-known brands of Dutch cheeses, i.e. Edam cheese and Gouda cheese. It is not actually possible to buy cheese at the market itself, which is really only a demonstration of how this merchants' market operated in times gone by. However, the show, which takes place in front of the medieval weighing house, is surrounded by many specialized stalls where it is possible to buy all kinds of cheese (and non-cheese) related products.
The weighing house is home to the local tourist office and a cheese museum. Alkmaar also has a beer museum and a museum dedicated to The Beatles.