The Accijnstoren is a small landmark with a very practical past. Built in 1622 beside Alkmaar's waterways, it served as an excise office where goods arriving by boat were taxed before entering the city economy. Its Renaissance brickwork and little tower make it one of those Dutch civic buildings whose charm comes from scale and purpose rather than grandeur.
It is an easy detour while walking the canals between the Waag, the old harbour edges, and the historic centre. Do not expect a major museum visit; the pleasure is in seeing how trade, taxation, water, and town architecture once fitted neatly together on a single canal corner.