Alkmaar sits on a fast train line into Amsterdam and is well positioned for the rest of North Holland. Amsterdam itself is 35 minutes away by Intercity and obviously rewards a full day. Haarlem, half an hour south, is a quieter and arguably more attractive alternative for an old-town day. Zaanse Schans, the open-air windmill village, is best in the morning before tour groups arrive — change at Koog–Zaandijk.
Closer to home, the dunes and beaches of the North Sea coast — Egmond aan Zee, Bergen aan Zee, Castricum — are 20 minutes by bus or car. The Hoorn–Enkhuizen old fishing-town pairing on the Markermeer makes for a longer day east. For something quieter, take the bicycle path out through the polder villages of the Schermer, with their windmills and dykes.
