Alkmaar's compact old centre is ringed by a moat and threaded with canals. Most of what you want to see is within a fifteen-minute walk of the Waagplein, where the cheese market still runs on Friday mornings in summer. Beyond the market itself, the highlights are the Grote Kerk, the Stedelijk Museum, the Beatles Museum, and a wandering circuit along the canals past the merchant houses and hofjes.