Windmills, hills, dunes and beach - Alkmaar, Bergen and Egmond

Route by bike Alkmaar

Yes, you have read correctly: hills! Obviously, I’m not talking about a big mountain but the dunes of Schoorl, the highest dunes in the Netherlands, about 55 metres above sea level. Also, you can see 4 windmills during the route, dunes, the beach and several towns. A good place to have lunch is the beach, in the middle of the route. In Bergen (which actually means Mountains) there are some restaurants or, if you prefer to take your own food, after leaving Bergen there is a bike parking next to the beach access, it is a peaceful location with beautiful views of the sea.

I suggest to start the route in Alkmaar and visit the city where there is a well-known cheese market. You can check a couple of websites of Alkmaar to prepare the visit:
Alkmaar Cheese Market
Tourist information Alkmaar

The easiest way to get to Alkmaar is by train. Google maps can provide you with timetables or you can check also the local public transport site.

➤ How to do the route?

On the next map, you can observe the complete route and all the waypoints. Take a look at the map to know where each place is. The route starts at the Alkmaar Station and goes in a counter-clockwise direction.

Show interactive map

Click on the next link to download the route we did, this includes the mentioned points. Keep in mind that on the map you see different colors and icons but on your phone app these characteristics are unavailable. In your phone, points only have one color and one icon.
Route GPX: Windmills, hills, dunes and beach – Alkmaar, Bergen and Egmond.

How do you use the GPX on your mobile phone?
First, you need an offline map app which allows the GPX format. I use OsmAnd. The app hasn’t maps so you should download the map of The Netherlands following its options. Next, you open the file with the app (you can send it by email and when you open it, the app will appear). You should check that you can see the route with your device. Now, you’re ready to use the phone as GPS (and with no Internet)!

Now the most important thing: the bike. An OV-fiets at Alkmaar station costs 4.80 euro per 24 hours. You need a Dutch personal OV-chipkaart with the free OV-fiets subscription or NS Flex. Without that card, you can’t rent one. Don’t worry, there are also normal rental bikes in the centre, from 5 euro a day at De Kraak Actief. You can also take your own bike on the train. The Fietskaart Dal costs 8.50 euro per day, weekdays only from 9:00 to 16:00 and after 18:30, all day at weekends and in July and August.

➤ My experience

The route is short and easy, considering that the road is mostly flat. First thing we did was the route. When we arrived at the town in the afternoon (5.30 pm) all shops were closed so I suggest to visit the town before. I think it will be more lively.

We started the route at the Alkmaar Station. The first windmill is very old and I liked it because it seemed to me very genuine. The best thing was when I saw the hills around me 😊 that surprised me! Besides, we saw some hairy cows in the dunes and deers in a park close to Alkmaar. The weather was good so the lunch time at the beach in the sun was awesome.

For all these reasons I encourage you to do the route!

➽ More activities in the Netherlands on Extra Netherlands.

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Any contribution or question is welcome, please write a comment!

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