Q 01
Is lunch included?
Lunch is not included to give you freedom. In Volendam, we recommend the best spots for fresh fish or local dishes to suit your taste and budget.
Q 02
Is this suitable for children?
Yes, and there is no minimum age. The farm, the museum in Edam and Volendam harbour work for every age, and the day is paced so nobody is dragged.
Q 03
Where exactly do we meet?
We meet at 09:00 AM sharp in front of Centraal Station. Address: Prins Hendrikkade 20B, 1012 TL Amsterdam.
Q 04
When does this tour run?
Fridays only, from the last Friday of March to the last Friday of September. The Alkmaar cheese market does not run outside that window, so neither does this day.
Q 05
How long is the day?
Ten to twelve hours. We meet at 09:00 sharp in front of Centraal Station, leave at 09:00, and you are back in Amsterdam in the evening.
Q 06
What is included in the price?
The minivan, the traditional farm with its cheese tastings and clog demonstration, a bottle of water, and live guiding all day in English or Greek. Food is on your own account.
Q 07
How many people are in the group?
A small group, maximum eight guests. That is what lets the day take smaller roads and stop where a coach cannot.
Q 08
What language is the guiding in?
English or Greek, live, the whole day. Mixed groups get both.
Q 09
Where do we go after the market?
Edam and its small museum, a traditional farm for the cheese and clog demonstrations, and Volendam harbour for the cookie tasting and free time.
Q 10
What time do we reach the cheese market and how long do we stay?
We reach Alkmaar at 09:45 and stay about two hours, which covers the market from the carriers running to the last cheese leaving the square.
Q 11
Is the day accessible with a wheelchair?
On the minivan days it works if the chair folds, so it can travel with us between the stops. Tell us when you book and we will say honestly what the day looks like for you. A day with a wheelchair in the group runs at a slower pace, and the programme does not always come out the same. We adapt it around you.
Q 12
What should I wear and bring?
Layers and comfortable shoes. The market and the villages are walked at an easy pace, and the minivan carries you between them.
Q 13
What happens if it rains?
The day runs anyway. The van is warm, the farm demonstration and the museum are indoors, and the market happens in Dutch weather every Friday of the season.
Q 14
Can you pick us up at our hotel?
This is a scheduled small-group day, so it starts in front of Centraal Station, Prins Hendrikkade 20B, at 09:00 sharp. If you want to be collected at your door instead, that is what the
private Alkmaar day is for.
Q 15
Can we customise this tour?
This departure runs as published, with its set dates and route. The same route, or a different one, can run as a private day built entirely around your group. We are fully open to custom, it is the part we like most: a guest recently asked for Groningen, a city with no page on this site, and Antonis said yes, found out who opens the churches and who opens the windmill, and built the day. Tell him what you need. How custom days work: https://ecoechotours.com/tours/customized-tours/
Q 16
Is there wifi and somewhere to charge?
Yes, both are in the van, along with books and the iPad overlays we use to show places as they once looked.
Q 17
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the tour and you are refunded to your original payment method within 5 business days. After that the tour is charged in full. For bookings of 9 or more people on one booking: 14 days or more before, full refund; 7 to 14 days before, 75 percent; 48 hours to 7 days before, 50 percent. If we cancel for serious weather, you get a full refund and we offer you another date first.
