Victory Begins at Alkmaar: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

A cannonball smashed through a basket maker's home in 1573 and, somehow, hurt no one. It's still lodged in the wall, and this self-guided walking tour leads you straight to it.

Start at De Waag, the weighing house at the heart of Alkmaar's cheese trade, then follow the siege that turned the tide of the Eighty Years' War and gave the city its motto, "Victory begins at Alkmaar." Along the way you meet Cornelis Drebbel, the local inventor who built the first navigable submarine and tested it beneath the Thames. Stop at the statue of Truus Wijsmuller, who organised Kindertransports to rescue Jewish children. The Vismarkt used the canal to keep fish "fresh", with mixed results. The walk ends at Sonoy's Courtyard, a convent seized during the Reformation.

Perfect for history lovers and curious first-time visitors to the Netherlands. Install the VoiceMap app, then enter the ticket code from your confirmation email to download the tour and start walking.