Grote Kerk (St. Laurenskerk) Tower Climb
Climbing the 16th-century tower of Alkmaar's Grote Kerk rewards you with one of the flattest, most expansive panoramas in the Netherlands: a 360-degree sweep over red-tiled rooftops, silver canals, tulip-field polders and, on clear days, the dunes of the North Sea coast glinting some 15 kilometres to the west. There is no lift — just 218 steps and an increasingly spectacular view.
What you see from the top
To the west, the flat green polder landscape stretches to the coastal dune ridge, with the occasional church spire marking villages like Bergen and Egmond aan Zee.
To the south, the canal network of the old town fans out in geometric clarity, and on Friday market mornings you can look straight down onto the cheese carriers' coloured hats on the Waagplein — a unique aerial perspective.
On exceptionally clear days, the IJsselmeer is visible to the east and the skyline of Haarlem to the south-east.
The church interior
Before climbing, spend time in the nave: the Grote Kerk contains a rare Renaissance organ (1511) that still performs, and a series of 16th-century paintings commemorating the Siege of Alkmaar (1573), the first Dutch victory against Spanish forces in the Eighty Years' War.
The church floor is paved with historic grave slabs, and the carved wooden choir screen is among the finest examples of late-Gothic woodwork in Noord-Holland.
Visiting practicalities
Tower climbs are typically guided and run at set times during summer; check the church website or tourist office for the current schedule as hours vary by season.
The church is a five-minute walk from the Waagplein; combine the climb with the Friday cheese market for a full morning in the city centre.
Grote Kerk (St. Laurenskerk) Tower Climb on video
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