Our neighborhood is quiet although being very close to the citycenter. Within five minutes you're walking in the historical center of Alkmaar. Alkmaar has loads of little streets with various shops such as boutiques, home furnishings, etc. There also a lot of restaurants and bars in the city and even a small boulevard with various restaurants within a 2-minute walk from our home. In Alkmaar there are several museums and city walks. The Alkmaar train station is a 20-minute walk or a 7-minute bike ride from our home. By train it's only 30 minutes to Amsterdam or Haarlem, two cities in North Holland that are more than worth visiting. Within 20 minutes there are two very nice beaches: Egmond aan Zee and Bergen aan Zee.