Top 8 Hidden Gems Things to do in Haarlem, North Holland Province

Get into one of our kayaks and experience the wonderful city of Haarlem from the water. Zeebaard organises special kayak tours with instruction. We paddle in small groups up to 7 people. Choose between short city trip or longer coutryside trip. Every Tuesday through Friday in Spring and Summer.

Haarlem Canal Tours offers scheduled open boat canal tours, private cruises & corporate events in the historical center of the beautiful city of Haarlem NL. You will experience a great tour with a unique view on Haarlem. During the tour your skipper and host Jeroen Hagen will explain you everything about the history and development of the city and about the architecture and art objects along the route. Ticket price €14.- p.p. Reservations via the Haarlem Canal Tours website are recommended. You also can buy a ticket aboard; we accept cash, PIN/Meastro, Mastercard, Visa & American Express.The tours are in Dutch and English. Please visit the website for additional information, actual tour schedules and bookings.

The Frans Hals Museum and De Hallen Haarlem came together to form the renewed Frans Hals Museum: one museum at two locations. Where old meets new. Historical works hang alongside contemporary installations, and the Golden Age sits alongside the modern day. The meeting of Old Masters and contemporary art lets you look in a different way and see more.

Anyone who opens the museum's heavy door on the bank of the River Spaarne sees at a glance what it is that inspires such enthusiasm. The museum breathes the atmosphere of the 18th and 19th centuries - the Age of the Enlightenment - when people were busily gathering knowledge about the world. Teylers Museum, museum of wonder, is a world in itself, one that you will never forget. Teylers Museum is the best-preserved 18th-century public knowledge institution for the arts and sciences in the world. It has been open to the public since 1784, welcoming all those who are eager to look at paintings and drawings by the Old Masters, magnificent minerals, ingenious scientific instruments, precious books, and centuries-old fossils. The museum's interior alone, with the monumental Oval Room as pièce de resistance, is a truly remarkable attraction. It is the only authentic 18th-century museum interior in the world.

Health and beauty spa Sauna van Egmond has been a household name in Haarlem and far beyond for almost 40 years. Not surprising as no trouble or expense has been spared over the years to create an exceptionally welcoming spa retreat. Set in a large, stately building, health and beauty spa Sauna van Egmond is all about indulgent pampering in a warm, friendly atmosphere. In addition to the very extensive spa facilities at Sauna van Egmond, including several sauna cabins, a Roman pool and the only ‘Caldarium Maximus’ in the Netherlands, you can also get pampered in the luxury beauty and massage salon, enjoy a lovely meal in the famous restaurant or watch a film at the cinema.In short, everything is in place at health and beauty spa Sauna van Egmond for a complete day of pampering and relaxation! Opening timesMon-Sat: 10:00 - 00:00 Sun: 10:00 - 23:00Extra opening information:Health and beauty spa Sauna van Egmond is open 7 days a week for mixed clientele from 14 years; booking is preferred; no swimwear permitted.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Bavo (New Bavo) was designed by J.Th. Cuypers and built in the period from 1895 to 1930. The Cathedral Basilica is based on the classic form of a three-aisled basilica with chapels along the aisles and chapels along the choir. Because construction took a lot of time and a period of lack of funds in the diocese building temporarily brought, Cuypers was given the opportunity to present his designs several adjustments during construction and perform. The building therefore has an eclectic style, mainly neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic elements alongside Moorish and Assyrian ornament shapes and influences of Art Nouveau and the architect H. P. Berlage. Recently artworks of Jan Dibbets, Gijs Frieling and Marc Mulders were added to the interior. Without doubt a very special building. Activities at this monument: KathedraalMuseum, Willibrord Organ plus periodically vault tours and climbing the towers.

In het souterrain van de beroemde Vleeshal, op de Grote Markt van Haarlem ("Hollandse renaissance", bouwmeester Lieven de Keij) is een klein maar bijzonder aardig museum voor de oudste geschiedenis van Haarlem, met allerlei in de grond gedane vondsten, en goede displays, o.a. een nagemaakte opgraving.