Location: Haarlem
Top Things to do in Haarlem
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What to do and see in Haarlem, North Holland Province: The Best Budget-friendly Things to do
Though often overshadowed (especially for tourists) by its much larger and more famous neighbor Amsterdam about ten miles east, Haarlem’s history actually goes back further. And with about 150,000 people, it’s the capital of the Noord-Holland region. The Teylers Museum, with its unique collection of art and artifacts, is the oldest museum in the Netherlands. The fantastic Frans Hals Museum has many works by the artist and other Haarlem schoolers. Grote Markt, the main town square, is a must-see.
Restaurants in Haarlem
1. Haarlem Canal Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 299 reviews
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.
2. Holland Bike Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 160 reviews
Holland Bike Tours | The best way to explore the Netherlands Visit historic towns and enjoy picturesque villages while gliding through beautiful Dutch landscapes. Holland - or the Netherlands - is the number one cycling destination in Europe with countless separated bike paths on comfortable flat terrain. Holland Bike Tours has over 20 years of experience in creating tailor made bike tours. We know the many hidden gems that can only be seen from the seat of a bicycle. Based on our local expertise we craft the most scenic and safest routes, and we only select centrally located accommodations with character. Enjoy your private bike tour on high quality bicycles with easy door-to-door GPS navigation and let us take care of your luggage. A unique cycling experience, creating memories that last a lifetime! With our personalized tours we can always create the perfect bike trip for you. Feel free to contact us for a tailored proposal for your bike tour in the Netherlands!
3. Raaks Halle
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 18 reviews
Raaks Halle is a shop-in-shop in the citycenter of Haarlem and contains 40 small shops of local entrepreneurs. The range of products in Raaks Halle is therefore very diverse and unique. Thes products vary in the range of design, gifts, fashion, house and living, art and food. There is also a coffee corner. They serve high quality coffee and often homemade pastry. In the spacious basement is a art gallery called Kunst Kelder. The store organizes several cultural events, workshops and live-performances . Finally they also have two escape rooms. Altogether Raaks Halle is a must see in Haarlem.
4. Lunchroom Cat Cafe Jippies
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 78 reviews
Cat Cafe Jippies is a cosy lunchroom and also the residence of 7 cats named Eva, Spooky, Arie, Hanna, Simba, Manouschka and Whitney. All cats come form several shelters in the Netherlands. The atmosphere is nice and quiet, ideal for relaxed conversation and just like home. You may enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea, fresh juice and lovely sweets, cakes and sandwiches. while socializing with the cats or watching them play around on the special toys that are built for them. Ideal to combine a visit with a walk trough the historic center of Haarlem. You are welcome from 10:00 till 17.30 hours from Wednesday up to Saterday. At Sunday open from 11.30 till 17.30 hours. Are you from abroad? Please make a reservation at our website so you can't be disappointed.
Reviewed By katylw1
We visited here and had such a lovely time. Simba really made the experience for us; he was so playful and was very good company. The staff here are welcoming and friendly and there is a great range of food and drinks (with a menu available in English). We had the espresso surprise and lemon poppy seed cake, both delicious. The cafe is amazingly clean; I have been to many cat cafes and there is always a distinct odour of cat food/litter boxes/animals, but here, if you were blindfolded, you wouldn't know it was a cat cafe! Highly recommended!
5. Frans Hals Museum - Hof
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,097 reviews
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.
Reviewed By JohnH881 - Shelburne, United States
The Frans Hals Museum is worth the short travel from Amsterdam. There are two sites, The Frans Hals Museum about five minutes walk from the Great Market Place and the "De Hallen Haarlem" Museum on the Market Place. Both are accessible with the same ticket. The first contains many of Hals' masterpieces as well as a supporting cast of other Dutch Masters which are related in some way. The museum is seasonally decorated with flowers (23.5-2.6.19) which are particularly beautiful and add immensely to the artistic atmosphere of the museum. The De Hallen Museum, is housed in a beautiful Dutch building on the Market Place and contains a variety of contemporary artists' works. An effort has been made to tie these works to those of Hals and his contemporaries. The inside has been artfully modernized and is worth a visit just for its architectural merits.
6. Teylers Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,049 reviews
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.
Reviewed By Yolalindsay - Brooklyn, United States
Definitely worth a stop if you have some time in Haarlem! Lots of natural history here, as well as major scientific advancements - really a cool little museum with a GREAT audio guide. I think if you were very interested in geology or archaeology, you could spend a very long time here.
7. Sint-Bavokerk (Church of St. Bavo)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,085 reviews
Reviewed By Buddy_from_Oz - Greater Adelaide, Australia
If you're in Haarlem, don't miss a visit to St Bavokerk. Stunning architecture, fascinating history and a visually impressive organ played by both Mozart and Handel - and, surprisingly, mentioned in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. This was also the local church of Corrie ten Boom who, with her family, secretly helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust. The ten Boom museum is a few minutes walk away.
8. The Corrie ten Boom House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 969 reviews
Reviewed By Dahlke8 - La Vernia, United States
The Ten Boom family’s incredible sacrifice to help the Jewish people and the Dutch Resistance during WWII is carefully preserved and retold by passionate and caring guides! Dina introduced us to the Ten Boom’s, their incredible faith in Christ, and then walked us through their home, to include the Hiding Place. This is a must visit, as is the beautiful town of Haarlem, if you are in Amsterdam.
9. Molen De Adriaan Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 546 reviews
Reviewed By TheGoodShag
This was great. A tour around a working windmill with a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. Lots of info not only about this windmill but also other windmills in The Netherlands. Don't miss itt.
10. Grote Markt
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,190 reviews
Reviewed By springlering - Marietta, United States
We have been in Haarlem for several days, and have visited the Square each day. Our own home has a classic town square, and we’ve grown to appreciate how they change character each visit, as does this one. Surrounded by excellent shopping, quaint streets and alleys, with a stunning church and historic buildings, there are nice restaurants to hang out at, a bustling Saturday market, and for those of you who might share our secret vice, lots of Pokestops to hold your interest. The VVV (tourist information) on the square has several nice brochures featuring historic or memorial walks. Or (and this is the nuttiest tourist tip you’ll ever get) download Pokemon (a free app). Real world locations (or “Pokestops”) are points of interest that locals have added to the game. Particularly in Haarlem, we’ve found all kinds of local buildings, small statues, architectural features and more unique and easy to miss features and oddities we never would have noticed had other players not flagged them on the easy to follow 3D map that is part of the game. Pop into St Bavo’s and see if you are lucky enough to catch an organ rehearsal or concert. The little visitors center next to the big visitors center has a beautifully produced film with a history of Haarlem that is worth seeing.
