Haarlem

Worth seeing in and around Haarlem

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   North Sea Canal

   The North Sea Canal is a Dutch ship canal from Amsterdam to the North Sea at IJmuiden, constructed between 1865 and 1876 to enable seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam. This man-made channel terminates at Amsterdam in the closed-off IJ Bay, which in turn connects to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal.

   9.7 km · Dutch ship canal · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Frans Hals Museum

   The Frans Hals Museum is a museum in the North Holland city of Haarlem, the Netherlands, founded in 1862, known as the Art Museum of Haarlem. Its collection is based on the city's own rich collection, built up from the 16th century onwards.

   500 m · joint museum with a modern and a 17th century painting collection in Haarlem, The Netherlands · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Teylers Museum

   Teylers Museum is an art, natural history, and science museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. Established in 1778, Teylers Museum was founded as a centre for contemporary art and science.

   300 m · art, natural history, and science museum in Haarlem, Netherlands · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam

   The Diocese of Haarlem–Amsterdam is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. As one of the seven suffragans in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan archbishop of Utrecht, the diocesan territory comprises the north west of the Netherlands, including the cities of Haarlem and Amsterdam.

   1.1 km · diocese of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Grote Kerk

   The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk is a Reformed Protestant church located on the central market square in the Dutch city of Haarlem. The church was built in 1307.

   100 m · church in Haarlem, North Holland, Netherlands · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Zuid-Kennemerland National Park

   Zuid-Kennemerland National Park is a conservation area on the west coast of the province of North Holland. It was established in 1995.

   3.4 km · national park in the Netherlands · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Cathedral of Saint Bavo

   The Cathedral of Saint Bavo is a cathedral in Haarlem, the Netherlands, built by Joseph Cuypers from 1895 to 1930 to replace the former waterstaatskerk in the Jansstraat called the St. Joseph.

   1.1 km · church in Haarlem, the Netherlands · Wikipedia
8. 08
   BUKO Stadion

   Sportpark Schoonenberg k ˈsxoːnəbɛrx]), branded as BUKO Stadion for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Eredivisie club Telstar and Eredivisie Vrouwen club Telstar. It is located in Velsen-Zuid, Netherlands.

   8.2 km · football stadium in Velsen-Zuid, the Netherlands · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Hoofdwacht

   The Hoofdwacht is a historically important rijksmonument. It was built in the 13th century and it is considered the oldest building in Haarlem, Netherlands.

   100 m · building in Haarlem, Netherlands · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Castle Brederode

    Brederode Castle, also called the Ruins of Brederode, is located near Santpoort-Zuid. The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century by William I van Brederode.

    5 km · castle ruins near Haarlem, NL · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

Haarlem's main sights are its lovely historic centre and its fine art museums. You'll get a good idea of what the city has to offer by just wandering the streets in the centre for a while, as many monumental buildings and the most prominent museums are all there. The tourist information office can provide maps and walking routes as well as guides, if you don't want to miss anything.

1. 01
   Grote Kerk
2. 02
   Stadhuis

   After fires destroyed the Count's castle on this location in the 14th century, this city hall was built.

3. 03
   Vleeshal

   From 1604 until the 18th century, the Meat Hall was the only place in town where it was permitted to sell fresh meat.

4. 04
   Hoofdwacht

   Built in the 13th century, this is one of the oldest monuments in the city and the first century of its existence, it served as the first town hall.

5. 05
   Stadsbibliotheek
6. 06
   Hofje van Oorschot

   The city is notable for its many hofjes (almshouses) built around courtyards.

From Wikivoyage: Haarlem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

On summer days, hang out in the sun on Haarlem's Grote Markt (near the Grote Kerk) after a long day of shopping or go sightseeing in Haarlem's ancient city centre. Comic convention (Stripdagen Haarlem). late May to early June. In the even years (2024, 2026, etc.) the biggest Dutch comic book convention 'Stripdagen Haarlem' takes place all over Haarlem.

1. 01
   De Toneelschuur

From Wikivoyage: Haarlem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Scattered through the inner city, you'll find a large number of restaurants. There's something for everyone and every budget, with many different styles of restaurants and a broad variety of cuisines.

1. 01
   Eet-Biercafé Bruxelles
2. 02
   Restaurant het Pakhuis

   Gravinnesteeg 9, info@hetpakhuishaarlem.nl.

3. 03
   Eetcafé de Linde

   Botermarkt 21, infocafedelinde@gmail.com.

4. 04
   Babbels

   Lange Veerstraat 23, 2011 DA,.

5. 05
   El Pincho

From Wikivoyage: Haarlem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Haarlem

Airports

Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), 12 km · Rotterdam The Hague (RTM), 49 km · Eindhoven (EIN), 115 km

Stations

Haarlem railway station, 700 m · Hillegom railway station, 9.9 km

• Rotterdam → Haarlem

  52 km · quickest by road, 1h 30m · €7–10
  GuideToday
• Eindhoven → Haarlem

  119 km · quickest by road, 2h 42m · €14–19
  GuideToday
• Groningen → Haarlem

  160 km · quickest by road, 3h 17m · €20–28
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
  Plan a trip

Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Haarlem

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Haarlem. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Haarlem – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.