Your Essential Travel Guide To Haarlem
Discover Things To Do In Haarlem
Immerse yourself in the blooming beauty of Haarlem - a vibrant capital city hidden away on North Holland's banks. Home to iconic tulip fields and centuries-old architecture, it's become a popular escape for sightseers seeking respite from Amsterdam’s fast pace.
Here you can wander amidst classic Dutch scenery without sacrificing any of its big city attractions – shopping included! So, come explore this charming town and all that it has to offer!
What to see in Haarlem?
- The Teylers Museum is the oldest museum in Holland and stocks a collection of paintings from the Dutch Masters, as well as a range of fossils, minerals and scientific exhibitions.
- Take a visit to the Frans Hals Museum – home to some of the greatest Dutch masterpieces.
- Go on a beer tour – Haarlem is home to some excellent breweries like Jopen at the Jopen church. Don’t miss out on a chance to sample some delicious brews!
- Take a boat tour – Enjoy the stunning views of the city as you float down the Spaarne River on one of these self-guided boat tours.
- Wander through Grote Markt - a pleasant marketplace filled with shops, cafés, and restaurants for everyone.
- The shopping in Haarlem is excellent, with traffic-free streets, designer boutiques and popular chain stores.
Haarlem, bulb fields and the Bollenstreek
Just north and south of Haarlem lie vast bulb fields that attract thousands of tourists every spring. In just 15 minutes by bike from the centre of Haarlem, you are already among the colourful flower fields and surrounded by millions of tulips, crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths.
The biggest flower event in the Bollenstreek is the annual flower parade from 21 to 22 April 2023.
A convoy of dozens of floats forms a colourful procession from Noordwijk to Haarlem. After their arrival in Haarlem, they are displayed for a day on the Grote Markt so that they can still be admired there!
