Holiday apartment in Haarlem: Discover art, history and nature

Haarlem brings together important museums, historic sites and green recreational spaces within a compact area. Art enthusiasts can visit the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem’s art museum, while Teylers Museum, the first and oldest museum in the Netherlands, embodies an especially long museum history. Its first collection objects were assembled by Pieter Teyler around 1750; today, the collections are divided into the areas of art, science and the library.

Culture

The Museum van de Geest also offers an unusual perspective on Haarlem. It is located in the monumental Dolhuys, where personal stories, science, contemporary art and questions about life take centre stage, inviting visitors to discover their own mind and that of others. The former pest house, madhouse and leper house of the city of Haarlem also presents the 700-year history of mental healthcare. The Museum van de Geest is a five-minute walk from Haarlem railway station.

The Verwey Museum Haarlem is the city museum of Haarlem and Zuid-Kennemerland. Visitors can experience Haarlem’s history there and relate it to the present day. The permanent exhibition “Allemaal Haarlemmers” presents 1,000 years of Haarlem’s history and introduces notable people from Haarlem. A free digital Bloomberg Connects guide allows visitors to explore stories, artworks and exhibitions during their visit or from home. The Grote or St. Bavo’s Church welcomes visitors; tickets are available at the box office.

Things to do in the city

Molen De Adriaan stands in the centre of Haarlem on the banks of the River Spaarne. A guided tour lasts 45 minutes. Visitors can also try grinding grain themselves with a hand mill in the windmill. A visit therefore focuses both on the waterside location and on a distinctly hands-on experience.

Jopenkerk Haarlem offers a distinctive taste experience: visitors can order various bottles of Jopen beer and put together their own beer tasting with additional tasting glasses.

Nature and outdoor activities

Haarlemmer Kweektuin is an ecological urban park where visitors can walk, play and enjoy nature. The grounds include Paddenpoel, a nature playground where children can play on islands and use a water pump to build streams and dams in the sand. Kabouterpad is an educational trail where visitors can learn about trees, leaves and small animals in a playful way; colourful gnomes mark the route.

De Bolwerken combines the history of the city’s fortifications with later park landscaping. These are the first fortifications in the Netherlands to be transformed into a park by Zocher. Originally, De Bolwerken consisted of 17th-century earth defensive ramparts; in 1821, they were transformed into a walking park. To facilitate travel on two wheels, the city of Haarlem is working on comfortable and safe cycling routes.

Further destinations in the same broader area: Haarlem, Zandvoort, Hoorn, Weesp, Alkmaar, Diemen, Bloemendaal, Purmerend.

To the broader travel overview: North Holland.