Haarlem is a popular city close to Amsterdam and attracts many tourists well. The city is great for its beautiful city center and many historical elements are preserved well. Together with the culinaire- and night life, Haarlem has a great mix of things to do for many people.
Index
1. Basic Haarlem information
2. What are the popular attractions?
3. The nightlife of Haarlem
4. Where to shop in Haarlem?
5. Where to eat in Haarlem?
6. How to get there?
7. Trivia
8. Photos of Haarlem
9. Where is it located?
1. Basic Haarlem information
After Amsterdam, Haarlem is the largest city in the province of North Holland. It is located 23 km west of Amsterdam and easily accessible by public transport within twenty minutes. A closer look will bring you back to the Middle Ages. The town is surrounded by canals and has an entrance gate. The “Amsterdamse Poort” (port of Amsterdam). The gate was built in and around 1400. The city itself was officially established in 1240. It has a rich history. Master like Rubens, have had great influence on the art of painting at that time. Visit the museums and just go back to the past. Haarlem is a fine city with culinary delights and a great nightlife. Experience this city with its riches.
2. What are the popular attractions?
As mentioned Haarlem has a variety of things to do. Although is a city which is rich of culture, there is so much more to do. Below a you can find a list of the most popular attractions.
Frans Hals Museum
Frans Hals Museum is a museum mainly about the Old Dutch Masters from Haarlem, who made their paintings during the Golden era. This is the reason the museum is also known as the Museum of the Golden Era. The museum exhibits more than a dozen of Frans Hals’ paintings and this is why they named the museum after this famous Dutch painter.
Groot Heiligland
Just a short walk from the Grote Markt, you can find this charming and pittoresque street: the Groot Heiligland. Translated literally this means Great Sacred Land. It is also the street where the Frans Hals Museum is located. Many building in the street are monumental buildings and therefore are good preserved. This makes it look like time stood still at the Groot Heiligland. This really is a street you should pay a visit to, when exploring Haarlem.
Amsterdamse Poort
The Amsterdamse Poort is the old city gate of Haarlem, which is located in the east of the city. The gate is the only gate left from the originally twelve gates left, which formed the city’s protection.
Grote Markt
The Grote Markt of Haarlem is a large public square in its city center. The square is surrounded by some of the city’s main landmarkt, such as: the Grote Kerk and the city hall of Haarlem. The square is often used by the city to host some great festivals and the weekly market. And since the square also has many terraces, the Grote Markt is a very popular place to be throughout the year.
Grote Kerk
The Grote Kerk (large church) located at the Grote Markt in the city center, and is also known as the Bravo Kerk. This church is the largest of the country, but strangely enough its tower isn’t the highest. This record goes to the Utrecht and its Domtoren. With its 112 meters high, it is 37 meters higher than the tower of the Bravo Church.
Teylers Museum
At the quay of the Spaarne river, you can find the Teylers Museum. The building belongs to the top 100 of the of most important monumental buildings of the country. The museum is the oldest of the Netherlands and is named after Pieter Teyler, who belonged to Haarlems richest during the Golden Era.
Boat tour on the Spaarne river
Haarlem is located next to the Spaarne river, which divides the city in two parts: a western part and a eastern part. More spectaculair are the views from the water and this is why a boat tour is so popular.
Haarlem Railway station
Haarlem Station, as the city’s main station is called, belongs the oldest of the country. It was also the final stop of Netherlands’ first train connection. The core of the building has not changed since its establishment and therefore a the station features a nice old look and feel. This is why the station is used a lot in movies as a scenery. You can probably know it from George Clooney’s: Ocean’s Twelve.
If you prefer to have a guided tour through Haarlem, rather than to only read about it. Then you could join these guys at the following link.
Hofjes in Haarlem
Spread across the city center there are about 20 private small courtyards. These are the only 20 courtyards left of the 40 and all have its own history. Mainly these courtyards are freely accessible on weekdays from 10:00 till 17:00.
3. The nightlife of Haarlem
With about 300 restaurants and bars and a handful of disco and clubs, Haarlem is a entertaining city to spend your night at. All the fun is mainly concentrated in the city center, which doesn’t make it hard to find anything enjoyable for the evening/night. Below are some hotspots that can be of much fun at your night out in Haarlem.
Jopenkerk
Like Amsterdam Haarlem also has his own brewery, which is called ‘Jopen’.
Club Stalker
Club Stalker belongs to one of the oldest clubs in the Netherlands. The club has to floors, which makes it a quite large venue. The club nights are mainly hosting dance music for their young visitors.
Patronaat
The Patronaat belongs to the top 10 pop venues of the country and isn’t only about dance music. This makes it a place to visit for a wide audience.
4. Where to shop in Haarlem?
Of course a city trip is never complete without a stroll down the shopping streets. And in Haarlem this is a lot of fun. The city center has won the best place to shop for several years already. There is a wide variety of shops, mixed with amazing cafe’s and restaurants. Besides the multinationals and large national retail chains, there are also many small independent boutiques to stroll down.
The main shoppingstreets to visit are: de Gouden Straatjes, Grote Houtstraat, the Barteljorisstraat and the Zijlstraat. Besides these main shopping streets, the city features some smaller streets close-by. These are the more boutique-like and specialist shops, which are great to visit for their unique collection. These streets are: the Schagchelstraat, the Kleine Houtstraat, the Anegang, the Warmoesstraat, the Koningstraat and the Gierstraat: all of which feature a selection of unique shops and specialist stores
5. Where to eat in Haarlem?
In Haarlem it is fairy easy to enjoy a nice diner. The city features over 200 different restaurants, which makes suitable for all sorts of people. You can find all sort of cuisines, in all sorts of settings. Especially the old city city center around the Grote Markt and the Boereplein, there are some great restaurants to find.
6. How to get there?
By foot
It is not recommended to walk to Haarlem, since this will cost you half a day!
By public transport
There is a direct train connection between Amsterdam Central Station and Haarlem Central Station. This is an easy and comfortable ride, which will only take up to 15 minutes.
By car
From the ring A10 you need to leave at s103 and then proceed on the N200 and eventually the A200. The ride should take approximately 35 minutes.
7. Trivia
Did you know Haarlem got established before Amsterdam did?
8. Photos of the Haarlem
9. Where is it located?
Heart to heart, Haarlem is about 20 kilometers to the west of Amsterdam.