Haarlem Overview

Haarlem’s (pop. 150,000) narrow cobblestone streets, rippling canals, and fields of spring tulips make for a great escape from the urban frenzy of Amsterdam. Still, the city beats with a relaxed energy that befits its size. Between all the little shops and terraces, Haarlem, known as “petit Amsterdam,” may seem like just another small European town, but the city boasts the highest number of restaurants per inhabitant in all of the Netherlands.

Transportation And Practical Information.  Trains depart for Amsterdam every few minutes (20min., €3.60). The VVV, Stationspl. 1, sells maps (€2) and finds accommodations for a €5 fee. It also sells discounted passes to museums. (☎0900 616 1600, €0.50 per min.; www.vvvzk.nl. Open Oct.-Mar. M-F 9:30am-5pm, Sa 10am-3pm; Apr.-Sept. M-F 9am-5:30pm, Sa 10am-4pm.)

Accommodations And Food.  The best place to stay is the Stayokay Haarlem , Jan Gijzenpad 3, 3km from the train station. Rooms are spare (but cheery) and clean with bath. (☎023 537 1176; www.stayokay.com/haarlem. Breakfast included. Wheelchair-accessible. Dorms in high season €29; doubles €102. €2.50 HI discount. AmEx/MC/V.) Ideally located right in the town square is Hotel Carillon , Grote Markt 27. Bright, clean rooms all have TV, shower, and phone. (☎023 531 0591; www.hotelcarillon.com. Breakfast included. Reception and bar daily in summer 7:30am-1am; in winter daily 7:30am-midnight. Singles €40, with bath €60; doubles €65/80; triples €102; quads €110. MC/V.)

The Indonesian  Toko Nina , Grote Markt 23, one of the smaller grandcafes in Grote Markt, has more personal service. Sandwiches (€5-8) and snacks are served until 5pm, dinner (€18-23) until 10pm. (☎023 542 1899; www.grandcafefortuyn.nl. Open M-W and Su 10am-midnight, Th-Sa 10am-1am. Cash only.)

Sights. The action in Haarlem centers on Grote Markt, its vibrant main square. Its main attraction is the  Grote Kerk, whose interior glows with light from the enormous stained-glass windows and houses the splendid, mammoth Müller organ, once played by both Handel and Mozart. Also known as St. Bavo’s, it holds many historical artifacts and the graves of Jacob van Ruisdael, Pieter Saenredam, and Frans Hals. (☎023 553 2040; www.bavo.nl. Open Nov.-Feb. M-Sa 10am-4pm, Mar.-Oct. Tu-Sa 10am-4pm. €2, children €1.30. Guided tours by appointment €0.50. Organ concerts Tu 8:15pm, June-Sept. also Th 3pm; www.organfestival.nl. €2.50.) These painters’ masterpieces can be found in the  Frans Hals Museum, Groot Heiligland 62. Spread through recreated period rooms, the paintings are displayed as they might have been in the Golden Age. Hals’s work reveals casual brush strokes that are now understood as an early move toward Impressionism. (☎023 511 5775; www.franshalsmuseum.com. Wheelchair-accessible. Open Tu-Sa 11am-5pm, Su noon-5pm. €7, under 19 free, groups €5.30 per person.) The  Corrie ten Boomhuis, Barteljorisstr. 19, despite its location on one of the city’s most traveled thoroughfares, served as a secret headquarters for the Dutch Resistance in WWII. It is estimated that Corrie ten Boom saved the lives of over 800 people by arranging to have them hidden in houses, including her own. The mandatory one-hour tour through the house provides a glance at her moving life, but the most extraordinary sight is undoubtedly the famed hiding spot. (☎023 531 0823; www.corrietenboom.com. Open daily Apr.-Oct. 10am-4pm, last tour 3:30pm; Nov.-Mar. 11am-3pm, last tour 2:30pm. Tours every 30min., alternating between Dutch and English; call or check the clock outside for times. Free, but donations accepted.)

Daytrip From Haarlem: Zandvoort And Bloemendaal Aan Zee.

From Zandvoort, take a train to Amsterdam (30min., 3 per hr., €4.70) or Haarlem (10min., round-trip €3.20). Bloemendaal is a 30min. walk north of Zandvoort. If you want to benefit from the areas public transportation, you can also take bus #81 to Haarlem from both. 

A mere 11km from Haarlem, the seaside town of Zandvoort aan Zee draws sun-starved Dutch and Germans to its miles of sandy beaches. You can stake out a spot on the sand for free, but most locals catch their rays through the comfort of beach clubs, wood pavilions that run along the shore with enclosed restaurants and outdoor patios. These clubs open early each morning, close at midnight, and are only in service during the summer. Nearby Bloemendaal aan Zee does not even qualify as a town; instead, it’s a purely hedonistic collection of fashionable and fabulous beach clubs. Local club Woodstock 69 is the granddaddy of them all, clocking in at almost 15 years old. There is a distinct hippie feel here with hammocks, tiki torches, and lots of loose clothing. (☎023 573 8084.) Bloomingdale tends to be the favorite of most locals. (☎023 573 7580; www.bloomingdaleaanzee.com. Open daily 10am-midnight.) Zandvoort’s VVV, Schoolpl. 1, is about eight minutes from the beach and train station. The friendly staff can provide a guide to the beaches and accommodations, a map of hiking and biking trails in nearby Kennemerland National Park, and lots of information on the city. (☎023 571 7947; www.vvvzk.nl. Open Oct.-Mar. M-F 9am-12:30pm and 1:30-4:30pm, Sa 10am-2pm; Apr.-Sept. M-F 9am-12:30pm and 1:30-4:30pm, Sa 10am-4pm.)