Visit the beautiful city of Haarlem, located just 15 minutes from Amsterdam. It’s a must-see if you like art, history, culture and shopping. In our guide we’ve selected the best things to do in Haarlem in 2026.
Haarlem is also way less crowded than Amsterdam and it’s easier to find a good accommodation at a reasonable price here. It is also conveniently located between Amsterdam and Keukenhof and Amsterdam and the beach. So many travellers choose Haarlem as their base during their stay in the Netherlands.
Visit Haarlem: plan your trip in 2026
- Travel to Haarlem from Amsterdam by train in 15-19 minutes. From Schiphol you can travel to Haarlem by direct bus 300.
- There are dozens of nice hotels in Haarlem. We recommend Brasss Hotel Suites and Hotel ML in Haarlem. If you arrive by car, there is a great place to stay just outside Haarlem – Duin & Kruidberg hotel (with a big free parking). Here you can find hotels with parking in Haarlem.
- Visit Teylers museum (the oldest museum in the Netherlands), the Frans Hals Museum and take a canal cruise around the center of Haarlem. All these activities are free with the I amsterdam City Card.
Haarlem city guide 2026
- Travel from Amsterdam to Haarlem
- Travel from Schiphol airport to Haarlem
- Keukenhof bus 850 from Haarlem
- Where to stay in Haarlem?
- How long do you need in Haarlem?
- Things to do in Haarlem
- Haarlem: where to eat
- Vintage shopping in Haarlem
How long do you need in Haarlem?
Haarlem is compact enough to explore comfortably in half a day, but a full day lets you slow down and actually enjoy it. The route below takes you from the station through the highlights of the city center – the main square, the oldest museum in the Netherlands, a canal cruise, a brewery in a former church, and a few of the hidden hofje courtyards that most visitors never find.
The whole loop is about 2.5 km of walking and takes 4–5 hours including stops. You don’t need a map – just follow the route and let the city surprise you along the way.
A compact walking loop from Haarlem station — about 4–5 hours including stops.
🚂 Haarlem Station
Don’t rush off — explore the art nouveau station building, one of the oldest in the Netherlands. Used as a film location in Ocean’s Twelve.
⛪ Grote Markt & St Bavokerk
Haarlem’s grand central square. Grab a coffee at Grand Café Brinkmann. Visit the Grote Kerk — see the Christian Müller organ that a 10-year-old Mozart played. On Saturdays a big market fills the square.
🏛️ Teylers Museum
The oldest museum in the Netherlands (1784). Fossils, minerals, scientific instruments, drawings and paintings in a beautifully preserved 18th-century interior.
🎟 Book on GetYourGuide⛵ Canal cruise (optional)
Smidtje Canal Cruises departs right across from Teylers Museum. A 50-minute cruise through the historic canals — great for seeing windmill De Adriaan from the water.
🎟 Book on GetYourGuide 🎟 Book on Tiqets🍺 Jopenkerk
Lunch and a local beer in a working brewery inside a former church. The soaring gothic interior is spectacular. Try the seasonal Jopenbier paired with food from the menu. Book a table in advance on weekends.
🎟 Book beer tasting🚪 Haarlem hofjes
Haarlem has 21 hofjes — hidden almshouse courtyards behind unassuming street doors. Push open a door and you’ll find a peaceful garden that’s been there since the 17th century. The Bakenesserklooster and Hofje van Oorschot are two of the best.
Back to Haarlem Station
Trains to Amsterdam run every 15 minutes, journey time 15–19 minutes. Or extend your day with a 15-minute train ride to Zandvoort beach.
All three main attractions – Teylers Museum, the canal cruise and the Frans Hals Museum – are included in the I amsterdam City Card, which pays for itself quickly if you’re combining a day in Haarlem with time in Amsterdam.
How to travel to Haarlem from Amsterdam?
Direct trains from Amsterdam Central station to Haarlem run every 15 minutes. One-way ticket in 2026 costs €6,50 (online is €1 cheaper), travel time is 15 – 19 minutes. Book train tickets online.
Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is also valid on NS trains in the Amsterdam Area (which includes Haarlem) and all metro, tram and bus lines operated by GVB, Connexxion, AllGo and EBS, including night buses.
With ARTT ticket you can also travel to Keukenhof, Zaanse Schans, Volendam and many other famous places in the Amsterdam area.
How to get to Haarlem from Schiphol in 2026?
You can take a direct bus 300 from Schiphol airport to Haarlem (€ 6,50, travel time 36 minutes. Round trip costs € 11,75).
If you prefer travelling by train you’ll have to change train at Amsterdam Sloterdijk station (one-way ticket costs € 8,10, travel time is 30-40 minutes).
Tip! Travelling from the airport by bus 300 is easier than by train. Not all trains have level boarding, and if you are traveling by train from Schiphol to Haarlem and change at Amsterdam Sloterdijk, you will have to go two levels down to switch trains. Travelling to Haarlem by bus is also cheaper (€ 6,15 by bus vs € 8 by train).
Where to stay in Haarlem
Haarlem has a good choice of 2 – 4 star hotels, which are generally cheaper than accommodations in Amsterdam. And tourist/city tax in Haarlem is way lower than in Amsterdam.
There are plenty of hotels located in the city center. Our choices are:
- Bed & Breakfast Hotel Malts, if you are looking for a place that feels like home
- Hotel Lion D’Or, conveniently located next to the train and bus station
- Amrâth Grand Hotel Frans Hals, if you come to Haarlem for business
- Brasss Hotel Suites
Unique accommodations near Haarlem
- Fabulous B&B Elswoutshoek located in a mansion, previously owned by Borski, one of the richest families in the Netherlands of their time.
- Duin & Kruidberg hotel in the National park near the dunes (with big free parking).
Photos: hotel Duin & Kruidberg
Things to do in Haarlem in 2026
Visit the Windmill De Adriaan
A famous windmill is located on the Spaarne river. Join a guided tour to learn more about how windmills work. And enjoy the sight of the old city from the platform above the river.
Address: Papentorenvest 1a, Haarlem.
Opening hours depend on the season, check the official website.
Entrance tickets in 2026:
- adults – € 7,50
- children age 5 till 12 – € 3,50
- children age 0 till 4 – free
See the organ that young Mozart was playing at St Bavokerk
The wooden tower of the Grote of St. Bavo church on the central square (Grote Markt) reaches 78 meters into the sky, which makes it one of the largest in The Netherlands.
The church has an impressive interior and a unique atmosphere: wooden ceiling, stained glass windows and 400 gravestones, including that of a famous Dutch artist Frans Hals.
The church also has a famous organ by Christian Müller. Many world-known musicians played this organ, including Mendelssohn, Händel and the 10-year-old Mozart.
Address: Grote Markt 22, Haarlem (North side).
Opening hours: Monday till Saturday, 10:00 – 17:00. In July and August also open on Sundays 12:00 – 17:00.
Tickets: adults – € 4 / children 12-16 – € 2 / children 0-12 free (accompanied by an adult).
Guided tours: Every Saturday at 14:00. From May 15 till October 1 also at 14:30. No reservation required. Price: € 7 adults / € 2 children (0–16 years).
Drink a cup of coffee on Grote Markt
Make a short break for a cup of coffee at Haarlem’s main square and observe the daily life of the locals.
On Saturdays there is a big market at the Grote Markt. Here you can buy cheese, sausages, waffles, flowers, eat a broodje haring (Dutch herring in white bread) and enjoy the atmosphere.
Saturday market in Haarlem is open every week from 8:30 to 16:00.
Visit Teylers museum, the oldest museum in the Netherlands
Opened back in 1784, today Teylers museum has collections of art and books, instruments and scientific objects, coins and medals, fossils and minerals.
One part of the museum – The Fundatiehuis – is the former family home of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, a wealthy Dutch merchant and banker whose collection led to the formation of Teyler’s Museum.
Address: Spaarne 16, Haarlem. More photo impressions on my Instagram >>
Tickets in 2026: adults – € 17,50 (book online) / children 6-17 – € 2,50 / children under 6 – free / free with Museumkaart and I Amsterdam City Card.
Frans Hals Museum
If you like art, visit the Frans Hals Museum. It is one museum in two locations: Hof (Groot Heiligland 62), where you can find the 16th and 17th century masters and Hal (Grote Markt 16), with exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.
Tickets in 2026: adults – € 17 (book online) / children – free / free with Museumkaart and I amsterdam City Card.
Take a canal cruise in Haarlem
Take a cruise around the historic city center of Haarlem. The Smidtje Canal Cruises departure point is easy to find – it is located across the canal from Teylers Museum, on the river ‘t Spaarne. Tickets online >>
Tip! This canal cruise is also free with I amsterdam city card.
Visit Haarlem hofjes
Haarlem has a lot of hofjes – small hidden gardens surrounded by old houses grouped around a community garden with a water pump. Find out more about the history of Haarlem hofjes and try to find all 21 of them.
Full list of Haarlem hofjes: haarlemsehofjes.nl
Rooftop restaurant DeDAKKAS
DeDAKKAS restaurant (De Witstraat 1A, 2011 DV Haarlem) located on the roof of the parking garage de Kamp is one of the most spectacular places for lunch in Haarlem. You can sit on the outside terrace or inside and enjoy the view.
Jopenkerk: local beer in a former church
Address: Gedempte Voldersgracht 2, Haarlem
Jopenkerk is a beer brewery, restaurant and pub in the building of a former church. Local Jopenbier is very famous in the Netherlands. The brewery has a wide selection of traditional and seasonal beers — you can book a local craft beer tasting. At the restaurant you can order meals combined with matching beers. We recommend booking a table in advance.
Explore the Haarlem Station
One more tip before you go back: don’t take the train as soon as you reach the railway station. Take some time to explore its unique building — it’s one of the oldest train stations in the Netherlands and has been used as a film location for several movies, including scenes from Ocean’s Twelve.
Haarlem: where to eat
We’ve lived in Haarlem for 11 years. Here is a short list of our favourite restaurants, cafes and coffee places in the city.
Breakfast
- by Lima: open from 08:00.
- Grand Café Brinkmann (in an impressive old building on the main square): open from 08:00.
- Locael (in the building of the train station — convenient for early breakfasts before a busy day): opening times vary by day.
Photo: Grand Café Brinkmann in Haarlem
Lunch
Photos: restaurant Toujours
Dinner
- Mano (make sure to book well in advance)
- Restaurant Fris
- Ratatouille (Michelin)
- Nancy’s (away from the city center but worth a ride)
Best ice cream in Haarlem
Coffee
Wine bars
Vintage shops in Haarlem
I love vintage and second-hand shopping. To me, it’s the best way to find something unique, something that speaks to me and stays with me for years.
Here are my favourite spots in Haarlem:
- Lock, Stock and Barrels (open on Saturdays) — my most recent find. A shop full of character, where two nice ladies sell vintage clothing and interior pieces they’ve found through estate clearances. Address: Begijnhof 2, 2011 HE Haarlem.
- Stijlloods – a large shop filled with curated vintage and second-hand clothing, accessories, and home treasures. Address: Nassaulaan 40, 2011 PD Haarlem.
- Paragons – the best shop for second-hand designer pieces. Address: Kleine Houtstraat 36, 2011 DN Haarlem.
- Zolder023 – a thrift store with a nicely curated selection of clothes and decor items. Address: Generaal Cronjéstraat 105, 2021 JD Haarlem.
- Antique market on Dreef – a big antique market on one of Haarlem’s most beautiful streets, on Saturdays from April to September (not every Saturday — check markten-dreef.nl for exact dates).
Have a nice time in Haarlem!
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