As I am writing this Haarlem Guide, I am dreaming of going back to this most charming city. Maybe they will hire me as their new spokesperson? It’s amazing to think that this town was hiding right next to Amsterdam and I never even knew it. This was our second trip back to the Netherlands, and we were heavily focused on Tulips. When I was trying to find a cute, easy, and convenient place to stay to visit the tulip fields, Haarlem popped onto my radar. I hope this Haarlem guide will be helpful in your travel planning and enjoying this lovely city.
If you want more details about how we visited the tulips from Haarlem, check that out here.
Jopen: A beer hall in a church
To be completely honest, you’re not often going to find me in a beer hall. But when a beer hall is labeled one of the “must see” attractions in a town, I will surely check it out. Jopen has been repurposed from an old church, it is a huge open space with stained glass windows and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. It was so inviting and the staff were so friendly and helpful. I told the bartender that I wasn’t a big beer drinker, and he offered me a beer that he said he would recommend to someone who likes white wine. His recommendation was great, and I truly enjoyed it. The scene here is definitely worth checking out during your time in town. This was very worthy of a spot in my Haarlem Guide.
Where to stay: Het Van Haarlem B&B
I would return to Haarlem just to stay here again. The hospitality from the Ad & Esther was unmatched, they were the most gracious hosts. They responded quickly and kindly to all of our requests, worked with us on timing each day, and the best part, they brought us an incredible full breakfast each day wheeled in on a cart. Our room had thick tapestry-like fabric wall coverings, and the furniture and decor were all beautifully crafted antiques. There were gold accents everywhere, and to top it off, a giant crystal chandelier over the bed. It looked like a room out of a movie and we felt like royalty staying there. It was within walking distance of anything you’d want to do in town, within biking distance of Lisse and the famous tulips, and just a 12 minute train ride from Amsterdam. Knowing what we know now, we likely would have stayed there for our time exploring Amsterdam, as well.
Click here to book this place for yourself!
Fondue at “In’t Goede Uur”
After our big day out in Lisse and bike riding to the Keukenhof Gardens, coming back to Haarlem and cozying up with fondue was the perfect way to end the day. We ate at a place called “In’t Goede Uur”, which is also one of the oldest restaurants in Haarlem. It was hands-down one of the most charming streets in the whole town, and its likely we would have easily missed it if we weren’t seeking it out. The fondue and wine were excellent, the staff were super kind (which we felt all over Haarlem), and we loved the cozy and quirky decor that has been there since they began. This is a special spot to add to your Haarlem Guide.
DeDakkas: Bar/Restaurant on the rooftop of a parking garage
Another great innovation by the city of Haarlem. This place is a working parking garage that has turned its top floor/rooftop into a beautiful bar scene. There is indoor seating in a gorgeous greenhouse type space and lots of outdoor patio seating, where you can sit with a drink and look out over the city. It was an excellent place to catch a sunset and just relax with a great cocktail or glass of wine. They also have a nice food menu which makes it a great stop any time of day.
Grote Markt
This is essentially just the main square and it would be remiss not to include it in this Haarlem Guide. It is truly stunning and surrounded by a large, beautiful church and many shops and restaurants. During our time there, the square was actually having a giant carnival, which filled the space with people who seemed to love it. It was a fun atmosphere, but I would still like to go back to see the square in its normal state someday!
However, one awesome thing we got to do which we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise, was to take a sunset ferris wheel ride. We timed it up so we got to see the sunset and great views of the whole town from up high.. The fair is said to run for a few weeks in April, so we must have come at the right time.
Visit the Ten Boom House
If you are looking for a bit of history, you likely know the famous Ann Frank house is located just a short train ride away in Amsterdam. However, in my opinion, the Ten Boom house is equally as fascinating and is actually a much more intimate tour experience.
The Ten Booms were a family who owned a watch business during the time of WW2. They used their business as a cover and worked in the resistance for many years. The family hid people in an upstairs bedroom behind a false wall, and they were eventually found out and faced severe consequences. Corrie Ten Boom, who was one of the daughters of the house, survived and lived on to travel the world and tell the story of her family and town, and all that they faced during the war. She was a voice for justice and peace and even wrote a book, “The Hiding Place”, which I highly recommend reading before your visit.
The tour was very informative and the house is very much the same as it was long ago, so you can really imagine what it would have been like during the war. I truly found a lot of value in this experience and if you can add it to your visit in Haarlem you’ll be glad you did.
Shop & Eat
We adored every little shop in this town. It was a great place to look for souvenirs as well as amazing dutch products and anything else you could be looking for. We loved everything we ate during our time here as well. We enjoyed a few wine bars, snacks, dinners, and all of the wonderful shops.
Excellent Location
Haarlem is very well located when you’re traveling through the Netherlands. It is less than a 15 minute train ride from Amsterdam, which makes it an easy day trip, although I highly advise staying in town. It is also a 45 minute bike ride from Lisse, where the Keukenhof Gardens and tulip fields are. You can also drive or take a bus to the Keukenhof from Haarlem as well. You can also access beach towns from Haarlem. We didn’t do this on our trip due to time constraints, but would love to do that on another visit some day. Overall Haarlem’s location is convenient for many other activities and it makes a great base.
Riding bikes
We were a little too intimidated to bike ride in Amsterdam. The dutch really have their systems down, they move swiftly, and they know what they are doing. Maybe someday we’ll feel we’re ready for that advanced level of biking in a busy city, but for now Haarlem was perfect for us. We rented bikes from “Rent a Bike Haarlem” and rode all over town, as well as to Lisse to see the Tulips. We rented e-bikes for the longer bike ride, however regular road bikes would have worked great as well. Biking is huge here and most roads are set up to be easy and peaceful for bikers. The traffic lights even have an extra set of lights on them so bikers know when to stop and go. It is fun to experience getting around this way and Haarlem is a great and less intimidating place to give it a shot!
Beautiful canals
Just like Amsterdam, Haarlem is filled with gorgeous canals. The beautiful canal houses line the water and small boats travel up and down them. Haarlem also has a windmill along the canals called the “Windmill de Adriaan”. Sunrise and sunset on the canals are amazing and make for perfect photos. One of our favorite spots was a little bar on the water right next to the windmill. It was an excellent spot to sit and spritz and enjoy the sunshine on the water, it was called “Restaurant Zuidam”.
Street markets
I often wonder if markets are as exciting to Europeans since they are likely used to them. But as an American, a street market just thrills me. I love the idea of buying fresh amazing produce, newly baked bread and pastries, fresh caught fish, etc… at the market. It is such a simple joy that we don’t always have where we live. We traversed quite a few markets during our time in Haarlem and always grabbed a snack, treat, or trinket.
High Tea Experience: Hofje Zonder Zorgen
Coming from America, we have extremely minimal experience with high tea. In fact, besides knowing that it often comes with little sandwiches, we have no knowledge. I made a reservation at “Hofje Zonder Zorgen” and we had an absolutely wonderful time. We were able to taste a few different types of teas that each went with different types of small bites. We had a soup, little sandwiches, pastries, quiches, deserts, etc. Trust me when I say you do not need another meal for quite a while, this was a very full lunch for us. The ambiance was perfect, the interior couldn’t have been more adorable. Out the window was a “hofjes” which is the word for a dutch courtyard. Haarlem is full of little secret courtyards that are squared in by residences and shops, you can enter them and spend time in them, if you are able to find them! High tea was a high success and we highly recommend it!
- Tip: you can only do high tea by reservation, and at certain times, so make sure to check. The cost is 25 euro per person which we found to be very fair and well worth it.
More to do
If you’re looking for more to do in Haarlem you can also check out some tour & experience options here ——> Haarlem tours and experiences.
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