"Exploring in a mild blizzard......." Haarlem by leics

Haarlem Travel Guide: 560 reviews and 1,404 photos

When I visited Amsterdam it was, literally,freezing cold.

The day I chose for my trip to Haarlem was not actually below freezing..temperatures hovered slightly above. Consequently, it snowed.

Not a full-blown blizzard, but sporadic falls.

I am not usually a wimp, but it did seriously hamper my explorations and shortened them considerably.

I liked Haarlem a lot. I liked its architecture, the easy walk from the station to its centre, the way local people chatted to me as I wandered (clearly I looked Dutch that day!).

The Grote Kerk, dating from the 1500s, was my initial focus and (being honest) my main reason for visiting. Such places are one of my passions, and the Grote Kerk did not disappoint (see church travelogue). So many small details to explore and investigate, so much history and sense of community-past, set within a soaring (and blessedly-warm) open space. I was surprised to see a dog inside (on a lead, accompanied by its owner).

I wandered the streets, but less than I would normally have done. I sought architectural oddities (see bits and pieces travelogue) and points of interest, and found one of the hofjes I'd intended to find.

But it was just too cold and miserable to fully enjoy, so I decided to cut my losses and return another time.

Which I most definitely will. Haarlem defninitely deserves a fuller exploration.

Exploring in a mild blizzard....... - Haarlem

Looking across the river Spaarne.......wonder why the winged foot is there?

The Corrie Ten Boomhuis.

Next time, I'll go in. to find out more about the Ten Boom family and how they hid resistance workers and Jews above their shop during the Occupation.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A very pleasant little town with a lot to explore.
Cons:None that I came across
In a nutshell:History and architecture.

Last visit to Haarlem: Feb 2010
Intro Updated Feb 27, 2011
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Reviews (4)

Ancient doorway Off The Beaten Path (4)

I am writing this tip from my translation of the Dutch sign so my apologies if it is not quite accurate. This obvioualy... more travel advice

First-class waiting room tiling - Haarlem

Haarlem railway station Off The Beaten Path (4)

Arriving from Amsterdam, I was very struck by Haarlem's castle-like railway station. Spend a few minutes admiring what... more travel advice

Small dwellings around a garden - Haarlem

Teylers Hofje Off The Beaten Path (4)

There are several hofje (what we would call 'almshouses' in the UK) in Haarlem (as in other Dutch... more travel advice

The 'Red Light District' Off The Beaten Path (4)

Welll, ok.....the 'red light house' really. Haarlem has its own (of course?). I was not surprised to find the window... more travel advice

Travelogues (2)

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Comments (3)

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Ekaterinburg Apr 13, 2013 at 2:05 PM

Love the pic of the Grote Markt. We stayed there once in the Hotel Mozart and like you I found Harlem a really pleasant place to wander. Sounds like you had a lot of fun on your Dutch walkabout trip.
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  leics Apr 13, 2013 at 11:21 PM
  
  I didn't explore Haarlem properly on that 2010 trip: it was so bitterly cold and it began to snow heavily. And there wasn't time on this year's trip so I'll just have to go to the Netherlands again sometime..... :-))
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craic Mar 14, 2010 at 7:17 AM

is the green man a common find?
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pieter_jan_v Mar 6, 2010 at 11:31 AM

Off the beaten parh: <(Sint Bavokerk, I think)> It's the Waalse Kerk. PJ