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North Holland

Its lively capital, Haarlem, aside, this province has enough historic towns and attractions to fill a week or more of touring.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout North Holland.

  • See

    Texel Dunes National Park

    The patchwork of dune-scape running along the western coast of the island is a prime reason for visiting Texel. Salt fens and heath alternate with velvety, grass-covered dunes; plants endemic to the habitat include the dainty marsh orchid and orange-berried sea buckthorn. Much of the area is bird sanctuary and accessible only on foot. The visitor centre at Ecomare has schedules and makes reservations for excellent two-hour ranger-led dune walks in English and Dutch (from €7.50), and supplies maps. De Slufter became a brackish wetland after an attempt at land reclamation failed; when a storm breached the dykes in the early 1900s the area was allowed to flood and a unique ecosystem developed. To the south, De Muy is renowned for its colony of spoonbills that are monitored with great zeal by local naturalists. A stone's throw from the windswept beach lies the dark, leafy forest of De Dennen, between Den Hoorn and De Koog. Originally planted as a source of lumber, today it has an enchanting network of walking and cycling paths. In spring the forest floor is carpeted with snowdrops that were first planted here in the 1930s.

  • See

    Ecomare

    Initially created as a refuge for sick seals retrieved from the Waddenzee, Ecomare has expanded into an impressive nature centre devoted to the preservation and understanding of Texel's wildlife. It has displays on Texel's development since the last ice age and the islanders' interaction with the sea, as well as large aquariums filled with fish from the Waddenzee and the North Sea (including sharks); outside there are marked nature trails. The highlight is the zeehonden ('sea dogs', ie seals) themselves. Their playful water ballet will delight even the most jaded visitor. Try to catch feeding time at 11.30am or 3.30pm. Feeding of rescued porpoises takes place at 10.30am and 1.30pm; fish feeding is at 2.30pm. Rescued birds are the other main tenants. Look out for its six skeletons of whales stranded in the Waddenzee, including a 15m-long sperm-whale carcass complete with 52 fearsome teeth.

  • See

    Frans Hals Museum – Hof

    A must for anyone interested in the Dutch Masters, this superb museum is located in the poorhouse where Hals spent his final years. The collection focuses on the 17th-century Haarlem School; its pride and joy are eight group portraits of the Civic Guard that reveal Hals’ exceptional attention to mood and psychological tone. Other greats represented here include Pieter Bruegel the Younger and Jacob van Ruisdael. Tickets include admission to the modern- and contemporary-art Frans Hals Museum – Hal. Among the museum’s other treasures are the works of Hals’ teacher, Flemish artist Karel van Mander: stunning illustrations of the human anatomy, all ceiling-high with biblical and mythological references.

  • See

    Kaap Skil Museum Van Jutters & Zeelui

    A stunning slatted-timber-encased reception building made from recycled materials frames the superb Maritime and Beachcombers Museum. Its extraordinary variety of flotsam and jetsam recovered from sunken ships and the shore is mind-boggling. Demonstrations by rope-makers, fish-smokers and blacksmiths take place in the outdoor section, while the indoor displays cover everything from underwater archaeology to windmill technology. Reede van Texel, which the museum translates accurately as Texel Roads, has nothing to do with asphalt but rather is a vast and amazingly detailed model of the shipping lanes and ports as they existed in the 17th century.

  • See

    Grote Kerk van St Bavo

    Topped by a towering 50m-high steeple, the Gothic Grote Kerk van St Bavo contains some fine Renaissance artworks, but the star attraction is its stunning Müller organ – one of the most magnificent in the world, standing 30m high and with about 5000 pipes, dating from 1738. It was played by Handel and a 10-year-old Mozart. Free hour-long organ recitals take place at 8.15pm Tuesday, 1.15pm Saturday and occasionally 4pm Thursday and 2.30pm Sunday from May to early October. Tours (per person €5 including admission) in English and Dutch lasting 45 minutes run on Saturdays at 2pm.

  • See

    De Kroon van Texel

    Wineries across the Netherlands are few, so it's especially worth dropping in to De Kroon, a small but international medal-winning estate. One-hour tours (English available) take you through the vines and end with three tastings, or you can just come to sample and buy its Riesling, Johanniter, rosé and Cabernet Sauvignon.

  • See

    Zuid-Kennemerland National Park

    Some 3800 hectares of classic Dutch coastal dunes are being restored in this oasis less than 5km west of Haarlem. Trails snake through hilltop copses of Corsican firs and valleys of low-lying thickets; at the western edge is a massive barrier of thousand-year-old golden sand. Its visitor centre, De Zandwaaier, has nature displays and hires bikes. Take bus 81 from Haarlem train station (€2.17, 20 minutes, half-hourly) or cycle/drive the N200 towards Bloemendaal aan Zee. There are car parks at the Koevlak and Parnassia entrances, from where paths lead into the reserve. Spring sees the dunes sprout desert orchids, the bright rosettes of the century weed and the white-blooming grass of Parnassus. Red foxes, fallow deer and many species of birds are native to the area. Bats slumber in the park's abandoned bunkers before appearing at dusk. Members of the Dutch Resistance are laid to rest at the Erebegraafplaats Bloemendaal cemetery. The Vogelmeer lake has a bird observation hut above the south shore. The artificial lake 't Wed teems with bathers in summer. Lookout points, with evocative names such as Hazenberg (Hare Mountain), are scattered throughout. At 50m, the Kopje van Bloemendaal is the highest dune in the country, just outside the eastern border of the park, with views of the sea and Amsterdam.

  • See

    Eierland Lighthouse

    Battered by storms and war, Texel's resilient crimson-coloured lighthouse was built in 1864 and stands 35m high. Climb its 153 steps for sweeping views across the islands and shallow waters.

  • See

    Frans Hals Museum – Hal

    The Frans Hals Museum's modern and contemporary-art branch occupies two historic ‘halls’: the 17th-century Dutch Renaissance Vleeshal, a former meat market and the sole place meat was allowed to be sold in Haarlem from the 17th through to the 19th century, and the neoclassical Verweyhal (fish house). Rotating exhibits include Dutch impressionists, CoBrA artists (an avant-garde group from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam), video, installation art and photography by international artists. Tickets include the Frans Hals Museum – Hof.