Must-see attractions in North Holland & Flevoland

  • Frans Hals Museum – Hof

    Haarlem

    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…

  • Grote Kerk van St Bavo

    Haarlem

    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…

  • Zuid-Kennemerland National Park

    Haarlem

    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…

  • Batavialand

    North Holland & Flevoland

    Batavialand's centrepiece is a replica of a 17th-century Dutch merchant frigate, the Batavia, which took 10 years to reconstruct. The original was a 17th…

  • Schokland Museum

    North Holland & Flevoland

    Schokland's islanders eked out an existence for hundreds of years on a long, narrow strip of land in the Zuiderzee. By the mid-19th century the clock had…

  • Frans Hals Museum – Hal

    Haarlem

    The Frans Hals Museum's modern and contemporary-art branch occupies two historic ‘halls’: the 17th-century Dutch Renaissance Vleeshal, a former meat…

  • Teylers Museum

    Haarlem

    Dating from 1778, Teylers is the country's oldest continuously operating museum. Its array of whizz-bang inventions includes an 18th-century electrostatic…

  • Haarlemmerhout

    Haarlem

    Covering 60 hectares, Haarlemmerhout is the Netherlands' oldest public park. It was first mapped in 1539, by which time it was already well established,…

  • Luchtvaart Themapark Aviodrome

    North Holland & Flevoland

    Fronted by a reception area designed like an airport check-in counter, this hugely engaging museum has 70 historic aircraft on display, including a…

  • Corrie ten Boom House

    Haarlem

    Known as 'the hiding place', the Corrie ten Boom House is named for the matriarch of a family who lived in the house during WWII. Using a secret…

  • De Zandwaaier Visitor Centre

    Haarlem

    The visitor centre of the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park has nature displays and is a good source of information, with a range of detailed walking and…

  • Vuurtoren van Urk

    North Holland & Flevoland

    Urk's 18.5m-high lighthouse was built in 1845, replacing a small stone tower where a coal fire guided ships into port. Climb 295 steps to the top for…

  • Proveniershuis

    Haarlem

    Off Grote Houtstraat southwest of the Grote Markt is one of Haarlem's prettiest buildings, the Proveniershuis. It started life as a hofje (almshouse) and…

  • Vissersmonument

    North Holland & Flevoland

    Opposite the church by the water's edge you'll spot the Vissersmonument, a lonely statue of a woman in a billowing dress gazing seaward where her loved…

  • Erebegraafplaats Bloemendaal

    Haarlem

    Inside the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, the WWII cemetery Erebegraafplaats Bloemendaal is the resting place of 372 members of the Dutch Resistance…

  • Stadhuis

    Haarlem

    At the western end of the Grote Markt is the florid 14th-century town hall, which sprouted many extensions, including a balcony where judgements from the…

  • Bakenesserkerk

    Haarlem

    The striking Bakenesserkerk is a late-15th-century church with a lamplit tower of sandstone. The stone was employed here when the Grote Kerk proved too…

  • Laurens Coster Statue

    Haarlem

    On the main square north of the Grote Kerk is the bronze Laurens Coster statue, installed in 1856. Haarlemmers believe that Coster has a claim, along with…

  • Kerkje aan de Zee

    North Holland & Flevoland

    The supports of the village church are made entirely out of masts of VOC (Dutch East India Company) ships that brought back exotic goods from the East…

  • Museum het Oude Raadhuis

    North Holland & Flevoland

    Urk's former town hall now contains a small museum covering the history of the one-time island through traditional clothing, model ships, re-creations of…

  • Nieuwe Kerk

    Haarlem

    Walk down charming Korte Houtstraat to find the 17th-century Nieuwe Kerk; the ornate tower by Lieven de Key is supported by a rather boxy design by Jacob…