Must-see attractions in North Holland & Flevoland

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

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

Furnishings, porcelain and silverware spread over three cramped floors of Edam's oldest building, dating from 1540. Its floating cellar is a remarkable…

Monnickendam's trademark building is the 15th-century Speeltoren, an elegant, Italianate clock tower and former town hall. The tower's 17th-century…

At this 3-hectare farm's orchards and fields, you can pick your own fruit (eg apples, strawberries, blueberries and grapes), vegetables (such as capsicums…

On Friday mornings in season, waxed rounds of kaas (cheese) are ceremoniously stacked on the main square. Soon, porters appear in colourful cheese-guild…

Ever wondered what drove the Industrial Revolution? Part of the answer lies at the Stoommachine Museum, in the old pump station outside Medemblik. Thirty…

In the vast former armoury of the Dutch Royal Navy, which still owns the building today, displays at the Marine Museum cover naval history mainly after…

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

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…

The 17th-century Czech educational reformer, Jan Amos Komensky (Comenius), is buried in the Waalse Kapel (Walloon Chapel) of the fortress's former…

Built under Napoleon's orders in 1811 to accommodate 1400 soldiers, this hulking hilltop fortress (originally called Fort Morland) now houses a military…

Hoorn's heyday as a shipping centre is long gone, but the imposing statue of Jan Peterzoon Coen, founder of the Dutch East India Company, still watches…

Alkmaar's Grote Kerk is renowned for its organs. The most famous is the little 'Swallow Organ' (1511) in the north ambulatory. The 17th-century organ…

Built as a chapel in the 14th century, the Waaggebouw was pressed into service as a weigh house two centuries later. This handsome building houses the…

In the vast former prison on Oostereiland, south of the Hoofdtoren, this entertaining museum is devoted to household goods and modern inventions. Among…

A row of eel-smoking houses in the Kerkbuurt area have been converted into the Marker Museum, which delves into Marken's history and includes the re…

Housed in the atmospheric old De Boom brewery, the Nationaal Biermuseum has a decent collection of beer-making equipment and wax dummies showing how the…

The 15th-century Grote Kerk bears witness to the vagaries of Dutch weather. Its 32 dazzling stained-glass windows bearing coats of arms and historical…

It's easy to spot the tall tower of the fort's central Grote Kerk, a Gothic basilica with stunning 16th-century vault paintings of biblical scenes. You…