I don’t know about you, but I always like to do a little research on new places I plan to visit.

Before I go, I try to find out where the hippest area’s of the city are, where to have the best breakfast, but I also love to read a bit about the history of a city.

How about you?

Do you want to know a bit more about Haarlem?

If so, you have come to the right place.

Before I go, I try to find out where the hippest area’s of the city are, where to have the best breakfast, but I also love to read a bit about the history of a city.

How about you? Do you want to know a bit more about Haarlem?

If so, you have come to the right place.

This is what you need to know about Haarlem.

Let’s go!

• Haarlem is the capital of the province of Noord-Holland.
• There are currently around 155.000 people living in Haarlem.
• Haarlem is a city with quite a history: it was given city rights in 1245 (almost 100 years before Amsterdam) and it first appeared in literary texts as early as the 10th century.
• We have the oldest museum (the Teylers Museum) and soccer club (HFC) of the Netherlands.
• Our local newspaper is the oldest still existing newspaper of the world (Oprechte Haerlemse Courant).
• In 1658, Peter Stuyvesant went to the east coast of the United States and founded Nieuw Haarlem (New Haarlem, yes: today known as Harlem NYC).

The list above consists of mostly historical facts and figures. Always good to know, especially if you love coming across all smart with your travel buddy’s.

But let’s be honest: knowing how many people actually live in Haarlem is not going to make your stay here any more pleasurable.

So, this is what you want to know about Haarlem…

• Haarlem is very close to the beaches of Zandvoort and Bloemendaal. Us locals like to bike there, but you can also take a bus or train.
• Our favorite way of transport is by bike.
• The brewing of beer was very important for the Haarlem economy in the Middle Ages but had disappeared completely. Since 2010, we have our own city brewery back (Jopenkerk) and the second one is on the way (het Uiltje). Cheers!
• People from Haarlem love to drink coffee, preferably outside in the sun.
• Museum De Hallen was named as the best museum for contemporary art in The Netherlands in 2013.
• Shop ‘till you drop in Haarlem: Haarlem has been named best shopping city of Holland year after year!

And there is a lot more to know about Haarlem that I want to share with you. I invite you to browse my blog for up to date info on where to eat, shop, sleep and what to do. Enjoy discovering!

Any questions? Ask me!

And if there is something you want to know, but can’t find on the blog, don’t hesitate to ask me personally. You can reach me here or reach out via Twitter using #thisishaarlem.

If you want more information on where to sleep during your stay in Haarlem, I recommend checking out This Is Haarlem’s list of places to sleep that you can find here.

Need help in deciding whether or not to rent a bike during your stay? More on how to get around in Haarlem here.