Things to Do in North Holland

The Frans Hals Museum is known for its collection of paintings by the Dutch Golden Age masters. Nearly all the pieces date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when Haarlem was known as the “City of Painters,” and as you make your way round the museum exhibits you’ll see works by the likes of Ruisdael, Jan Steen, Saenredam, Van Goyen, Heda, and of course, Frans Hals. Fifteen of Hals’ enormous civic guard pieces are showcased here and are a highlight of any visit. In particular, look out for Hals’ famous twin portraits, Regents and Regentesses of the Oudemannenhuis. 

Built in 1609, the attractive building changed purpose from almshouse (where Frans Hals lived out his final years) to orphanage before becoming the art museum you can see today in 1913. On a visit to the Frans Hals Museum, it’s worth looking out for the separate section containing a replica of a 17th-century Haarlem street.

Some 3800 hectares of classic Dutch coastal dunes are being restored in this large nature reserve right in the middle of the busy Randstad. The South Kennemerland National Park is composed of chalky dunes, wide beaches, and coastal forests. Remnants of cultural history like farming estates, seaside villages, and bunkers can also be found in the national park. De Zandwaaier, the park's visitor center, has nature displays and a selection of detailed walking and cycling maps. The Duincafé near the visitor’s center serves coffee, rolls, snacks, and Dutch pancakes.

The park offers more than a hundred miles of footpaths, cycling routes, and horse-riding paths. Whether you want to choose your own route or follow a predetermined path, there’s something for you to enjoy through the woods, across the open sand dunes, and along the lakes and beaches. Trails wind through copses of Corsican firs and valleys of low-lying thickets; at the western edge of the National Park lies a massive sand barrier that's 1,000 years old.

Teylers Museum is an art, natural history, and science museum in Haarlem — it is the oldest museum in The Netherlands. Founded in 1778, and open to the public since 1784, the museum was once used for public demonstrations of scientific experiments. Today, it is known as the best-preserved 18th-century public knowledge institution for the arts and sciences in the world, and is slated to become a UNESCO world heritage site.

Most of the museum’s exhibitions showcase natural history like rocks and minerals, fossils, and some of the very first equipment used by physicists and other scientists. There’s also something for the fine-art lover, including a selection of works by Dutch masters like Rembrandt van Rijn and some prints and drawings by Michelangelo and Raphael. Other exhibits include fossils that are millions of years old, machines that generate electricity, and historical books and coins. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions a few times each year. 

Opened in 1874, The Netherlands’ Groninger Museum is the most-visited art and history museum in its province. The post-modernist building that houses the museum is made of three main pavilions, each designed by a noted architect: Philippe Starck, Alessandro Mendini, and Coop Himmelb(l)au. In addition to the permanent collections that range from fashion to art to architecture, the museum has an ‘Info Center’ where visitors can use computers and watch films and documentaries to get all sorts of bonus information about the museum’s exhibits. The info center also has a lounging area where visitors can kick back and read any number of art magazines and periodicals the museum subscribes to. 

Kids will love the ‘Discovery Space’ and the ‘DIY Studio,’ which are bursting with cabinets and drawers to browse through, interact with, and create from. The studio is available to school groups during the week, and open workshops are hosted by the museum on the weekends.