Just over fifteen minutes from Amsterdam by train, HAARLEM is an easily absorbed city of around 150,000 people that sees itself as a cut above its neighbours and makes a good alternative base for exploring the province of North Holland, or even Amsterdam itself. The Frans Hals Museum, in the almshouse where the artist spent his last years, is worth an afternoon in itself, and there are numerous beaches within easy reach, as well as some of the best of the bulbfields.

... [More]