Haarlem

Haarlem "Spaarnestad" Country: Netherlands Links: CS Group Wikipedia Wikitravel Ambassadors: couchista

Haarlem is the capital of the province of Noord Holland in the Netherlands. Haarlem is famous for its historic architecture and museums and has a rich cultural life. It is a very typical town surrounded by typical villages and landscapes. Haarlem is 20 minutes from Amsterdam, 20 minutes from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (car; bus = 35 mins) and 20 minutes from the beach. Haarlem is nicknamed 'Spaarnestad' (Spaarne Town) because of the picturesque river Spaarne that divides the town in two.

Couchsurfing Community

There are currently (march 2008) some 87 members in Haarlem, or 116 if you include 'suburbs' like Zandvoort and Hoofddorp. Members in Haarlem have hosted guests from all over the world. Guests from the USA and Germany seem to be very frequent, but the list includes members from Panama, Iran, Israel, Japan, China, New Zealand, Brasil, Mexico, Libya, Belarus, to name just a few. In other words: from all continents.

Couchsurfing Group

The CS forum page dedicated to Haarlem can be found here.

Couchsurfing meetings

There have been some meetings organized in Haarlem in the past, the biggest having been the Midsummernight Aftercamp in june 2007. In 2008 the second edition if this event will take place on June 27 or 28 (TBA). On May 5, 2008 there will be a picknick preceding the Bevrijdingspop open air music festival. Also there will be a CS meeting at the Haarlemmerhoutfestival on June 15, 2008. The nearest regular CS meeting is the weekly meetup in Amsterdam.

Getting there

Train: There are direct trains to Haarlem from Amsterdam, Breda/Rotterdam/Den Haag/Leiden, Zandvoort and Beverwijk/Hoorn. When you are coming from Paris/Brussels, you will probably have to change trains at Den Haag HS station. If you are coming from Germany, Amsterdam CS will be the place to change trains.
The train from Haarlem to Amsterdam CS only takes 15 minutes. Therefore, it might well be that someone from Haarlem gets faster into the centre of Amsterdam, than someone from Amsterdams outskirts.
Bus: International buses (Eurolines) arrive at Amsterdam Amstel railway station. From there, take a metro or train to Amsterdam CS.
Regional bus connections include line 80 from Amsterdam Marnixstraat/Elandsgracht bus station (close to Leidseplein). In weekends this bus drives also in the night (as line 286).
By air: Fly to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Then take bus 300 to Haarlem. It is a fast connection (some 35 minutes) that goes every 10 minutes in the daytime, less frequent in the evening and once every hour in the night (in the night the line number is N30)

Events

Most of them are annual but the exact dates change, of course.
· Bloemencorso Flower parade. April
· Bevrijdingspop , one of the Netherlands' biggest free open air festivals (rock/pop etc). May 5
· Luilak, regional tradition. All night long there is a huge plants/flower market and in the morning the youth goes through the streets making noise (to wake up people) and draw on windows and cars with candle wax and butter. Friday before Whitsunday.
· Haarlemmerhout Festival with music, dance, food from around the world. June
· Dancevalley festival July
· Jazz festival August
· Vaardagen Big nautical event on our river Spaarne, not in 2008
· Open Monumentendagen. "Open door days" in most of the historical buildings (and there are lots of them!) September
· Jopen festival Historic festival with live music, craftsmen at work, etc September
· De Stad als Podium Music, theatre, exhibitions, etc etc etc September
· Haarlem Salsa Dance Festival October
· Kunstlijn Hundreds of artists open their doors; countless exhibitions. November

Museums

· Frans Hals museum Dutch masters of the Golden Age (and more)
· Teylers Museum science and art in Hollands oldest museum
· National Psychiatry museum
· Museum de Cruquius Former giant steam pumping engine, now museum about how the Dutch fight with the water and claimed land from the sea. Part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage .
· Vleeshal and Vishal contemporary arts inclusing photography
· Nieuwe Vide contemporary arts
· Historical photography archive
· Kunstfort exhibitions in a 19th century fortress
· Mechanical Organ Museum
· small historic trams and buses museum
· De Adriaan museum in a windmill
· De Zandhaas working windmill where wheat flour is made
· Archeology museum and lots of info on archeology in Haarlem
· centre for architecture

Nightlife

· Salsa @ the railway station (no smoking)
· dance and world music @ the railway station (no smoking)
· Reggeaton, Merengue, Bachata, Salsa, Zouk
· Live bands (Dance, Rock, Alternative)
· Dance club
· sunday afternoon jazz
· 5 days per week live music
· dance events
and countless bars and restaurants of course

Trivia

Haarlem at couchsurfing groups

Haarlem at wikitravel

Basic info in english, german and french

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