Main attractions
âą The Grote Kerk van Sint-Bavo â a magnificent Gothic cathedral dominating the Grote Markt, housing one of Europe's great baroque organs (1738), played by both Handel and the young Mozart
âą The Frans Hals Museum holds the finest collection of work by the Golden Age master of portraiture, including his monumental Militia Company group portraits â among the most important Dutch paintings outside the Rijksmuseum
⹠The Grote Markt itself is one of the Netherlands' most beautiful town squares, ringed with café terraces and the ornate Renaissance Stadhuis
âą Haarlem's canal district (Amsterdamsche Buurt) rewards a slow wander through streets of 17th-century merchant architecture virtually unchanged since the Golden Age
What to eat
âą Haarlemse Moppen â small spiced ginger biscuits that are the city's traditional speciality â from any of the old-town bakeries; lunch at a bruin cafĂ© (traditional Dutch brown pub) on or near the Grote Markt