Places to Visit in North Holland

North Holland (Noord-Holland) is a province on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands whose capital is Haarlem, about 20 kilometres west of Amsterdam, and whose largest city is Amsterdam. The province is flat, mostly at or below sea level, and shaped by centuries of drainage: the Zaan district north of Amsterdam grew around windmill-powered industry, the Beemster polder is a reclaimed lake, and the coast has broad dunes and beach towns. Amsterdam anchors the visitor economy with its 17th-century canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage area, while Haarlem offers the Grote Kerk and the Frans Hals Museum on a smaller scale.

Rail is the easiest way to move around: trains run from Amsterdam Centraal to Haarlem in about 15-20 minutes and to Zaandijk Zaanse Schans in about 18 minutes, and Schiphol Airport sits inside the province between Amsterdam and Haarlem. April to September is the most reliable window for weather and for the tulip fields near Lisse, just south of the provincial border in South Holland; summers are mild and winters cool and damp, with rain in any month. Museums and canal boats are busiest in July and August, so late spring and early autumn suit visitors who prefer shorter queues.