THE NETHERLANDS - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1365

Arrival in Haarlem
By Train: Lockers are available at the station at the very end of platform 3a (€3.70/day, no
coins—use a credit card or buy a “Chipknip” prepaid debit card at a ticket window). Two
parallel streets flank the train station (Kruisweg and Jansweg). Head up either street, and
you'llreachthetownsquareandchurchwithin10minutes.Ifyouneedhelp,askalocalper-
son to point you toward Grote Markt (Market Square).
By Bus: Buses from Schiphol Airport stop both in the center (Centrum/Verwulft stop, a
short walk from Grote Markt) and at the train station.
By Car: Parking is expensive on the streets (€2.70/hour). It's cheaper (€1/30 minutes;
€2.50 overnight—19:00-8:00) in these central garages: at the train station, at the southern
endofGedempte OudeGracht (the main thoroughfare), near the recommended Die Raeckse
Hotel, and near the Frans Hals Museum. The most central garage, near the Teylers Museum,
is pricier (€1.50 every 40 minutes—essentially, €2.75/hour).
By Plane: For details on getting from Schiphol Airport to Haarlem, see here .
Helpful Hints
Blue Monday and Early Closures: Most sights are closed on Monday, except the church,
De Adriaan Windmill (closed Tue), and History Museum Haarlem. The Corrie Ten
Boom House is closed Sunday-Monday, and closes early the rest of the week (15:00).
Internet Access: Try Suny Teletechniques (€2/hour, daily 10:00-24:00, near train station
at Lange Herenstraat 4, tel. [phone]) or High Times Coffeeshop (free if you buy
some pot, Lange Veerstraat 47).
PostOffice: Thereisn'tone.Tobuystamps,headtoanewsstandwiththeorange TNT logo;
if you need to send a package, ask your hotelier for help.
Laundry: My Beautiful Launderette is handy and fairly central (€6 self-service wash and
dry, daily 8:30-20:30, €9 full service available Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, near V&D depart-
ment store at Boter Markt 20).
Bike Rental: You can rent bikes from Pieters Fietsverhuur inside the train station (fixed-
gear bike only-€6.50/day, €50 deposit and passport number required, Mon-Sat
6:00-24:00, Sun 7:30-24:00, Stationsplein 7, tel. [phone]). They have only 50
bikes to rent and often run out by midmorning—especially when the weather's good.
Rent a Bike Haarlem charges more, but is friendly and efficient, and carries plenty of
new, good-quality bikes. If you're renting for less than a full day, negotiate a cheaper
price (fixed-gear bike-€10/day, 3-speed bike-€13.50/day, mountain bikes available,
after-hours drop-off possible, ID required for deposit—if you don't want to leave ID,
there's a €150 cash deposit; April-Sept daily 9:00-18:00; Oct-March Tue-Fri