The Dutch town of Haarlem is 15 minutes by train from central Amsterdam, and the unique experience it offers is easily worth the trip. Start your day at the 700-year-old Market Square (pictured), where the Haarlem Town Hall overlooks charming sidewalk cafes and vendors selling flowers, cheeses, and souvenirs. Then spend an hour or so exploring St. Bavo Church, a Gothic cathedral dedicated to Saint Bavo of Ghent, a 7th century holy man who spent his life helping the poor. Its 1738 Christiaan Müller pipe organ is so famous that Herman Melville mentioned it in Moby-Dick, comparing the "great Haarlem organ" to the "colonnades of bone" inside a whale's mouth. Continue on to the Frans Hals Museum, which not only contains the masterpieces of its namesake Dutch Golden Age painter, but also has a rich collection of Haarlem art dating back to the 15th century. For some inspiring 20th century history, drop by the Corrie ten Boom Museum, where the Dutch Christian helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II thanks to a secret hiding place in her house. Take whatever time you have left in your day and stroll merrily through the streets of the old town, grabbing a bite and a drink whenever you feel like it. It's what European travel is all about. Starwood has five hotels in and around Amsterdam, including the luxurious Hotel Pulitzer.
[image via Haarlem Shuffle]
