It's not just the timeless natural beauty and the bracing fresh air that makes Noord Holland so inviting. Noord Holland is also one of Holland's most culturally rich regions, careful to preserve it's long standing traditions and packed with historic towns and villages. It’s also rich in museums and boasts outstanding architecture.

Haarlem
Half an hour's drive from Amsterdam you find Haarlem, the capital of Noord Holland. Its historic market square and abundance of modern art, music and culture make it well worth a visit. The Frans Hals museum has a superb collection of paintings by this old Dutch master. Make sure not to miss the Teylers Museum, Holland's oldest public museum. Modern-art fans will be in heaven in the Verwey Hall, which exhibits works by the renowned Kees Verwey.

Apart from lots of culture, you'll have a great time wandering around the many shops in Haarlem's city centre or taking a city tour (info from the VVV Tourist Information Office) for a real insiders view. For the musically minded, the Baroque organ in the St. Bavo Church, which was once played on by the 10-year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is a must-see. Every summer organ concerts are held.

Naarden
The fortress town of Naarden resembles a huge open-air museum whose most distinctive monument is the fortress, which still remains for a larger part intact. Apart from a stroll around the ramparts, a visit to the historic centre with its many small antique shops is certainly worth the effort.

Alkmaar
Holland's association with cheese goes back centuries and Alkmaar is at the very heart of it! To see the traditional cheese market visit the town on a Friday morning. Sellers and wholesalers do business as they have for 600 years. The Great St. Laurens Church, historic Waaggebouw (the official scales of the Alkmaar cheese market) and the Dutch Cheese Museum are also worth a visit.

But Alkmaar is not only about cheese. Wander along the picturesque canals lined with medieval monuments and explore the enchanting old town square, a labyrinth of quirky and colourful streets and many courtyards. Art lovers shouldn't miss the Stedelijk Museum, where you'll find many paintings by Dutch masters and an intriguing display of 19th century toys.

Den Helder
Den Helder is situated amid green polders, the famous vast oasis-like expanses reclaimed from the sea. Its soft white sandy beaches are the largest in Europe. The 'Dorus Rijkers' National Life Boat Museum and Naval Museum are fascinating and make a memorable stop-over en route through the polders. In spring your senses will be enchanted by the kaleidoscope of scents and colours of the bulbfields, which are in full bloom from March till May.

Less than twenty minutes by ferry from Den Helder you find Texel. Holland's largest island offers space and tranquility in abundance.

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