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Harlingen: lively, pleasant, individual and cosy  Anyone who loves a town full of variation with a lively, pleasant, individual and cosy character has found himself the place to be: Harlingen. Our characteristic port offers a wide range of activities for all ages and interests. Harlingen oozes culture and atmosphere and is therefore certainly worth a visit. It offers an enormous variety of unique shops, cosy cafes, charming pubs, top restaurants and terraces with or without a view of the waterfront. In short, enjoying Friesland means visiting Harlingen. Harlingen is renowned for its individual character, a heritage from the early days, when the city traded with all kinds of exotic countries. The beautifully restored warehouses along the various harbours bear testimony of that. The spirit of commerce in their blood, hospitality is an important characteristic of the ‘Ouwe Seunen’, nickname of the inhabitants of Harlingen. They are willing to share the beauty of their city with visitors from far and near. And they are right, because Harlingen has a lot to offer.
This year it will be 775 years ago - in 1234 - when the village of Harlingen received its charter and became a town. With approximately 16.000 inhabitants it gets its exceptional character from over 500 (!) monuments and its location near the Waddenzee, a unique scenic area of shallows with an open connexion to the sea. Because of this
 Harlingen is Friesland’s one and only port. The main sources of income come from the industrial and fishing harbours, the shipyards, sugar refineries, wood and concrete industries and the traditional charter fleet.Watersports
Thanks to its versatility Harlingen attracts many different kinds of visitors. Not only visitors who travel by car or public transport, but also those who are fond of sailing will find an attractive place to stop over. Where else can you moor your yacht or motorboat right in the town’s centre on one of the picturesque canals? Right, in Harlingen. The canals wind throughout a large part of the town and this makes it very attractive to saunter along the piers and quays, canals and fortifications, the beach and the harbours.
Special activities
Harlingen is brimming with activities and this makes the Frisian town the perfect place to spend some time. The calendar of events elsewhere on this site is proof of that. Some recommendations are:
Lanenkaatsen 4-8 june
A real tradition is the so called ‘Lanenkaatsen’. In the street which bears this name a game of ‘kaatsen’, lasting one week (!), takes place, and this is certainly worth a visit. For those who do not know anything about ‘kaatsen’ there will always be an ‘expert’ nearby who will eagerly explain the rules of this typically Frisian sport with a ‘Harlinger’ sense of humour.
‘Tobbe’ days
Harlingen has a lot to offer to tourists, especially during the summer. There are the ‘Tobbe’ days for example, taking place in the centre of Harlingen every Thursday afternoon and evening. This cosy fair with its host of merchandise is often enhanced by live music. The combination of visiting unique shops, wandering along the elaborate historic gables of the merchant houses, the numerous terraces and the cosy – and delicious – restaurants makes Harlingen the place to be.
Street Festival 9-06-2012
Remarkable acts, good music, comfortable terraces, a lively atmosphere and pleasant company. This is the Street Festival in Harlingen. Every year a team of volunteers manages to compose a programme full of breathtaking acts. A real crowd puller, because visitors arrive in large numbers to the Street Festival in Harlingen. And they are right…
Fiftieth edition of the Harlingen Fishery Days
This year Harlingen will celebrate the fiftieth edition of the Harlingen Fishery Days from the 26th until the 29th of August. An event originally organised to promote the town and its fishery. This still is the main reason to organise this festivity. You can find more information elsewhere on this site.
Zoutsloter Christmas Fair 8-12-2012
The ‘Zoutsloot’ is a location very well suited for an enjoyable Christmas Fair. This fair, that is also famous outside Harlingen, was tipped off as the number 1 of the most beautiful Christmas fairs in The Netherlands. What makes this ‘Zoutsloter’ Christmas Fair so special? The event takes place along a characteristic canal with beautifully preserved ancient merchant houses. The residents do their utmost to create a warm and cosy atmosphere by decorating their houses and windowsills. In combination with barrels containing fire next to inviting seats, the effect is amazing. Just add the stalls with delicacies and hot drinks and the absolute Christmas atmosphere is there. In this magnificent ambiance approximately 150 tradesmen display their merchandise. From clothes, decoration articles and handicrafts to toys, art, antiques and so on. Naturally the ‘Zoutsloter’ Christmas Fair is enhanced by the sound of various choirs, bands and other groups of musicians.
Hearing tall stories about Harlingen…?
A tour with an exclusive guide from Harlingen: for learning and for fun!
Anyone who wants to get acquainted with the illustrious past of Harlingen in a entertaining and humorous way should take a walk with one of the local guides. These guides are enthusiastic volunteers who are active on various fronts in Harlingen and who know the town like the back of their hands. Not only concerning the past, but certainly also the present.
Since 1984 the team of town guides has been providing extraordinary tours around Harlingen – all year round.
Visitors can choose from:
- Regular walk
- ‘Vestdijk’ route
- Fortress route
- Alleyways route
- Rummaging route for women
- Walk through the Spanish era
- Walk through the French era
- Old tracks
- Browsing and storytelling route (a Harlingen speciality)
If you prefer a combination of a leisurely walk and a gastronomic treat, the ‘Hap- en Stap’ walk is certainly worth recommending. There are also tours that can be tailored to your requirements. For example a tour including a 30 minute (slideshow) lecture or power point presentation on Harlingen. The regular city tour takes about one and a half hour, the theme walks about two hours. During this time the visitors get to know Harlingen in a different way. With humour and wit they are offered a closer look at Harlingen. That is why the walks are not only about learning, but certainly also about fun. If you want to explore the surroundings of Harlingen by bus and with a local guide you can also call the team of town guides.
A group can contain 1 to 120 people. De cost will be €2,- per person with a minimum of €10,-. For tailored tours there are special prices.
For more information call the guides coordinator Mrs Gerry Kuijper, 0517 – 41 40 83 or 06 – 33 10 46 50 ( Dit e-mailadres is beveiligd tegen spambots, u heeft JavaScript nodig om het te kunnen bekijken ). Arts and culture Harlingen has always been a favourite stopover for artists. There are for example the beautiful pottery and tiles, manufactured in Harlingen for centuries. But Harlingen also boasts a number of museums and galleries.
Museum ‘Hannemahuis’ in Harlingen
All the tales of the town are being told in Museum ‘Hannemahuis’, situated on the ‘Voorstraat’ in Harlingen. It is not without reason that this recently renovated and expanded museum bears the subtitle ‘Centre for the Culture and History of Harlingen’. Explore the museum and discover among others how the last whale hunter of Harlingen ran aground on the polar ice, see how Dutch gin was made in 1760, take a look at the shipping trade section or get some advice about buying a seventeenth century painting in the art gallery of 1800. But there is more: how about a cyberspace walk around Harlingen or through the ‘Simon Vestdijk’ chamber? Of course there is also room for the main export products of Harlingen in the ‘Hannemahuis’: the pottery and tiles. Apart from the permanent collection (and the traditional ‘ stijlkamers’ ) there are the frequently changing exhibitions with historical or contemporary art themes in the ‘Hannemahuis’ and its enclosed garden.
Pottery & Tile Factory Harlingen
The Pottery and Tile Factory has restored a remarkable aspect of Harlingen’s history. In 1872, a company was founded to be permitted to copy the historical sponges of the ‘Hannemahuis’ from the period of 1598 to 1933. This company still exists and is run by the Oswald family. Nowadays, the company delivers traditionally manufactured tiles and pottery all over the world. There is a large collection of historical objects and paintings, but the family is not afraid to mix tradition with modernity. Apart from hand-made and painted tiles the Pottery and Tile Factory of Harlingen also gained name by restoring missing tiles from old tableaus.
Are you curious for a special piece of Harlingen’s culture – or even better, art- then do visit the ‘factory’ on the ‘Kleine Voorstraat’.
For more information, call 0517-41 53 62 or visit www.fries-aardewerk.nl
Art route in Harlingen
Art – in all its varieties – on the Coast
Artists tend to praise the light and the creative climate in Harlingen. This could easily be the reason why Harlingen houses a lot of galleries. Some of these bastions of art and culture bundled their strength and organised an art route which bears the name ‘Kunst aan de Kust’ (Art on the Coast).
What makes this route so attractive is its enormous diversity. You can find paintings, sculptures, graphics, pottery and so on.
Participants of ‘Kunst aan de Kust’ are: Gallery & Art Library Oker, Gallery BB aan See, local museum Het Hannemahuis, Gallery Acanthus, Gallery De Koe, Kunst & Lijsten Atelier, Gallery de Valk, Art shop Zuijderwal and Arend van Dam.
Changing exhibitions are in restaurant ‘De Gastronoom’ and hotel restaurant ‘t Heerenlogement’. A route map is available at the Tourist Information Centre and at participating galleries. You can also visit www.kunstaandekust.nl.
Getting to know Harlingen from a different point of view? Get on board…
Harlingen is a very suitable place to explore by boat. How?
Water taxies
How about a tour in one of the water taxis from the Frisian Yacht Club. From its basis in the ‘Zuiderhaven’ passengers can go to the ‘Noorderhaven’, ‘Zuiderhaven’, the industrial harbour or ‘Trebol’. De prices for this extraordinary taxi service vary from €6,-to €16,-.
For €60,- per hour you can enjoy a boat tour around Harlingen with a maximum of nine people. According to your special wishes it is possible to hire a guide or interpreter and have drinks and refreshments aboard. If you prefer a lunch during your trip it can easily be arranged as well. For more information or to make a reservation, call 06 – 30 44 30 42
‘Ouwe Seun’
If you want to explore the canals and the surroundings of Harlingen by yourself, have a look at the possibilities offered by boat rental company ‘Ouwe Seun’. Boats with all kinds of remarkable names can be rented per hour or per (half) day, either for large or small groups. Life-vests, fishing-rods, cushions, comfortable chairs, parasols and even two-seaters are, if required, aboard. The armada of the ‘Ouwe Seun’ contains eleven comfortable boats, all equipped with light motors which can easily be handled. Apart from city tours it is also possible to sail a part of the “Elfsteden’ route, which leads through pristine scenic areas with a lot of ‘protte daalderse’ picnic spots. In short, an extraordinary way to enjoy peace and quiet in and around Harlingen and at the many stopovers –read pubs - on the way.
‘Singel Prinses’ and ‘Regina Andrea’
Harlingen also offers tours in a typically Amsterdam canal boat through the … canals of Harlingen (and harbours). The ‘Singel Prinses’ regularly takes her passengers over the water, while all kinds of remarkable features of our Frisian port are told about .
A tour aboard the ‘Regina Andrea’ is another possibility. You will visit the harbours of Harlingen but also the Dutch Shallows . The motor ship often sails along one of the ‘Wadden’ banks where seals take a sunbath on the sand. More information about prices and times of departure is available on www.partyvaart-harlingen.nl. Information about various tours can also be found at the ‘Havenbrug’ crossing the ‘Zuiderhaven’.
Harlingen, home of historic sailing ships Harlingen, with it’s beautiful old buildings and lovely harbours is already very picturesque and the old ships complete that picture. Picture the scene on the Zuiderhaven on a cold, misty winters morning: the ships lie peacefully, the masts half hidden in the mist, the contours of the hulls only vaguely visible, here and there a plume of smoke rising from a chimney.
As the days grow longer the sounds of knocking and hammering are heard over the harbour: hatches are opened and on sunny days paintbrushes are busy. The skipper is preparing for the season.
In the spring the motors restart and you see the ships leave harbour: outside the harbour mouth the sails are raised and the sailing season has begun.
The harbours become bustling, busy places every Friday and Sunday throughout the summer months. These are the days when the guests are brought home, and new guests are welcomed on board. The ships manoeuvre in the harbours, cars and buses arrive and depart, water hoses are pulled across the quay, diesel and gas suppliers come and go, the cleaners vanish with buckets and cloths into the ships, in short, a sight worth seeing. Sit outside the Zeezicht hotel on a nice Friday or Sunday afternoon and you will not be bored.
Harlingen and it’s “Brown Fleet” of historic sailing ships: inextricably bound together, so that the townscape of this lovely place gives one a feeling of times long past.
Please contact one of the following for more information about making a sailing trip.
Schipperscoöperatie Historische Zeilvaart Harlingen: Tel. 0517-413242 / www.historischezeilvaart.nl
Traditional Sailing Charter: Tel. 0517-430969 / www.tsc-nederland.nl
Zonnewind Zeilreizen: Tel. 0517-419078 / www.zonnewind.nl
Koh-I-Noor: 0517-384838 / www.koh-i-noor.nl
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