Last updated: 24 September 2026
Living on the Dutch coast means you get a lot of beautiful days, and a lot of grey, wet ones too. The good news: Haarlem and Zandvoort have plenty to do when the weather turns. Here are the best things to do on a rainy day in Haarlem and Zandvoort, from world-class museums and a brewery in a church to a beach sauna, racing simulators and a tropical swimming pool.
Short answer: in Haarlem, go to the Teylers Museum or the Frans Hals Museum, visit the Corrie ten Boom House, then warm up with a beer at the Jopenkerk. In Zandvoort, try the racing simulators at Racesquare, the Aqua Mundo pool at Center Parcs, or a beach sauna with a view of the storm.
Jump to Haarlem, Zandvoort, with kids or the FAQ
Stuck in Amsterdam on a grey day? Haarlem is only 15 minutes away by train and Zandvoort about 30, and both make a great escape from the crowds in the capital. Everything below works as a day trip from Amsterdam too.
Rainy day things to do in Haarlem
Teylers Museum
The oldest museum in the Netherlands, opened in 1784, and it still looks the part. Think fossils, minerals, old scientific instruments and a beautiful oval room that hasn’t changed in over 200 years, plus drawings by Michelangelo and Rembrandt. You can easily spend a whole rainy afternoon here.
Where: Spaarne 16, on the river in the centre
Website: teylersmuseum.nl
Frans Hals Museum
Haarlem’s big art museum has two locations: the Hof, with Golden Age paintings by Frans Hals and his contemporaries in a former old men’s almshouse, and the Hal on the Grote Markt, with modern and contemporary art. Visitors under 19 get in free.
Where: Groot Heiligland 62 (Hof) and Grote Markt 16 (Hal)
Website: franshalsmuseum.nl
Corrie ten Boom House
The house of the ten Boom family, who hid Jewish people and members of the resistance during the Second World War, including in a secret room behind a fake wall. You visit on a guided tour, entry is free (donations welcome), and it’s a moving, unforgettable hour. Book your tour online in advance, because it’s popular.
Where: Barteljorisstraat 19
Website: corrietenboom.com
Grote Kerk (St. Bavokerk)
The huge medieval church on the Grote Markt is home to the famous Müller organ, which a young Mozart played in 1766. Look out for the free organ concerts and just enjoy the size of the place.
Museum Van de Geest
A fascinating museum about the human mind, in the old Dolhuys building. It was named European Museum of the Year in 2022, and it’s more fun and more thought-provoking than it sounds.
Jopenkerk
A brewery and bar in a former church, with Jopen beers brewed on site under the stained-glass windows. The perfect place to end a rainy day in Haarlem. There’s also a restaurant upstairs.
Where: Gedempte Voldersgracht 2
Concerts, cinema and a board game café
- Philharmonie and Patronaat: Haarlem’s big concert halls for classical music, pop and everything in between.
- De Koepel: a cinema in a former domed prison, one of the most unusual places to watch a film in the country.
- Board game cafés: grab a table, a hot chocolate and a stack of games.
- Shopping: the Grote Houtstraat and the little streets around it are full of shops and cafés to duck into between showers.
Rainy day things to do in Zandvoort
Racesquare Zandvoort
Professional Formula 1 simulators at Circuit Zandvoort, with special effects that make it feel remarkably real. Since the Dutch Grand Prix is gone, this is the closest you’ll get to an F1 race in Zandvoort (read why the Dutch GP ended). You need to be at least 1.45 m tall.
A beach sauna with a view
Billies Sauna at NIUS Beach House is open all year, right on the beach. Watching a storm roll in over the North Sea from a warm sauna, and cooling off in the sea afterwards if you’re brave, is very Zandvoort.
Aqua Mundo at Center Parcs
The subtropical swimming pool at Center Parcs Park Zandvoort has slides, rapids, a wave pool and a whirlpool, and it’s open to day visitors too, not just people staying in the park.
Gamestate Circus Zandvoort
An arcade in the old circus building, with arcade games, pinball, air hockey and pool tables. There’s also a small cinema.
Escape rooms and World of Dinos
Escape World Zandvoort has themed escape rooms, including one about the Grand Prix, and World of Dinos is an indoor dinosaur expedition with animatronics that younger kids love.
A beach club by the fire
Some beach clubs in Zandvoort stay open all year, and there’s nothing cosier than a window seat with soup and a view of the waves. See the beach clubs in Zandvoort that are open all year.
Rainy days with kids
- Aqua Mundo at Center Parcs Park Zandvoort
- World of Dinos in Zandvoort
- Teylers Museum in Haarlem, with its fossils and minerals
- Frans Hals Museum, free for under 19s
- An afternoon at the Gamestate arcade
Want to go further? From Haarlem, Amsterdam’s big museums like NEMO Science Museum and the Rijksmuseum are only 15 minutes away by train. And on dry days, there are plenty of events in the Events Calendar.
FAQ: Rainy days in Haarlem and Zandvoort
What is there to do in Haarlem when it rains?
Visit the Teylers Museum, the Frans Hals Museum or the Corrie ten Boom House, see the Müller organ in the Grote Kerk, and finish with a beer in the Jopenkerk, a brewery in an old church.
What can you do in Zandvoort on a rainy day?
Try the F1 simulators at Racesquare, swim at Aqua Mundo, warm up in the beach sauna at NIUS, play at the Gamestate arcade, or sit by the fire in one of the beach clubs that are open all year.
Is the Teylers Museum worth visiting?
Yes. It’s the oldest museum in the Netherlands, and the building itself is as interesting as the collection.
