Haarlem

Haarlem needs 1 day: the Grote Markt with St. Bavo's Church and its organ once played by the young Mozart, and the Frans Hals Museum, dedicated to the Golden Age portrait master who lived and worked in the city, in a single day. March-May coincides with the blooming of the surrounding tulip fields. It's cheaper than Amsterdam, just 15 minutes away by train. It's the city that gave its name to Harlem, the New York neighborhood, founded by Dutch settlers in the 17th century, and its historic center, practically untouched, is considered a quieter, more authentic version of Amsterdam without the capital's downtown crowds.