What to do in Haarlem with teenagers? Haarlem is a fun city for families with adolescents. There is enough to do for this target group to enjoy yourself for at least a weekend in this city in North Holland! We previously wrote a blog what to do in
Haarlem with teenagers
#1 Escape Haarlem
You can play several escaperooms in Haarlem with adolescents. Escape Haarlem is one of the providers of several escaperooms in Haarlem. Escape Haarlem is located right in the center, so you also don’t need any means of transportation to travel to the escaperoom. You can just walk there from the center.
Escape Haarlem has four different escaperooms you can play, with 1 escaperoom being at a different location in Haarlem (in the former domed prison in Haarlem). All of the escaperooms at Escape Haarlem are suitable for teenagers aged 12 and up. Check the website of Escape Haarlem what the different themes of the different escaperooms are and which escaperoom appeals most to you as a family.
We always find an escaperoom very fun to play with the family and we have now played several escaperooms in different cities in the Netherlands with our daughter. Especially that you are working with the whole family on the different tasks of the escaperoom makes it such a fun activity.
Another provider of escaperooms in Haarlem is Let’s Escape Haarlem. Here they have 4 different escaperooms and here there are no minimum ages for the different escaperooms. However, there is a difficulty level given for each escaperoom and with teenagers we would choose an escaperoom with a low difficulty level so that it is also doable for teenagers.
#2 VRcafe Haarlem
VR games have become increasingly popular among young people in recent years, and you can also play various VR games with teenagers in Haarlem. VRcafe Haarlem is located in the city center near the train station. So you can easily walk here with the family. VRcafe Haarlem has 45 VR games you can play.
You can choose to get VR glasses with the whole family and then take turns playing or you can choose to all grab VR glasses. With the latter, you can also play certain games with the whole family and we always found that super fun! You then have to solve different tasks together in a virtual world and you also see each other in the form of a character.
Of course, it is a lot pricier if you go for VR glasses with the whole family. In addition to the various VR games, you can play VR laser tag, racing and an escaperoom with teenagers at VRcafe Haarlem. For more information about the different activities, check out the website of VRcafe Haarlem.
#3 The Climbing Wall
If you enjoy getting active as a family in Haarlem, you can go bouldering in Haarlem for half a day. At the Klimmuur in Haarlem you can choose to spend a day climbing with the family. Bouldering as an activity is increasingly popular and a fun way to be active. We ourselves have already done this with our daughter in different places.
In Bouldering you can climb different routes and you can find these routes on the wall by following the same colored holds. In terms of difficulty there are big differences between the routes, so there is a suitable route for everyone. You can rent climbing shoes on site, but often you can just use your own. This is also a great option if the weather is less clement in Haarlem.
#4 Bloemendaal by the Sea
You can also very easily go to the beach from Haarlem with adolescents in the warm summer months. The beach of Bloemendaal aan Zee is the closest to Haarlem and with the streetcar you are within fifteen minutes from the center of Haarlem on the beach. At Bloemendaal aan Zee you have several beach bars where you can have a bite to eat and a drink.
Another fun way to get to the beach is by bicycle. You can rent a bike in the center of Haarlem at several places. We ourselves also rented bikes with our daughter and during our bike ride we visited the beaches of Bloemendaal aan Zee and Zandvoort. You cycle from Haarlem towards the beach through the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park, which is a beautiful nature reserve.
#5 Day trip to Amsterdam
You can very easily take a day trip to Amsterdam by train from Haarlem with teenagers. You can get from downtown Haarlem to downtown Amsterdam by train in 17 minutes. In Amsterdam, of course, there is a tremendous amount for teenagers to do. For example, you can take teenagers to several Instagram museums in Amsterdam, where you can take fun photos with the family.
You also have a cool haunted house in Amsterdam (The Amsterdam Dungeon), where you get to interact with live actors and get into different cool situations. In addition, Amsterdam is also just a fun city to go boating through the canals or rent a bike and ride through the Vondelpark, for example.
When it comes to museums, you can also go in any direction in Amsterdam. With teenagers it can be very impressive to visit the Anne Frank House for example, but you also have all kinds of museums in the field of science, art and culture. We already wrote the blog Amsterdam with teenagers, in which we give more information about what to do in Amsterdam with the family.
Other activities Haarlem with adolescents
In addition to the activities you can do in Haarlem with teenagers described above, there are several other fun activities you can do in the city. Haarlem is a beautiful city and it is definitely recommended to walk around the city center. The Grote Markt is the central square and it is a great place to go for a bite to eat and a drink. For a nice view of the city, you can climb the Koepel Kathedraal.
If you like hiking in nature, you can go to different places in Haarlem with teenagers. We already discussed the Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemerland where you can go hiking with teenagers, but also Amsterdam Waterleidingduinen is a good place to go hiking. Here there is a good chance that you will encounter several deer and we also spotted several while hiking.
Another fun way to explore Haarlem with teenagers is through an organized bike tour. You will then go on a guided 2-hour tour of the city and see all the sights of Haarlem. Look online for more information about this organized bike tour of Haarlem.
Where to stay in Haarlem with teenagers
You can stay in Haarlem with teenagers just fine. You have plenty of accommodations where you can stay with a family with teenagers. You can choose to have your teenagers stay with you in 1 room or book a separate room for yourself and the kids. For both options we have listed some of best rated accommodations.
Accommodations in Haarlem, where you can stay with the family in one room.
Budget accommodation: ibis Styles Haarlem City
Mid-range accommodation: Hello I’m Local – Boutique Hostel
Luxury accommodation: Van der Valk Hotel Haarlem
Also check out the entire list of accommodations in Haarlem.
Accommodations in Haarlem, where you and the kids both have a room.
Budget accommodation: Amadeus Hotel
Mid-range accommodation: Holiday Inn – the niu, Dairy Haarlem
Luxury Accommodation: Haarlem Hotel Suites
Also check out the entire list of accommodations in Haarlem.
