GUIDE | HAARLEM

Photo Spots in Haarlem: River, Old Center and Park

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Family of four side by side on a sunny concrete planter by the Spaarne, windmill De Adriaan and moored boats behind them, a photo spot in Haarlem

These photo spots in Haarlem all come from my own sessions, eight of them between July and November. They lie in two areas: the Spaarne with the old center, and the Haarlemmerhout, a park on the south side of the city. Each area holds a whole session on its own.

The guide is for couples and families who want to see a place before they choose it. For every spot, you can see when I photographed there, what the light did and how far it is to the next one. Still deciding on a session? Then start with how I work as a photographer in Haarlem.

At a glance

Spots: 1 Across from De Adriaan | 2 The pointed gables | 3 Two railings by the windmill | 4 Grote Markt and Vleeshal | 5 The Vijfhoek | 6 Toward the Nieuwe Gracht | 7 A quiet canal street | 8 Teylers and the Gravestenenbrug | 9 Teylers Hofje | 10 The fence path | 11 The big lawn
Areas: The Spaarne and the old center (1–9) | The Haarlemmerhout (10–11)
Per session: One area for a one-hour session
On foot: From a bridge over the Spaarne to the Grote Markt in under ten minutes
Light in these sessions: White July clouds | Bright July sun | A gray August sky, then sun | September clouds and blue | Low November sun | A white November sky
Crowds: Weekdays are usually quieter than weekends

Photo Spots Along the Spaarne

The Spaarne runs right through Haarlem, and windmill De Adriaan stands tall on its bank. Four of my sessions began on the quays across the water from it. Three of them were in July, and one was in September.

1. Across the Water From De Adriaan

July, 12:14–12:16 and 14:07–14:10 | The whole windmill in one frame | A leafy tree beside it

From this quay, the whole windmill fits in one frame, with old houses along the far bank. A big tree leans over the water on the right, so its leaves frame the mill. In early July, a couple walked toward me here under a white, cloudy sky. Eleven days later, a family with a small dog started at the same spot, while the sun broke through now and then.

Couple in matching black standing close on the quay across the river from windmill De Adriaan, a leafy tree hanging over the water — Across the Spaarne from De Adriaan, 12:15 in July

2. The Pointed Gables and the Old Boats

July, 15:13–15:27 and 14:19–14:38 | September, 16:17–16:50 | Planters, geraniums, room to run

Parents and their two daughters in white and soft blue on the quay, new houses with tall pointed gables across the water on a family photo walk in Haarlem

A few minutes along the quay, a row of new houses with tall pointed gables lines the far bank. On this side stand low concrete planters, towers of red geraniums and old boats, among them the black fishing boat YE 97. With De Adriaan in view, those planters make an easy place to sit together.

With children, there is plenty to do here. In July, two sisters raced each other along the red bricks, and a family of five sat on a planter with their dog. In September, a one-year-old set off toward YE 97 on her own. Later, she walked from her mother to her father, with the windmill behind her.

Mother in a navy dress and her daughter in a striped T-shirt smiling by the river, the pointed gables behind them on a family photo walk in Haarlem

Father in a white shirt leaning on a bench as the mother laughs with their baby, windmill De Adriaan and old houses behind them — Below the pointed gables at 14:36 in July, and by De Adriaan at 16:50 in September

3. Two Railings Facing the Windmill

July, 12:44–12:52 | September, 16:52–17:08 | De Adriaan across the water

Two railings along the water keep the windmill in view. The first is white and curves toward a low bridge. In July, a couple sat on it for a kiss under a pale sky.

Woman sitting on a curved white railing beside her partner, De Adriaan and a low bridge across the river on a cloudy photo walk in Haarlem

The second runs along a wide stone promenade with tall towers of red geraniums. In September, a baby walked there between her parents, as told in first steps in Haarlem.

Mother in a red skirt holding her baby girl at a railing by the river, windmill De Adriaan rising across the water under white clouds

From experience

This side of the river is open, so the sky sets the mood on the quays. The July couple had a white, even sky. Six days later, the sun was bright and the shadows lay long on the bricks. In September, white clouds and patches of blue took turns. I work with whatever the day brings, and each day gave the same windmill a different look.

The Old Center Around the Grote Markt

From the river, the old center is a short walk. In August, a couple started on a bridge with green iron railings over the Spaarne, with ornate gables along the far bank. Eight minutes after the last frame on the bridge, we were on the Grote Markt.

Couple at the green iron railing of a bridge over the Spaarne, ornate gables and a white boat under a heavy gray sky, a photo spot in Haarlem — A bridge over the Spaarne under a heavy gray sky, 14:29 in August

4. The Grote Markt and the Vleeshal

August, 14:39–14:42 | Red brick, white stone, tall gables | Life on the square behind you

Woman in a striped jumpsuit kicking one foot up as she smiles at her partner beside the Vleeshal, a photo spot in Haarlem with tall decorated gables

The Grote Markt is the heart of the city. Right on the square stands the Vleeshal, with tall, decorated gables in red brick and white stone. That afternoon, red flags and white tents filled the square behind us, and a dalmatian strolled through one frame. Around the corner, an old shop sign about valuations gave us a quieter backdrop.

5. The Vijfhoek and Its Green Lanes

August, 14:51–15:10 | Narrow lanes full of plants | A bench under a tall tree

A few minutes from the Grote Markt lies the Vijfhoek, a little square where five streets meet. Around it run narrow lanes lined with plants, benches and bicycles. In one of them, a church tower closes the view at the far end. The sky stayed white for most of the walk, but by three the sun found its way between the houses.

Couple walking hand in hand down a narrow lane full of plants and benches near the Vijfhoek, a church tower at the end of the street

Couple sitting close on a bench under a tall tree on the Vijfhoek, a cream house with a terracotta roof and a no-entry sign behind them

We ended on the square itself, on a bench under its tall tree, at ten past three. Their afternoon, from the bridge to this bench, is in their first summer in Haarlem.

6. Toward the Nieuwe Gracht

July, 15:38–16:05 | The Grote Kerk at the end of a street | A canal bridge, leafy side streets

On a July walk, a family came from the windmill quay into a quiet street. At its far end rose the tower of the Grote Kerk. Two minutes later, we stood on a bridge over the Nieuwe Gracht, a broad canal lined with trees, boats and tall houses.

Parents and two daughters in white by a red-and-white facade with old lanterns and parked bikes, a family photo session in Haarlem's old center

Close by are quieter streets with red-and-white facades, old lanterns and bicycles against the walls. That afternoon was bright, so the sun drew sharp shadows on the bricks, while the leaves kept the side streets soft and green. The walk ended at a brick house with pink hydrangeas and a wooden bench, at five past four.

Mother in lilac between her two daughters on a leafy brick street, climbing plants and tall windows along the houses in the summer sun — A leafy side street in the old center, 15:51 in July

Teylers, the Gravestenenbrug and a Hofje

7. A Quiet Canal Street

November, 14:23–14:35 | Gabled houses, small boats | An orange-red wall with black doors

In mid-November, a family with a toddler in yellow rain boots began on a quiet canal, a few minutes from the Spaarne. Gabled houses and small boats line the water there. The trees were bare and the sky was white, so the colors of the bricks, the doors and the boots stood out.

Father laughing with his toddler in yellow rain boots on his arm, the mother beside them on a quiet canal street of gabled houses and small boats

Father crouching beside his little girl in yellow boots in front of an orange-red house with a black door, a November photo walk in Haarlem

Around the corner stands an orange-red house with black double doors and herringbone bricks in front. Against that wall, even a small girl in yellow boots fills the frame.

8. The Teylers Museum and the Gravestenenbrug

November, 14:38–14:54 | The Spaarne quay | A white drawbridge with its name on the railing

On the Spaarne quay stands the Teylers Museum, the oldest museum in the Netherlands, with statues high on its roof. Five minutes on, the white Gravestenenbrug crosses the river, with a tall stepped gable behind it.

White Gravestenenbrug over the Spaarne with red-brown railings, a tall stepped gable behind and a family in the middle, a photo spot in Haarlem — The Gravestenenbrug at 14:45 in November

The bridge carries its own name on the railing, so the place shows in the frame. Then the three of them crossed the bridge toward me. Their whole afternoon is in Haarlem in November.

Family walking toward the lens over the white drawbridge, its tall white beams and a stepped-gable house rising behind them on a gray day

9. Teylers Hofje

November, 15:02–15:05 | A garden courtyard with a bench | Eight minutes from the bridge

Family on a green bench in Teylers Hofje, brick almshouses with ivy and the white tower of the Bakenesserkerk above the roofs in November

Haarlem has many hofjes, old almshouses built around a quiet garden. Eight minutes after the bridge, we sat down on a green bench in Teylers Hofje. Above its roofs rises the white tower of the Bakenesserkerk. People live in these houses, so a hofje is a short, quiet stop rather than the place for a whole session.

The Haarlemmerhout, a Park of Old Trees

For a session among trees, there is the Haarlemmerhout on the south side of the city, the oldest public park in the Netherlands. It is also the greenest of the photo spots in Haarlem in this guide. I photographed two families there, in July and on the first of November.

10. The Gravel Path by the Fence

July, 12:22–12:38 | November, 15:14–15:22 | Benches, a dark wooden fence, tall trees

A gravel path runs along a dark wooden fence, with green benches under tall trees. In July, the leaves made deep shade with small patches of sun. A baby rode on his father’s arm there, while his mother reached up to him.

Father carrying his baby along a gravel path by a dark wooden fence as the mother crouches and reaches up, green park benches in deep shade

Mother in an ochre jacket hugging her two boys in ochre and navy, autumn trees and a leafy path behind them in the Haarlemmerhout

On the first of November, the paths lay under fallen leaves, and the trees had turned yellow and copper. Two boys leaned into their mother for a hug, with the dark trunks as a calm backdrop for their ochre and navy.

11. The Big Lawn and the Boulder on Wheels

July, 12:48–13:07 | November, 15:38–16:05 | Old trees around open grass

Where the trees open up, a big lawn lies under huge old trees. In July, a family spread a picnic blanket in the shade of one of them. Right beside it stands a giant boulder on a wooden cart, in the Kleine Hout, the eastern part of the park. The picnic, grandparents included, is in a family picnic in Haarlem.

Family picnic on a blanket under a huge old tree in the Haarlemmerhout, a sand-colored boulder blurred in the foreground on a July day — The picnic tree past the boulder, 12:53 in July

From experience

The same park looked completely different in the two seasons. In July, the leaves kept most of the lawn in deep green shade, with sun in patches. In early November, low sun came in between the trunks and drew long shadows across the leaves. Toward four, it shone straight through the trees.

Couple walking hand in hand through fallen leaves, low autumn sun glowing through the trees behind them on a family photo walk in Haarlem — Backlit autumn trees, 15:46 in November

How a Session at These Photo Spots Works

Each of these photo spots in Haarlem belongs to one of the two areas, and a one-hour session stays within one area. The center is compact, though. In under an hour, one family walked from the windmill quay to the Grote Kerk. From there, they crossed the Nieuwe Gracht and ended by a house with pink hydrangeas.

Family of five with their small white dog on a brick quay in Haarlem, sailing boat masts and a church tower behind them on a summer photo walk

I suggest the area and map out the route, based on the light, the atmosphere and the surroundings. Before the day, I share outfit suggestions, and during the session I guide you with simple direction. Weekdays are usually quieter than weekends, although the streets of Haarlem are always public.

Light rain is usually not a problem. If I confirm that the weather makes a session impractical, you can reschedule without extra cost. Afterward, your gallery is ready to download within seven days.

Found the corner of Haarlem that feels like yours? Discover how I work as a photographer in Haarlem.