Harlingen is situated on the coast of the Wadden Sea, in the province of Friesland and provides a good starting point for visiting the Wadden Islands. There is a small museum called the Hannema museum with traveling exhibits.
Harlingen is an ancient city with a long history of fishing and boating. Due to its history of operations and a long duration of abominable treatment by the capital city of Leeuwarden, Harlingen became more or less resistant to the Friesian culture and many of the inhabitants consider themselves "Harlingers" rather than Frisians.
The historic center has many monuments such as merchants' houses, warehouses, the town hall, churches, canals and bridges. The old pattern of the streets and alleys determines the character of the intimate city center. Gradually Harlingen expanded. The ports grew larger, the industry more stable here, and modern residential areas rose south of the railway line leading to the provincial capital, Leeuwarden.
To the east of the city, situated between the Leeuwarden-Amsterdam highway and Harinxmakanaal Van, is the new industrial site of Oostpoort. The port and industrial activities are also expanding northward. Harlingen is therefore not only a typical, historic Dutch town, but also a dynamic and modern port.
A city surrounded by sea, land and sky, a good place to live, work and spend your leisure time. The best time to visit is during Fleet Days - normal April.