5 Best Sights in The Randstad, Netherlands

Built around 1400, this is Haarlem's only remaining city gate; remains of the city wall can be seen at its base. It's slightly to the east of the current center, just to the east of the Spaarne River.

Soaring lancet windows add to the impression of majestic height of the famous 14th-century tower of "the cathedral that is missing." The sole remnant of an enormous house of worship that was destroyed by a storm late in the 17th century (the outline of its nave can still be seen in the paving squares of the Domplein), the tower is more than 367 feet high. Not only is it the highest tower in the country, but its more than 50 bells make it the largest musical instrument in Holland. The tower is so big that city buses drive through an arch in its base. You can climb the tower by joining a tour, but make sure you feel up to the 465 steps. The panoramic view is worth it, though, stretching the 40 km (25 miles) to Amsterdam on a clear day. Buy tickets in the RonDom office across the street, or online.

Don't miss this series of houses with their identical step gables at the southern end of Groot Heiligland, across the street from the entrance to the Frans Hals Museum - HOF. They originally formed part of the St. Elizabeth hospital and were built in 1610.

The pretty, tree-lined Oude Delft canal has numerous historic gabled houses along its banks and takes the honors for being the first canal in the city, and possibly the first city canal anywhere in the Netherlands. One of the finest buildings along its length, the "Common Land house" is a spectacular example of 16th-century Gothic architecture and is adorned with brightly painted shields and a coat of arms. A few yards east of here, across the canal on the corner of Hippolytusbuurt and Cameretten, is a row of visbanken (fish stalls), built along the canal in 1650. Fish has been sold over the counter here pretty much ever since.

At the southern end of the Oosteinde canal, the fairy tale twin turrets of the Oostpoort form Delft's only remaining city gate. Dating back to 1400, with the spires added in 1514, parts of the structure are now a private residence, but you can still walk over the drawbridge. It is a short walk out of the center, but the effort of getting there is more than rewarded by the view.