4/5 BradJill 4 years ago on Google • 4377 reviews
The
Cathedral
of
St.
Bavo
is
a
main
cathedral
for
the
local
Roman
Catholic
Diocese
and
an
interesting
attraction
to
visit
while
in
Haarlem.
It
was
built
by
important
Dutch
architect
Joseph
Cuypers
(1895-1930)
and
is
beautifully
situated
along
Leisevaart
canal
in
the
southwest
of
the
city
center.
The
church
is
an
interesting
blend
of
architecture
featuring
Neo-Gothic,
Neo-Romanesque,
Byzantine
and
Jugendstil
features.
You
can
visit
the
dome
cathedral
(€
4
per
adult
incl.
Audio
tour)
and
view
the
grounds
of
the
main
church.
Opening
hours
are
11am
to
5pm
(Tues
to
Fri)
and
11am
to
2.30pm
(Sat)
from
April
to
October.
Hours
are
reduced
during
November
to
March.
The
interior
is
quite
attractive
with
side
chapels,
stained-glass
windows,
sculptures,
pulpits
and
nice
frescos
to
view.
You
can
also
climb
the
towers
at
St.
Bavo
(€10
per
adult).
Opening
hours
are
12pm
to
6pm
(Sun
to
Fri)
and
10am
to
4pm
(Saturdays).
This
was
the
most
interesting
part
of
our
visit.
The
climb
is
lengthy
up
and
down
spiralling
staircases.
However,
there
are
a
handful
of
rest
stops
along
the
way.
You
are
able
to
walk
through
sections
of
the
roof,
have
excellent
views
from
the
inner
dome
back
down
into
the
cathedral
and
are
afforded
excellent
views
of
the
city
once
you
are
at
the
top.
In
the
end,
we
really
liked
our
visit
to
the
St.
Bavo
Cathedral
and
will
gladly
revisit
to
view
the
church
interior
and
climb
the
towers
again
during
future
visits
to
Haarlem.
Note
that
the
St.
Bavo
Cathedral
is
separate
and
different
to
the
much
older
Gothic
style
Church
of
St.
Bavo
(Grote
Church)
at
Grote
Markt
in
the
city
centre
of
Haarlem.
They
are
both
impressive
attractions
worth
visiting.