With a long history of fishing and shipping, Harlingen is a lovely town of old canals, charming merchants’ houses, warehouses and a network of quaint narrow alleys. On the shores of the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO Site, attractions include one of the best preserved warehouses, Blauwe Hand, built in 1647, the Harlingen Lighthouse, built in the early 1920s and now a hotel, and the 18th century City Hall right in the center of town.