't Poortje
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Warmly lit passage leading into the private courtyard of ’t Poortje, seen from the street.
Lange Begijnestraat, Haarlem

't Poortje

A private courtyard in the old centre of Haarlem. You step through the gate and the city falls away.

Location and accessHouse rules
The courtyard

Quieter than you expect

't Poortje sits in a courtyard in the old Begijnhof quarter around the Bakenes, in the historic centre of Haarlem. No window on a main road, no neon, no queue on the street. A gate in a façade, and a courtyard behind it.

The gate is deliberate. Once you are through the turnstile you are out of view from the street, and no small crowd forms outside to watch who goes in. That spares the neighbourhood the nuisance and spares you the awkwardness.

Inside it is quiet, warmly lit and well kept. Most visitors say it is calmer than they had expected. That is exactly the intention.

The lane alongside the rooms in the courtyard, with planting and brick paving, leading to the turnstile.

What you want to know beforehand

  • The turnstile with the coin machines beside it, where you put in two euros.Access

    Two euros opens the gate

    There is a coin machine at the entrance. You put in two euros and the turnstile opens. Nobody is standing there, you do not have to check in, and you do not show anything.

    How to get in
  • The covered passage alongside the rooms, in warm light, with the doors in a row.Discretion

    Out of view from the street

    You give no name, no number and no details, and once you are through the gate nobody is looking at you. Photography and filming are forbidden for everyone, anywhere in the courtyard.

  • A made-up room with its own shower, in red light.Well kept

    Clean rooms, every day

    Every room is cleaned between visits and has fresh linen, its own shower and warm light. Hygiene is not an afterthought here.

  • One of the rooms, with a mirrored wall, its own shower and a made bed.Price

    Arrangements from € 50

    Whatever you agree, you agree directly with the woman herself, inside. She decides what she offers and what she asks for it. Amounts start at fifty euros.

    More questions and answers
The courtyard in the evening, with statues around a fountain.
Safety

Someone is always there

The courtyard is closed off and there is management on site. That is there for the women who work here, and it makes things a good deal more comfortable for visitors too: everyone knows where they stand and there is always someone to talk to.

The house rules are published on this site, so you know in advance what is expected of you and what you can fall back on yourself.

Read the house rules
For women who want to work here

Renting a room at 't Poortje

You rent a room by the shift and work entirely independently. You decide who you work with, what you offer and what you charge. Breakfast is ready every morning. The working page explains what renting a room involves, what to bring and who to go to with questions.

Read how room rental works

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