Delft or Haarlem

On the touristy scale both are about level. I find Delft a bit more scenic. Delft's Sunday morning street market is better than Haarlem's. But it's easy to see both places in one day, they're on the same train line so the transportation connections are easy.

Probably Delft. When we were there it seem less touristy and smaller than Haarlem.

Matt....If I had the possibility of one daytrip from Amsterdam I would consider Aslsmeer - the flower market. I don't know about August. I was there in the spring. Never experienced anything like it.

Both are nice, and worth a visit, but I would recommend Delft as well. Haarlem is closer so if you're pressed for time, choose that one.

I agree that both are "touristy." If you're looking for a nice daytrip from Amsterdam, try Utrecht or Leiden, both of which I STRONGLY preferred to Haarlem and Delft (I know opinions differ, but that's mine).

Frans Hals museum in Haarlem has some great stuff, if that is a priority for you.

Depends a lot on how ambitious a day-tripper you are and how much you want to see. I'm pretty ambitious on my day trips so I might take an early train to Delft look around a bit for a few hours have lunch and then hit either Leiden or Haarlem for a look-see and dinner before heading back to Amsterdam. Distances and train times are pretty short there.

If by "less touristy", you mean which has less trinket shops, then probably Delft. Not sure what would make a city "authentic". Is there a such a thing as a "fake" city? Utrecht is also a good consideration. The historical core is smaller than both those Delft and Haarlem, but very pleasent. I enjoyed visiting the Dutch Railroad Museum here. Easier to reach from Amsterdam than Delft, but probably not as close as Haarlem.

I'd consider other options, such as a day-trip to Kinderdijk windmill park (which you can combine with a late afternoon stroll in Delft if that is the case), or a visit to Marken + boat ride to Volendam. Both Haarlem and Delft are medium-sized cities that operate as secondary metropolitan centers for Amsterdam and Den Haag/Rotterdam.

thank you to all for your responses very much appreciated an informative give us some ideas of other places we need to see as wellthanks again for spending the time to reply

Both are touristy in their own ways, but I prefer Delft. If you are in Delft on a Saturday, check out the market. If you go, be sure to try the Keibling (sp?) at the fish market stall along the canal. It is fabulous! Utrecht is also a great university town with a nice old city center. It was fun to explore and the Castle de Haar is an easy bus ride from town.