Beaches near Amsterdam

by Tanja
Beach

Going to a beach when you are visiting Amsterdam, makes for a great day out. Zandvoort beach is one of the beaches near Amsterdam that can easily be reached by train. One of the best beaches near Amsterdam is Wijk aan Zee, a paradise for surfers and kite surfers. If you are looking for the best beach party Bloemendaal aan Zee is the best beach for you.

Here are three great beaches near Amsterdam.

1. Zandvoort Beach

A big beach resort near Amsterdam is Zandvoort Beach. Amsterdam Beach is the nearest beach to Amsterdam en can easily be reached by train.

Zandvoort Beach lies about 30 km west of Amsterdam. The town has a seafront boulevard with many hotels, restaurants and shops. Zandvoort attracts visitors from Amsterdam as well as tourists from Germany.

Zandvoort Beach is the most popular beach near Amsterdam.

At the beach of Zandvoort there are many large beach bars and restaurants. Well known places at Zandvoort are Tijn Akersloot, which is open all year round, Ajuma, for Asian food (North side), Ubuntu Beach and Beach Club Farout (Ibiza style).

It can get very busy at Zandvoort on hot days, with long traffic jams and packed trains. But the beach is spacious and if you are prepared to walk a bit on the beach, you will always find a space to lay your beach towel.

Nude Beach near Amsterdam

At Zandvoort there is also the most popular nude beach in the Netherlands. Walking southwards on the beach from Zandvoort, you will find it (between beach poles 68 and 71). It is a large area that includes 5 beach bars.

How to get to Zandvoort Beach

There is no free parking available at Zandvoort.

By train

In summer there is a direct train from Amsterdam Central Station to Zandvoort Beach. It takes about 25 minutes. Arriving at the station at Zandvoort, it is 500 meters to the beach. You will pass a supermarket on your way to the beach.

Outside the summer season, you need to change trains in Haarlem.

By bus

From Amsterdam Marnixstraat there is also a bus (bus 80) to Zandvoort aan Zee.  The bus takes about 50 minutes.

2. Bloemendaal Beach

Bloemendaal aan Zee is a beach resort that lies next to Zandvoort Beach. Bloemendaal is famous for its beach parties. Bloemendaal is the place to lounge. People relax on sofas and cushions, enjoying food, cocktails and music at one of the many beach pavilions.

At Zandvoort, loud music on the beach is not allowed, but at Bloemendaal it is! The spectacular sunset is accompanied by sounds from the decks. During weekends, the beach bars turn into beach clubs. Big-name DJs serve the young and hip crowd that drive to the beach to attend the famous beach parties.

Bloemendaal’s most famous beach clubs are Woodstock 69, Bloomingdale, San Blas and Republiek Bloemendaal.

Woodstock 69 is a beach club in Bloemendaal with a stage for live music.

How to get to Bloemendaal beach

Bloemendaal is also a village, but this is not where the beach is at. To get to the beach you can take a train to Zandvoort and walk the 3 km along the beach to Bloemendaal (direction north). There is also a bus from Zandvoort to Bloemendaal that leaves at Zandvoort station.

Some of the parking areas at Bloemendaal are paid. Others are free.

3. Wijk aan Zee Beach

Wijk aan Zee is a lovely seaside village that has the broadest beach in the province of North Holland. There are two areas: the beach near the village of Wijk aan Zee and the part next to the North Pier.(Noordpier).

The beach near the village of Wijk aan Zee is popular among families, it’s a very child-friendly beach. In the village, there are many bed and breakfasts. There are no high-rise hotels like in Zandvoort. The beach has lifeguards. There are beach bars and playgrounds for children.

Wijk aan Zee beach.

Beach resort Wijk aan Zee is also famous for its industrial look. Next to the village is the steel-making company Tata Steel located (formerly Dutch Hoogovens). The white fumes that rise from the dark industrial complex provide a surrealist backdrop of the beautiful white sandy beach and green and white dunes.

Beaches near Amsterdam to go surfing

If you want to go surfing near Amsterdam, Wijk aan Zee Noordpier is your best bet. The long pier shields the surfers from the wind. Whether there are any waves, depends on the weather. In summer, high waves are rare. Check out the windfinder to see if surfing is good for surfing.

Beach near Amsterdam
Wijk aan Zee, Noordpier. Beach near Amsterdam.

At Noordpier there are several cool beach clubs, Timboektoe and Aloha that attract a young surf crowd. You can rent surfboards and other stuff to play with in the sea.

How to get to Wijk aan zee Beach

You can get to Wijk aan Zee by car only. From Amsterdam, take the A9 in the direction of Alkmaar. From the A9 follow signs to A22 Beverwijk. Right after the Velsertunnel take the turn in direction of Beverwijk/Velsen Noord/Corus. Follow signs to Wijk aan Zee. Parking is free.

If you want to go to the Noordpier, take a left in the village of Wijk aan Zee. Follow the dead-end road to the sea following the signs ‘Noordpier’.

Beaches near Amsterdam: Wijk aan Zee
Timboektoe, a beach pavillion at Wijk aan Zee. Photo by Lotte de Graaf, Timboektoe.

About the beach in Holland

The coastal line of the Netherlands is comprised of one big finely grained white sandy beach, stretching hundreds of kilometers from the Wadden Islands in the North all the way down to Zeeland in the South. Behind the beaches lie beautiful sand dunes. The dunes protect the Netherlands against high tides. Things you need to know before you hit the beach:

1. High Tide – Low Tide

The North Sea has an extreme difference in high and low tide. This means the sea will expand or retract during your visit to the beach. Great for building sand castles that will fall to the sea.

2. Danger for swimmers

The North sea is also notorious for its treacherous behavior. There can be undercurrents and rip currents that be dangerous for swimmers. Never swim to far out into the sea, especially when the wind comes from the land. Most beaches near Amsterdam have lifeguards, the ‘Reddingsbrigade’.

3. Stormy weather

The weather can be quite unpredictable on beaches near Amsterdam in The Netherlands. A hot summer’s day can easily turn into a tropical storm with thunder and lightning and hailstones sending the crowd running to their cars.

3. It can be windy

Generally, it’s windy at a beach in Holland. Coupled with the finely grained sand, you need to be able to support sand all over and your towel turn into a sandbox within minutes. People use windscreens on Dutch beaches to protect against the sandy wind.

4. Don’t get sunburned

Because of the wind, you don’t feel the sun burning your skin and it’s easy to get sunburned. Always protect yourself from the UV rays.

5. Expect a traffic jam

In Holland, beautiful days don’t come often. So when high temperatures are predicted, people all drive to the beaches at the same day. Resulting in enormous traffic jams towards the Dutch seaside. Better leave early in the morning.

6. The water is cold

The water is freezing cold, especially at the beginning of summer. Taking a swim is not for cowards.

7. Beautiful sunsets

As the Dutch coastline is located in the west, there is a beautiful sunset everywhere, on all the beaches.

8. The water is dark but clean

The water in the North sea might not be well…. sea blue. It’s not even transparent. This doesn’t mean it’s dirty. The North Sea is cleaner than the beautiful light blue sea of the Mediterranean! It’s an excellent idea to combine a visit to Amsterdam with a beach near Amsterdam.

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7 comments

Donald September 15, 2019 - 06:20

Are there nude beaches there

Reply
Ankit July 20, 2017 - 07:55

Hi,
Thanks for the post. Information here is really helpful.

Reply
Tanja July 20, 2017 - 08:06

Thank you for the comment! Happy to help!

Reply
Perry June 17, 2015 - 21:33

Avoid the beaches in seaside towns near Holland’s big cities like Scheveningen or Zandvoort, it’s your worst nightmare tourist trap. The Netherlands best beaches are in areas like Zeeland (Zoutelande, Domburg, Haamstede) and the northern “Wadden” islands. The coast line of the Netherlands is very sunny from March to July, at this time of year clouds and rain showers start to develop inland. It might be windy and chilly (especially the Northern part) but from June to September the sand warms up quite well and sea water at the beach is around 20C.

Reply
Daniyal July 21, 2014 - 11:21

Hi Dear,we are looking for a tranquil and luxurious beach near Amsterdam to have nude swimming.Would you please help us and introduce best beaches near Amsterdam to have nude swim with my wie?
Regards.

Reply
Tanja July 21, 2014 - 12:07

Hello, Easiest from Amsterdam is the nude zone (in Dutch ‘Naaktstrand) of Zandvoort. When on the beach, walk towards the South and you will find the nude beach. (Officially it’s between pole 68 and 71) It’s the busiest nude beach of The Netherlands, but it’s large (over 3000 meter long) and will give enough space.

Enjoy!

Reply
Nancy Larsen March 31, 2012 - 11:54

We will be in Amsterdam the middle of April and want to go to the beach to shell and see the gorgeous sun sets.Where is the best shelling beach and how do we get there by train and what is the cost?Thank you.

Reply