A pleasant trip from Amsterdam when the weather is good is to take the train to Zandvoort – a small seaside town on the North Sea coast about 25km west of the city.
You will find excellent blue-flag rated beaches at Zandvoort, Bloemendaal-aan-Zee and Ijmuiden. The area is also surrounded by ancient sand dunes which are great for walking and cycling.
The beach towns come alive in spring and summer and are very popular with locals, especially on sunny weekends. If you wish to avoid the main crowds then plan your visit for midweek. It’s also a great place to hang out on long summer evenings when you can watch the sun setting.
On arrival at Zandvoort, the seafront boulevard is an easy 200m walk from the station. The boulevard is quite high up and provides super views of the beach. Unfortunately, some of the architecture around the front is uninspired 1960’s style apartment blocks – but head south and you will find more attractive houses, a few public sculptures and a water tower.
The town centre is just south of the station and despite its small size contains some stylish shops and a reasonable selection of restaurants. Perhaps try out some kibbeling (battered fish chunks) at one of the take-away fish stands.
Down on the beach front there are many different themed “pavilion” style restaurants and beach clubs. There are 36 in total – five are open all year round whilst the others are seasonal (February to October).
To generalise, Zandvoort has a family feel about it whilst more exclusive places can be found at Bloemendaal-aan-Zee, a few kilometres north. Continuing further north for 7 km you reach Ijmuiden which has a very wide beach and is home to a sea port and a giant steel works – despite the industry, however, the beach is blue-flag rated.
As this is the North Sea you should be prepared for variable weather conditions and some strong winds when down on the beach!
As well as swimming and sun-bathing, activities which can be done at the beaches include surfing, wind surfing, kite surfing, sailing, land sailing, beach volleyball, horse riding and kite flying.
Note, there are naturist beaches at the southern end of both Zandvoort and Ijmuiden.
The sand dunes that surround the area makes it a great place to connect with nature and spot some wildlife.
The Zuid-Kennemerland National Park lies just to the north of Zandvoort and has many walking and cycling paths – it is also accessible from Ijmuiden, Bloemendaal and Overveen. Entry to the park is free.
Bicycles can easily be rented – one outfit is Behind The Beach at Haltestraat 51, Zandvoort which has a wide range of bikes available. It is open daily 1000-1800.
To the south of Zandvoort lies the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen nature reserve which was originally used in the 19th century to filter Amsterdam’s drinking water.
There are 4 entrance gates to the reserve and entry costs €1.50 per person. The entrance nearest Zandvoort (about 1.5km from the centre) is at Zandvoortselaan 130.
The other entrance points are Panneland (Vogelenzangseduinweg 2), De Zilk in De Zilk (Joppeweg 1) and Oase (Eerste Leijweg 2) – which has the ‘De Oranjekom’ visitor’s centre. This is open 1000-1630 Tue-Sun.
In the reserve there are up to 19 walking routes (4km to 30km) – some are marked by coloured posts. Note, cycling here is not permitted.
Heading further south, Noordvoort is a beautiful beach nature reserve between Zandvoort and Nordwijk. It offers stunning elevated views of the beach from the dunes.
Back in town there is the Zandvoort museum (Swaluëstraat 1 – off the main square, open 1100-1700 Wed-Sun) with some old photos and paintings of the area. Entry is €6 for adults and free for children 0-17 and Museumkaart holders.
The Raadhuis (Zandvoort town hall) at Raadhuisplein 16 is a listed building
There is the small Juttersmu-ZEE-um (beachcombers museum) at Strandweg 2 on the seafront with free entry, open afternoons only on Wednesdays (1330-1600) and weekends (1200-1600).
The town is also known for the world famous Zandvoort circuit located in the northern dunes which holds regular international motor racing events. In 2021 the Dutch Formula 1 Grand Prix was held at Zandvoort for the first time since 1985.
Due to the success and popularity of Dutch driver Max Verstappen it looks like the race will be held annually for the time being – the next race is due on 27 Aug 2023.
Getting from Amsterdam to Zandvoort
Sprinter trains run from Amsterdam Central to Zandvoort-aan-Zee and the journey take just under 30 mins. Stops are at Amsterdam Sloterdijk, Halfweg-Zwanenburg, Haarlem Spaarnwoude, Haarlem and Overveen.
The service is half-hourly and a day return ticket costs €13.00 (2nd class) or €22.10 (1st class) – 2023 prices. Note, there is a €1 surcharge for disposable tickets.
[RECOMMENDED] The 1-3 day Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket is valid for Amsterdam-Zandvoort train travel. You can buy the Amsterdam & Region Travel Ticket online here.
It includes NS trains in the Amsterdam region, all regional buses (Connexxion, EBS and Arriva Keukenhof services) and all GVB Amsterdam buses, metro and trams.
Connexxion bus 80 operates from Amsterdam Elandsgracht (near Leidseplein) to Zandvoort beach via Haarlem. The Amsterdam Beach Tour ticket (€17) is valid all day.
You could combine Zandvoort with a visit to Haarlem along the way.
This article was originally published in 2010. Last updated 17 May 2023.
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