Texel

Texel is an island in the West Frisian Islands region of the Netherlands. Tourists and birds are abundant. The tourists visit mostly in the summer.

Texel is an island with four types of landscape: dunes and beaches in the west, flatland and polders in the east and hilly in the center of the island (the remains of the ice age). Inland you find the fourth landscape - wetlands - with beautiful walking trails in the centre west coast of the island, like The Slufter. Along the wadden-coast in the east there are comparably smaller Wetlands. In the dunes, valleys like The Muy are quite popular with tourists.

Understand

The Lighthouse at De Cocksdorp, one of the famous landmarks on the Island

The islanders call their hilly area the Hoge Berg ("High Mountain"). Its highest point is about 15 m above sea level and gives a fabulous view over the island. It's not the summit of the island. The dune Loodsmansduin in the south reaches 30 m above sea level.

The locals used to speak their own dialect, known as "Tessels". It is dying out and is being replaced by a more Standard-Dutch tongue, although still with specific words and accents. The inhabitants have their own name for the mainland: de Overkant, literally "the Other Side".

The official name is Texel. The x in it is normally pronounced as ss, so the name sounds like "Tessel". In Standard-Dutch, the correct pronunciation is Tessel, but a lot of Dutch people pronounce it with an x-sound. The locals however always pronounce it as "Tessel".

The following villages are on Texel:

• 1 Den Burg (Centre of island.). Largest town on island, home to about half the island's inhabitants. It has the most facilities and is the best shopping destination. 
• 1 De Cocksdorp (North of island). Home of the lighthouse and miles of beach 
• 2 Den Hoorn (South of island). Leafy village with pretty rustic cottages. 
• 3 De Koog (west side of island, by the beach). The town where the sun lovers go. Small place, but busy. A bit trashy, lots of night life. Two supermarkets, lots of bars/restaurants, and not much else. 
• 4 Oudeschild. (southeast of the island) fishing harbour 

The information center is located in Den Burg:

• 1 VVV Texel (tourist office), Emmalaan 66, Den Burg. M-F 09:00 - 17:30, Sa 09:00 - 17:00. 

Get in

Teso ferries meeting halfway between Texel and Den Helder

As Texel is an island, the only realistic way to get to it is by ferry. Teso operates a 30-min ferry trip from Den Helder to Texel. Ferries depart from 06:30 until 21:30, every hour, with less departures on Sunday. In summer and on busy days, two boats are deployed. Ferries dock at 't Horntje along the southern end of the island. From there, buses bring you to the larger villages.

Den Helder can be reached by train. The ride to Den Helder station takes 1 hour and 15 minutes from Amsterdam and 2 hours from Rotterdam. At the station, bus 33 takes you to the ferry pier, or you can walk the bit through town.

Getting there by car is also an option. From the south (Amsterdam), take the A9 to Alkmaar. The A9 stops at the traffic lights in Alkmaar. From there, take a left at the roundabout as the road changes into the N9. Keep following the N9 till you arrive at Den Helder. From the east (Friesland/Groningen/Germany) you can take the A7 motorway across the Afsluitdijk dam to Den Oever, and then N99 expressway to Den Helder. Cars can be taken on the ferry to Texel. On busy days (e.g., the Easter weekend) there can be traffic jams for the ferry.

Get around

By bike

The island is best experienced by bicycle, especially in summer. There are many place to rent bikes on the island.

By bus

Public transport busses run each hour to each village and connect to the hourly ferry services (but not to any additional sailings). You can buy tickets at the driver; a map of bus lines is available at the Connexxion website.

By car

For parking at paid parking lots or parking zones you can either pay individually (€2.50 per hour in 2014), but in case you stay for longer than over the weekend, purchasing a yearly parking vignette might be a good idea (€15 in 2014). Add the vignette to the collection of dozens of other vignettes on your front screen and you can park in designated areas without additional charges. There are however some time limitations at some of the parking lots, which are explained in the brochure that comes with the vignette and the signs at the parking lots. The stickers can be purchased for example in the VVV information centre in Den Burg or in supermarkets.

See

The whole western coast consists of the Duinen van Texel National Park, a protected nature reserve. It is a varied dunescape with heath, salt fens and grassland, and is the best attraction Texel has to offer. Some areas are protected as bird breeding grounds.

• De Slufter/De Muy (northwest of island). Den Slufter is a tidal inlet with marshes and a lagoon. 
• Eierland ((English: egg land)) (north and centre of island). Eierland means "egg land" in Dutch. This is a breeding ground for 1000s of birds. 

Some other attractions include:

• 1 Texel Lighthouse (Vuurtoren Lange Jaap), Vuurtorenweg 184, De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 317-741. Apr: 10:00-17:00 daily; May-Sep: M-Th 10:00-20:00, F-Su 10:00-17:00; Oct: 10:00-17:00 daily; Nov-Mar: W Sa Su 10:00-17:00. The lighthouse is one of the landmarks of Texel. The top is at 45 metres high and gives a great view over Texel and the Wadden Sea. The way up there is basically a museum, which explains the history of the lighthouse and its current purpose. €4.50.  
• Maritime & Beachcombers Museum (Maritiem & Jutters Museum), Barentszstraat 21, Oudeschild, ☏ +31 222 314-956. Jul-Aug: M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su hol 12:00-17:00; Sep-Jun: Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su hol 12:00-17:00. This museum makes for a delightful visit. In past times many ships sunk around Texel due to stormy weather, so a lot of treasures have been found in the surrounding area. This museum shows what kind of stuff they have found, and the collection is truly amazing (almost funny). The outdoor section show demonstrations by craftsmen, such as rope-making and blacksmithing. €6.50, children €5. 
• 2 Kaap Skil, Heemskerckstraat 9, 1792 AA, Oudeschild (best is to go to Oudeschild by bike or minibus), ☏ +31 222 314 956. Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. Museum about the maritime history of the island, with lots of information both about the VOC and contemporary shipping. 0-4 years old: free, 4-25 years old: €7.50, 26 years old and over: €11. (updated Feb 2023)

Do

• There are many activities you can do on the isle of Texel, including swimming, sunbathing, kitesurfing, golfing and go-karting. Cycling and hiking through the nature reserve are particularly popular. You can rent bicycles at the ferry pier 't Horntje and in the other villages.
• Cycling: English-language cycle routes on Texel are the South Route and the North Route, which can be combined into one long trip around the island.
• 1 Paracentrum Texel, Postweg 128, ☏ +31 222 311464. It is the largest skydive centre in the Netherlands, open daily. (updated Mar 2022)

Buy

Den Burg has the largest facilities for shopping.

Eat

• 1 Bij Jef, Herenstraat 34, Den Hoorn, ☏ +31 222 319-623. Feb-Dec: Su-F 18:00-late, Sa 19:00-late; Jan closed. This is a highly praised French restaurant that has had one Michelin star since 2009. Excellent food and service as the chef informs about your personal wishes. They also have an excellent wine list. And they even bring you home when you're done eating. But of course this all comes at a price. €45-100. 
• 2 Van Der Star, Heemskerckstraat 15, Oudeschild, ☏ +31 222 312-441. M-Sa 09:00-18:00. This seemingly simple eatery serves some of the best seafood on Texel. Their specialty is smoked eel from the North Sea. They also have mussels, cod, prawns and fish soup. It is also a stand-alone shop with fish and bread for take-away. €10. 

Additionally, there are supermarkets on the island, there is one, albeit small, in nearly every village on Texel.

Drink

A shopwindow filled with Texels beers and Juttertjes.

As most travellers stay in De Koog, this is where the island's nightlife takes place. There are many bars and cafes, and it even feels a bit seedy at night.

The island has a brewery, Texelse Bierbrouwerij, the beers of which are readily available both on and off the island. Its branding is proudly Tessels, with all beers being branded in the local dialect, and most ingredients being sourced locally. Its foremost beer is the Skuumkoppe, a dark, wheat-based beer.

Another notable beverage from the island is the Juttertje spiced gin (bitter) made of fourteen spices, and with an alcohol percentage of 30%. Reflecting the traditional way in which gin was distributed, Juttertjes to this day are available in stoneware flasks.

Sleep

A lot of hotels and campsites are found on Texel.

• 1 Hotel de Lindenboom, Groeneplaats 14, 1791 CC Den Burg, ☏ +31 222 312 041. double from €100, room with sauna from €140. 
• 2 Restaurant & Hotel Bij Jef, Herenstraat 34, 1797 AJ Den Hoorn, ☏ +31 222 319 623. Small hotel including a restaurant. Double from €120, suite from €150. 
• 3 Hotel Op Diek, Diek 10, 1797 AB Den Hoorn, ☏ +31 222 319 262. double from €81, single from €49. 
• 4 Hotel Greenside, Stappeland 6, 1796 BS De Koog, ☏ +31 222 327 222. Including a large wellness area double from €105, Grand Suite from €170. 
• 5 Strandhotel Nordzee, Badweg 200, 1796 AA De Koog, ☏ +31 222 317 365. On the outermost row of dunes directly on the beach double €140. 
• 6 Grand Hotel Opduin, Ruijslaan 22, 1796 AD De Koog, ☏ +31 222 317 445. Directly at the dunes double from €110, Panoramasuite Superior from €165. 
• 7 Herberg De Zeven Provinciën, De Ruyterstraat 60, 1792 AK Oudeschild, ☏ +31 222 312 652. They claim it dates back to 1666 and thus the oldest hotel on the island. double from €50. 
• 8 Hotel Oranjerie Molenbos, Postweg 224-226, 1795 JT De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 316 476. from €110. 

De Cocksdorp

• 9 Hotel Pension 't Anker, Kikkertstraat 24, 1795 AD De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 316 274. A very nice but relatively small hotel aimed at families double from €88. 
• Holiday-Park de Krim, Roggeslootweg 6, De Cocksdorp, ☏ +31 222 390112. With spacious bungalows, luxury chalets, a five-star campsite and many other facilities. 
• Vacation home Rabbit, Roggeslootweg 393, De Cocksdorp, ☏ +49 2261 41495. Check-in: Friday, check-out: Friday. Vacation home in Holidaypark De Krim, online booking. 

Den Burg

• Vakantiebungalow Leeuwwitje, Gerritslanderdijkje 284, Den Burg, ☏ +31 6288 36956. Check-in: Friday, check-out: Friday. Holiday home Leeuwwitje, luxury bungalow, sleeps six, private forest, whirlpool, fire place, online booking. 

De Koog

• Hotel De Branding, Boodtlaan 6, De Koog, ☏ +31 222 317-233. This hotel has 30 modern rooms, each with their own bathroom seating area and television. Only the rooms on the ground floor have outdoors seating. €45-77. 

Connect

There is a post office in the centre of Den Burg, at the corner of the Burgwal and Parkstraat.

Go next

During the summer a special touristic boat service to the neighboring island of Vlieland, is available. This boat leaves near De Cocksdorp. The Wadden Sea sealife is also seen on this trip. From the village of Oudeschild, which has a harbour that is mainly used for fishing, a boat called Texel 44 can take you to the island of Terschelling. You can go back to Den Helder by boat and explore the rest of the Netherlands from there.