Free Texel Guide
Getting there starts of course with arriving at the island. You get there by going with Teso. The ferry goes every hour (and sometimes every half hour in the busy summer times)
There is a 75-minute train ride from Amsterdam to Den Helder and there even goes a bus to the ferry that drops you off right at the entrance.
Please note that you have to pay a few euros to go on the ferry. The price depends on if and which vehicle you bring on the boat.
After getting off the boat you can either go by car or bus to the villages. Or rent a bike from the nearby bike shop and visit the Island that way, the wind could be quite hard some so be warned.
There are a lot of special cycling routes over the island which are all beautiful and I recommend seeing the island by bike at least once.
Den Hoorn
Den Hoorn is the most southern village. It's close to a dune park and during the spring it’s surrounded by bright yellow flower fields filled with narcissus flowers.
When village churches are built it is usually in the center of a village. That was also once the case for the white church for Den Hoorn until many houses were closed due to vacancy. The village was never rebuilt around the church but expanded further to the left of the church. This means that the white church now stands free in the landscape and is very photogenic with a beautiful Texel landscape around it. The church is the most photographed project in the whole of Texel. The white tower can be seen from the ferry.
When the weather is bad you can also visit the Theatre-restaurant the Toegift where both famous and less famous artists perform. The dinner cabarets at Klif12 are filled with a colorful mix of delicious food and amazing entertainment.
During WW2 a lot of bunkers were built on Texel, around 500. One of the bunkers which is still left standing is the Command bunker. The bunker has free entry and is easily accessible on foot. It is also part of the Stelling van Den Helder. From the bunker, you get amazing views of the North Sea and the dunes. You can also visit Paal 9 where you can grab a bite to eat and drink.
Den Burg
Den Burg is the biggest “city” on Texel. It has great shops, Amazing terraces, Tasty restaurants, and alot of historic buildings, as wel as a museum, swimming pool and cinema. You can also climb the Church tower to enjoy amazing views of the Island.
Den Burg also is my go to place to shop. There is a wide range of shops like store chains and special little shops with great home accessories, unique souvenirs, little trinkets and specialty stores. As well as alot of restaurants selling either 3 course meals offering specialty’s from the Island, Pizza, fish and chips and more. And you like beer make sure to drink a Skuumkoppe, a texel specialty which you can order at most bars and restaurants.
De Koog
De Koog is my go to place, our apartment is here, and from the village centre its about a 5 minute walk to the beach and if you are staying on the camping in the dunes its less then a minute. From the village you can visit national park Duinen. You can enjoy wonderful walks on the footpaths or follow a marked route from carpark Mienterglop. Other parks like Dennenbos, De Muy and De Slufter are also within a short distance of De Koog. I will talk about those later in this guide.
In the city centre you can find lots of great little shops, terraces, restaurants and cafés. There also is a nightlife scene. There are regular music events, cocktail nights and club De Toekomst (16+) during the months of July and August there is a town market from 12:00 till 19:00
You can find hotels, holiday homes, apartments, chalets and furnished tents in and around the village. The camping i talked about earlier is Texelcamping Kogerstrand, a camp site situated in the dunes between the village and the beach. Here, rabbits and pheasants pass by your tent or caravan. There also is a Team dedicated to make it an amazing experience for kids.
I also can’t forget about the beach either. In the summer the beach is amazing for laying in the sun, grabbing a bite to eat at the beach pavilion’s or do watersports. There also are beach stores where you can buy or hire windbreaks, deck chairs or even beach huts.
Beach posts 19 and 17 are some or the surfing hotspots. Post 19 has Surfschool Foamball, the surfschool i go to all summer to surf. They have amazing intructors. Good boards and wetsuit’s and for kids under 16 a week of surf camp. You can also sit there to grab a drink and watch people surf.
I will talk about some other activities later so read further if you wanna hear about Ecomare an educational place about Seals and other marine life. You can also learn about and see rescued seals.
De Cocksdorp
De Cocksdorp is home to the 150-plus-year-old lighthouse which is almost 35 metres tall. These days it serves as a museum with an interesting exhibition on the way up to the top, with magnificent Wadden Sea views (UNESCO World Haritage) Please note that beach surrounding the lighthouse is a NO SWIM ZONE. The North Sea and the Wadden Sea meet which creates a dangerous current. You can take a stroll on the beach and lots of people fly kites with buggies. If you are lucky you can even spot a seal or two as they regularly lie along the waters edge.
If you love bird watching you are in luck here, the northern dunes have beautiful walking routes where you can see many (rare) bird species, you can regularly go on bird watching excursions or visit the bird information centre.
From de Cocksdorp you can also visit the neighbouring island Vlieland, there are almost no cars on Vlieland and it is highly recommend to hire a bike and explore the island that way.
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