Camping on Texel, the Western Frisian Islands of the Netherlands

If you are looking to find a quiet and peaceful spot in the Netherlands, look no further than the West Frisian Islands. Texel is the easiest island to reach from Amsterdam. We went camping on Texel with some friends over the July 4th weekend some summers back when we were living in Amsterdam. It was a fun and relaxing getaway. Here are some tips for camping on beautiful Texel!

Biking on Texel

What are the Frisian islands?

The Frisian Islands are a chain of islands in the north of the Netherlands, in the Wadden Sea. There are eight Western Islands, and Texel is the largest and easiest to get to because it is the closest to Amsterdam and the most populated of the islands, with around 13,600 residents. Via train, bus and ferry it is possible to get there in under 2.5 hours from Amsterdam (or quicker with a car if you plan the ferry timetable properly).

Camping in De Cocksdorp, Texel

Texel has many accommodation options, and we opted to camp in the most northern village on the island, De Cocksdorp. So after the train, bus, ferry, and island bus, we arrived in the charming and small village of De Cocksdorp. After checking into the camping grounds, we walked to our allotted camping spot to discover we had a gorgeous view of the lighthouse at the northern tip of the island. We all plopped our stuff down and started munching on some nuts. Simultaneously we noticed how loud the crunching was. After the almost constant noise of living in Amsterdam, this was a wonderful reprieve.

Camping on Texel

Renting Bikes in Texel

After setting up our little tent we headed to rent bikes and explore the island. Because it is the Netherlands a bike rental shop is easy to find. And bike rentals are a reasonable price. Also, the bike paths around Texel are fantastic. We opted to bike to the lighthouse and northern beach, across gorgeous sand dunes. The beach is lovely, and despite being a sunny day in the Netherlands, it was not at all crowded. This is vastly different to so many other beaches near Amsterdam which are jam-packed on those rare sunny days. After a walk along the beach, we biked back through the sand dunes and headed into De Cocksdorp village.

Beach near de Cocksdorp

Texel Brewery Beers

On Texel there is a brewery and while we didn’t visit that, we did find in the village a terrace in the sun and ordered some of the Texel beers. They now brew 7 types of beers, at the time they were brewing just 4, and I would have to say I enjoyed their Amber ale the most. After a few drinks, we jumped back on the bikes to head to the supermarket and grab a bbq, one of those little disposable ones that are good for one use, and a proper 4th of July meal.

Another great Dutch brewery if you’re looking to try Trappist beers is La Trappe. So keep an eye out for those on the menus too!

De Cocksdorp

Grilling at the Campsite in Texel

At the camping site, we prepared our feast and watched the sunset and a light fog roll in. While it had been warm during the day, it was a cool evening, but luckily our little bbq had been converted into a small fire, which we sat around for a while enjoying the quiet tranquility and toasting marshmallows. I had been hoping to see crystal clear stars, however, in summer that far north in the Netherlands, there was still a little light in the sky, so I, unfortunately, did not get to enjoy many stars at all!

Sunset on Texel

How to Get from Amsterdam to Texel

To get to Texel from Amsterdam you will need to catch the train to Den Helder, then catch a local bus (#33) from the train station to the ferry, then hop on a ferry over to Texel. It will take just over 2 hours to get to the island and you can find all the train. Check out the Netherlands public transportation timetables to plan your trip. More information on camping and things to do, can be found on Texel’s official tourism website.

Author

  • Alex&Bell

    Alex and Bell originally met while solo traveling after finishing university in 2002, in Brugge, Belgium. Alex grew up in the USA and Bell hails from Australia. During our nearly 20 year marriage we've lived around the world, including spending six years living in the Netherlands and Ireland. We have traveled to nearly 70 countries and enjoy giving readers authentic and quality travel tips. Alex is an award winning travel journalist and travel planner, who also freelances for other outlets. Bell is an award winning PhD scientist who currently works for a non-profit lung cancer advocacy research organization called Lungevity. Happy travels and if you have any questions leave a comment or drop an email!

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2 thoughts on “Camping on Texel, the Western Frisian Islands of the Netherlands

    1. Indeed. It’s a shame we only went once as it’s beautiful. We meant to go back and never did. It would also have been cool to see one of the other islands too. We’re not so far away, but with limited time and resources it’s not something on our short term agenda.

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