Texel

Understand

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 – in the centre of the island is the largest town on island, home to about half the island's inhabitants. It has the most facilities and is the best shopping destination. 2 De Cocksdorp – home of the lighthouse and miles of beach in the north of island 3 Den Hoorn – leafy village in the south of the island with pretty rustic cottages. 4 De Koog – the town where the sun lovers go on the west side of island, by the beach. Small place, but busy. A bit trashy, lots of night life. Two supermarkets, lots of bars/restaurants, and not much else. 5 Oudeschild – a fishing harbour in the southeast of the island The information centre 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.

Getting there

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.

Getting around

By bike The island is best experienced by bicycle, especially in summer. There are many places 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,