Only a few minutes walk from our bungalow rental De Muy will take you to beach pole 25 („Paal 25”). This pole is not like the other beach poles on Texel island, because you won’t pass this one as easily as the others. It is the pole of De Slufter, a unique nature reserve with an open connection to the North Sea. After several failed attempts to convert the area into an agricultural polder, the islanders decided in the early twentieth century that it was better to leave the connection to the sea open – and so it is today. Beach pole 25 is therefore regularly flooded.
From almost all our bungalows you can take a nice walk to beach pole 25. Take a break while you are on the way, sit down in a dune hollow and enjoy the overwhelming silence of this place. The path to beach pole 25 is never the same. In this nature reserve, the sea still has free rein, constantly creating new paths and new sights. It is therefore highly recommended to make the walk to beach pole 25 several times during your stay on Texel. You will be surprised by the power of nature!
On Texel island, every kilometre of beach has its own pole. This numbering starts on the other side of the Marsdiep sea street, near Den Helder. The poles have been there for a century and a half. They were placed there at that time to make land surveys possible and to register changes in the water level. With today’s modern techniques they are actually redundant, but the Dutch authorities never intended to remove the poles, as they mean a lot to the islanders and our guests.
Do you like pole 25 in De Slufter as much as we do? In our shop we sell several great beach pole 25 souvenirs, which we can also send to you.
Texel boasts seven charming villages, each with its own character. We’ll list them for you.
De Cocksdorp
In the north, you will find Texel's youngest village: De Cocksdorp. 'Achter de ruge diek' (‘behind the rugged dike’), as Texel residents refer to the north of Texel. There are a number of nice shops, restaurants and terraces here. In the summer, there is a tourist market on Thursdays. From the village, you can cycle to the lighthouse in just ten minutes.
Den Burg
This is Texel's largest village with about 7000 inhabitants, about half the island’s total. Thanks to its central location, you can't avoid Den Burg during your visit to Texel. Shops, cafes, terraces, supermarkets, lots of restaurants and a cinema, Den Burg has it all. You can also visit the Oudheidkamer, a lovely little museum in the centre. There is a weekly market on Monday mornings and a themed market on Wednesdays in high season.
De Koog
De Koog is Texel's number one resort. It is located directly on the North Sea beach and is known for its pleasant atmosphere and leisure opportunities. You can walk straight onto the beach from the village, where you can enjoy walking, sunbathing, water sports, eating & drinking and of course swimming. At the same time, De Koog is also near the woods and a number of beautiful nature reserves where you can bike and walk. There are lots of shops on Dorpsstraat, plus a wide selection of restaurants. De Koog also has great nightlife. In July and August there is a fair on Tuesdays and the shops are open every Sunday throughout the year!
De Waal
The smallest village on Texel is De Waal. It’s lovely and quiet there, a bit like the olden days. Which makes De Waal definitely worth a visit, for example as a stop off on a long bike ride. When the weather is nice, the garden of hotel Rebecca is a great place to sit. De Waal is also the village of the sommeltjes, a kind of goblin that supposedly danced on burial mounds in the moonlight. The Waelstee museum includes an exhibition of agricultural life on Texel a hundred years ago.
Den Hoorn
Texel’s southernmost village is picturesque Den Hoorn. At the edge of the village lies the famous white church, perhaps the most photogenic little church in the Netherlands. The pilots’ houses on Herenstraat and Klif are also very well known. The men who lived there piloted ships including the merchantmen of the Dutch East India Company through the dangerous Marsdiep into the harbour at Oudeschild. A number of beautiful hiking trails through the area start from the square by the Spar. In July and August, the Hoornder Thursdays are held here, which include a pavement market.
Oosterend
On the Wadden Sea side of the island lies the picturesque village of Oosterend. It is not very touristy, but definitely worth a visit – because of all Texel’s villages, Oosterend is perhaps the most authentic. It has a number of cafes and restaurants, which also makes it a nice stop during a bike ride along the dike. A walk around the church really takes you back in time.
Oudeschild
The home port of the Texel fishing fleet is the charming harbour village of Oudeschild. Seal-watching and shrimping trips across the Wadden Sea also depart from here. Oudeschild is a regular fixture on their programmes for many tourists. They go to ‘grab some fish’ and get a taste of the atmosphere around the harbour. In Oudeschild you will also find the Kaap Skil museum, where you can learn more about the village’s historical significance. Just outside the village on the north side is the marina.
Texel has beautiful beaches – over thirty kilometres of them, so there's plenty of room for everyone. In fact, even in high season it sometimes feels as though you have the whole beach to yourself. If you prefer a busier scene, go to a beach with a pavilion (by post 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 28 or 33). These sections of the beach are watched over in summer by lifeguards. They make sure everyone can go into the sea safely. Do keep a close eye on the lifeguards and the flags:
Red flag: going into the sea not permitted
Yellow flag: dangerous conditions for swimming
White flag: a child has been found or lost
The lifeguard posts are open between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from July until the end of December.
Texel’s beaches are perfect for walking. With the wind in your hair or enjoying the sunshine, the beach at Texel is never the same but it’s always a great place to be.We all have a contribution to make in keeping the beaches clean. That's why it's important that beachgoers take their rubbish with them.
There are various options for renting your own beach hut. You can do so per week, per day or even for a whole season. Beach huts (often including deck chairs) can be rented at beach sections 9, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21 and 28.
On many of the beaches, dogs are allowed off the leash. On the guarded beach sections and the nude beaches at Den Hoorn and De Cocksdorp, dogs do have to be kept on a leash.
Depending on the weather, there are also fun activities to do on the beach, such as surfing, kite surfing, rafting, kayaking and power kiting.
On Texel we have all kinds of landscapes: a large area of dunes, a mixed deciduous and pine forest, heathland, extensive beaches, mud flats and salt marshes with their own distinctive vegetation, but also meadows, fields and polders. Also unique are the flora and fauna of the island, for example the sea lavender that colours De Slufter purple in July and August. Texel is therefore an ideal habitat for many different animal species. Nowhere else in the Netherlands can you see as many varieties of birds as on Texel. So bird-lovers will find what they are looking for here, just like the birds themselves. Thanks to the variety of landscapes, there are suitable food and breeding grounds for all of them here. During the migratory season, they come here en masse to recover their strength for their journeys around the globe.
Texel is the perfect island for cycling. There are lots of great routes that will take you past the highlights of the island. Picturesque villages, beautiful nature reserves, green meadows: there are few places where nature is as diverse as here. You do need to be able to cope with a little wind, because it can get pretty blowy on Texel!
Order what you need for your stay online (bike, hand cart, cot or high chair, sheet or towel package).
Click here for the order list
Please complete this list at least 1 week before arrival.
