Best of Texel

Top itineraries and travel advice in and around Texel
Just a 20-minute ferry ride separates the mainland of North Holland with Texel, the largest of the Netherlands’ West Frisian Islands. Sandy beaches and nature reserves draw visitors to Texel, and its seven small villages make good bases for exploring the island. Texel has about as many sheep as it has human residents, and the island’s cheeses and wool products are famous.

Over 87 miles (140 km) of cycling routes crisscross the island, and you can go for a spin past many miles of beaches or stop at orchards and farms to pick your own fruit during the growing season. You can also go for guided walks along the mudflats just offshore, where you can learn about the region’s unique ecology, and sometimes spot seals basking on the sandbanks. You can also make a day trip from Texel to car-free Vlieland, one of the archipelago’s least visited islands. 
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The lighthouse on the island of Texel
Explore the Islands of Texel & Vlieland - 5 Days

Get away from it all on this relaxing 5-day escape. This trip takes you to a unique landscape in the far north of the Netherlands where a chain of small islands awaits in the Wadden Sea. You'll visit two of these islands — Texel and Vlieland — to enjoy leisurely bike rides, dazzling sand dunes, endless beaches, and vast marshes populated with diverse birdlife. Wade through mud flats, feast on freshly caught seafood, view a historic collection of messages-in-bottles, and walk for hours on the coast: there's so much to see and do on this laid-back island itinerary.

Children walking on the coast of the North Sea
Map of Family Tour of the Netherlands - 10 Days
Family Tour of the Netherlands - 10 Days

Welcome to the perfect family destination — Holland! On this 10-day adventure, you'll explore the canals of Amsterdam on a private boat, see the windmills of Kinderdijk and learn how they work, spot beavers in their natural habitat at De Biesbosch National Park, and spend several days on the relaxed island of Texel. Travel by train, ferry, canoe, bus, and bicycle as you make your way between the country's top destinations. Featuring a mix of activities for adults and children alike, and diverse landscapes from mudflats to tulip fields, this itinerary is fun for the whole family.

Rippling sand dunes on the Wadden Islands
Netherlands Cycling Tour: Northern Coast & Islands - 8 Days

This 8-day cycling itinerary takes you on a journey across the windswept islands and endless beaches of the Netherlands' northern coast. Starting among the tulip fields of North Holland, you'll cross the Wadden Sea to reach a breathtaking archipelago of protected islands. Hop between Texel, Vlieland, and Terschelling, cycling through a peaceful landscape of sand dunes and salt marshes. Then return to the mainland to pedal past the green fields of Friesland, ending in the vibrant provincial capital of Leeuwarden.

Beach Cabins on Texel Island
Family Tour of the Netherlands - 14 Days

Peaceful islands, maritime museums, a fairytale-themed amusement park — these are just a few of the attractions that make Holland a wonderful destination for a family vacation. On this two-week itinerary around the country, you'll explore the canals of Amsterdam on a private boat, see windmills at Kinderdijk, hike on a sandbar at low tide, explore interactive museums, and cycle from The Hague to a beach that's perfect for building sandcastles. Your accommodations, from a cabin on a windswept island to a fanciful suite on the edge of Holland's best theme park, are part of the fun. Bring the whole family — this well-rounded adventure is sure to please travelers of all ages!

Old ships on a canal in Leeuwarden
Luxury Tour of Holland - 10 Days

Experience the best Holland has to offer on this 10-day luxury tour! You'll sleep in one-of-a-kind boutique hotels and dine in fine restaurants while exploring the capital city of Amsterdam, pristine Hoge Veluwe National Park, the lively university town of Leeuwarden, and the windswept islands of Vlieland and Texel. Highlights along the journey include a private gondola tour, a day trip to historic windmills in the Dutch countryside, a self-guided bike ride along picturesque sand dunes, plenty of time to enjoy viewing Vincent van Gogh's original masterpieces, and an overnight stay in a gorgeously restored complex of Golden Age canal houses.

A lush green landscape in the Netherlands
Grand Tour of the Netherlands - 14 Days

Fields of tulips, antique windmills, paintings by Vincent van Gogh, boat rides on the canals of Amsterdam: on this magnificent two-week trip, you'll visit many of Holland's top highlights. Stops along the itinerary include the port city of Rotterdam, forested Hoge Veluwe National Park, and the windswept island of Texel, where you'll spend a few relaxing days at the end of the trip. No adventure in the Netherlands, of course, would be complete without a bicycle ride. So this action-packed itinerary also features several chances to explore historic cities and idyllic landscapes on two wheels!

Other popular travel destinations in The Netherlands
Amsterdam · Rotterdam · Leiden · Haarlem · The Hague · Delft · Dordrecht · Hoorn · Bergen · Utrecht · Gouda · Nijmegen · Terschelling