Choose your favourite beach: On the Texel beaches you can experience the ultimate freedom feeling. Put on your walking shoes and feel the wind blowing in your hair as you walk along the waterline. Or take your shoes off and feel the fine sand between your toes. The vast beach offers space for as much peace and quiet or activity as you wish. With a length of 30km the beach offers diverse possibilities. The changing seasons give the beach many different perspectives. Every visitor to Texel has their personal favourite stretch of beach.

Poles instead of names

It is also handy to know that instead of the official names of the beaches, the Rijkswaterstaat kilometre measurements are often used. The stretch of beach Hoornderslag near Den Hoorn is for example referred to as Paal 9 on Texel. The Texel Municipality has divided the beach up into various zones in order to give as many beach users as possible space on the beach.

Accessibility

The beaches on Texel are easily accessible by bicycle or car. The beaches at Paal 9, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21, 28 and 33 have spacious car parks. You can park your car for free at these car parks. The beach is then just a short walk over the dunes. You can park your bicycle just before the beach.  
For those travelling by public transport the beach at Paal 20 in De Koog is easily accessible. The beach is a stone's throw from the bus stop in the centre of De Koog. It is also possible to get off the bus at another stop and combine your bus journey with a beautiful walk. There are many scenic walks to the beach through the dunes which are well marked by yellow poles. 

The desert island feeling

However many visitors there are on Texel, there are parts of the beach where you won't come across many people at all. Nature plays the leading roll between de Mokbaai in the far southern point of the island to Paal 9 and between Paal 22 and 27. These beaches are parallel to the nature reserves of De Muy and De Slufter. Peace, space, nature and silence are central here; you'll feel as if you're on a desert island.

Something for everyone

The lifeguarded beaches on Texel are popular in the summer season. Young and old alike can enjoy sun, sea and beach. Whether you want to go paddling or take a refreshing dip, the lifeguards keep an eye on things between June and September. There is a beach café at every stretch of beach. Enjoy a delicious lunch on a terrace or end a balmy beach day with a cool drink. There are lifeguarded beaches at Paal 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21 and 28. Renting a beach hut on Texel makes a day on the beach even more enjoyable. The beach kiosks rent out beach huts for various periods of time. 

Wind, sand and water sports

Texel is extremely suitable for sports evolving the natural elements of the wind, water and sand. All water sports which do not cause direct danger to other beach users are permitted on the follow beach stretches: Paal 9 to 17, 19 to 22, 27 to 28 and 32 to 33. These beach areas are ideal for surfing, canoeing, sailing and kite flying with one line.

The Texel municipality has designated two zones for extreme (water )sports. The first zone is the beach on the northern side of Paal 28 to 32. The vastness of this area makes it extremely suitable for example for kite-surfing, kite-flying with numerous lines, kite-buggying and blo-karting. The second zone is between Paal 17 and 19. This part is quite narrow and very busy with other beach users in the summer months. This makes this stretch of the beach more suitable for kite-surfers than for buggy-riders.
Facilities for those wishing to practice these (water) sports are provided by the (water) sports schools on the beaches.

Relax at a beach café

Early in the year you can enjoy sitting outside on one of the beach café terraces. In the autumn and winter you can relax by a log fire with a drink and a bite to eat after a breathtaking walk on the beach. An increasing number of beach cafés are open all year round.

Nudist beaches

There are nudist beaches at Paal 9 De Hors and Paal 27 De Slufter. These beaches are not lifeguarded.

Four-legged friends on the beach

On many of the beaches it is permitted to let dogs off of the lead. At the lifeguarded beaches and the nudist beaches, dogs do have to be kept on a lead. Dogs also have to be kept on a lead when walking in nature reserves and dune areas on Texel and in parts of De Hors area. For more information see the page Dogs.